When people find out I write children’s books, particularly
picture books, they often tell me that they have a great idea for a picture
book but have questions about the process. Can I answer a few questions, they
ask.
Before they can ask me, I ask them a couple of questions.
Have you read any picture book lately?
Oh, sure, they say, I read my kids all the Dr. Seuss books
when they were little. And I took my grandkids to see the movie 'Where the Wild
Things Are.'
But, I ask, have you read any picture books published
recently? They often have not.
Then I ask if they have actually written the book. Again, I
often hear “No, it’s an idea I have.”
The Writing.
People think writing a picture book is easy. It’s only 500 –
1000 words. No problem. But the very brevity of picture books is what makes
them so difficult to do well.
Let’s say you write an 80,000-word adult novel. If 5% of the
writing is weak, which doesn’t seem so horrible (a 95% success, that’s a grade
of A), that means you have 4,000 poorly-chosen words (or badly constructed
sentences) an average of one or two per page of 200 words.
If 5% of your writing on an 800-word picture book is weak,
you’ll have 40 bad words, more than one on a page with only 30 words or less on
it. While it’s the same percentage, they will stand out more far more
obviously.
I tell them to go to the library or a book store and read
dozens of picture books. See what works; learn why they were good enough to get
published.
Most publishers want their picture books to cover 24 pages.
While they generally do not want you to indicate the page breaks, you have to
think in terms of 24 pages (or 28 or 32, whatever the publisher’s guidelines
state). Publishers will state on their web pages word count and preferred page
length, so make darn sure you adhere to those guidelines.
Check Age-Appropriateness.
Let an elementary teacher read your picture book. Take her
criticism seriously. Read it to a child of the appropriate age. Take his
comments seriously, but remember that a young child won’t use the words an
adult would. You need to learn to understand child-speak and note their facial
expressions and body language as you read it. Having trouble doing that? Then
why are you writing books for young children?
Write and rewrite it. My first picture book, only 800 words,
took me five years to get what I felt were the exact right words for it.
Make sure it is appropriate for the age you intend it for.
While it may sound perfectly clear and understandable to you, you are not a
six-year-old child. One of my most used reference books, when I write for kids,
is “Children’s Writer’s Word Book” by Alijandra Mogilner. It lists common words
understandable by grade level. Think of this book as a thesaurus for
child-compatible words. It gives alternative words to use for other grade
levels. Suppose you use the word novel, as in new or unusual. ‘Novel’ is a 5th-grade
word used in that context, so if you put it in a book meant for 1st
graders, they won’t know what it means. The book suggests ‘new’ for
kindergarteners, ‘latest’ for 1st grade, ‘fresh’ or ‘modern’ for 2nd
graders, and so on. Each of those can be looked up to possibly give you more
options.
Will Your Audience
Understand It?
When you are done with your first draft, and indeed after
every draft, run the story through a readability checker. Several can be found
online, like http://datayze.com/readability-analyzer.php. Or, here, you can find 10 different
readability calculators: https://www.wyliecomm.com/2018/11/10-free-readability-calculators/.
Try them all on the same piece of writing, see which ones help you the most.
Illustrating It.
Perhaps the most-asked question I get from would-be picture
book authors is where do I fond my illustrators. I do not find illustrators. My
books are published by a full-service indie press, and they have in-house
illustrators. And, in general, you do not want to provide illustrations with
your book. That just gives publishers two possible reasons to reject your book.
If you or your friend who draws as a hobby have no experience illustrating
picture books, you are not likely to provide illustrations the publisher wants.
As you write your books, you do have to think in pictures,
even if your pictures are nothing like what the illustrator eventually comes up
with. Make sure the story has action in it, action that can be illustrated. If
you write a story where the same picture works for several pages, the publisher
won’t want it and the illustrator won’t want to illustrate it. Picture books
are really two books in one, the words and the pictures. And if you’re a
6-year-old kid, which will be more important to you? Make sure your picture
book allows for interesting, varied, and exciting pictures.
learn
Bio.
I currently have 5 published books for children, with three
more currently in the illustration stage with my publisher, 4RV Publishing. I spent 40 years as
the director of a planetarium where I brought the wonders of the universe to
audience members from 4 to 104. I have raised four children, my best audience
and greatest critics.
Congratulations! Exciting news about new books coming out. Your advice is spot-on.
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