Step 3: Edit, Edit, Edit!
After you have a first draft of your manuscript, the first thing you need to do is cut part of what you have written. Most editors prefer that the word count does not go over 1000. You could plan to cut out about 10% of your writing right off the top. Any word that is not 100% necessary should go. Don’t waste your word count describing an object or a character, instead, leave a note to the illustrator if this is important. The illustrator will be able to convey the idea graphically if it is something like physical attributes. This falls under the “show, not tell” rule of storytelling, films, and book writing and illustrating.
A characters’ action should always advance the plot. Don’t waste your word count explaining that Bobby got up in the morning, brushed his teeth, and ate breakfast if he missed the school bus. Your readers will figure out that he got up and got ready if you start your story with him leaving the house on the way to school.
After you have trimmed the unnecessary material from your story. Take a look at your character. Is he or she developed? Will children care about him? A child should be able to describe several aspects about a characters personality. Take a look at the secondary characters. They should contribute to the story in some, less defined way.
Take a look at the dialogue. Each character should have their own unique voice; children should talk like children. Make sure that the dialogue is advancing the plot forward or give insight into someone’s personality. “Give me back my hat!” Jill stamped her foot and glared at Bobby.
It may take a few re-writes before the story is as tight as it can be. Authors find it helpful to put it away for several days between re-writes. This helps to give some fresh perspective on the piece and allows you to see the rough spots easier.
Showing posts with label writing children's picture books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing children's picture books. Show all posts
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Writing Children's Picture Books
Part 2: First Draft Writing
“Picture book” refers to any children’s book that contains illustrations on every page and is not broken up by chapters. Generally, “picture books” will mean a story for children ages 3-7, who are beyond “board book” concepts (ie. Shapes, colors, numbers, animals, etc.)
The first step is to pick a topic for your book. The best books use everyday events and activities from a child’s life. These ideas can come from anywhere; an event from your own childhood, something that happened from your child at school, something that happened at home, etc.
Rather than bombarding children with lessons everyday of their lives, I would urge you to write to entertain. Any message from the story should be conveyed by the main characters’ actions.
Once you have your topic, you develop your main character. This character can be anything from real people to animals, monsters or aliens! No matter who your main character is, it is important that he or she embodies the child’s point of view. The story should be about a child’s concerns and how a child sees the world. If using an animal, it should be like a child in disguise, and live a very childlike existence. Have the animal dressed in clothes and using inanimate objects that people would use.
Start by writing 2-3 sentences summarizing your book. If this gives you trouble, your story is too complicated for a picture book. Texts in picture books run from 100-1500 words, with about 1000 words being the average. My suggestion would be to keep your story simple and to the point. AND – always end the story on a happy note.
Write your first draft. Tell the story from the main characters point of view. You can either use first person (I said) or third person (Jill said). Keep the number of secondary characters to a minimum because you don’t have enough space to develop these characters.
Tell your story in a series of actions with dialogue scattered throughout. Let the words convey concrete, visual images. Children between the ages of 3-7 only understand what they can see and feel. They don’t think abstractly. Emotions have to be described in sensory terms (chattering teeth to show being cold, etc).
“Picture book” refers to any children’s book that contains illustrations on every page and is not broken up by chapters. Generally, “picture books” will mean a story for children ages 3-7, who are beyond “board book” concepts (ie. Shapes, colors, numbers, animals, etc.)
The first step is to pick a topic for your book. The best books use everyday events and activities from a child’s life. These ideas can come from anywhere; an event from your own childhood, something that happened from your child at school, something that happened at home, etc.
Rather than bombarding children with lessons everyday of their lives, I would urge you to write to entertain. Any message from the story should be conveyed by the main characters’ actions.
Once you have your topic, you develop your main character. This character can be anything from real people to animals, monsters or aliens! No matter who your main character is, it is important that he or she embodies the child’s point of view. The story should be about a child’s concerns and how a child sees the world. If using an animal, it should be like a child in disguise, and live a very childlike existence. Have the animal dressed in clothes and using inanimate objects that people would use.
Start by writing 2-3 sentences summarizing your book. If this gives you trouble, your story is too complicated for a picture book. Texts in picture books run from 100-1500 words, with about 1000 words being the average. My suggestion would be to keep your story simple and to the point. AND – always end the story on a happy note.
Write your first draft. Tell the story from the main characters point of view. You can either use first person (I said) or third person (Jill said). Keep the number of secondary characters to a minimum because you don’t have enough space to develop these characters.
Tell your story in a series of actions with dialogue scattered throughout. Let the words convey concrete, visual images. Children between the ages of 3-7 only understand what they can see and feel. They don’t think abstractly. Emotions have to be described in sensory terms (chattering teeth to show being cold, etc).
Friday, May 8, 2009
Writing Children’s Picture Books
Part 1: The Overview
Of all the different mediums a writer could write for, children’s picture books are probably the most challenging. The text is usually short, therefore every word is very important and must “earn its own way to the table.” In a longer story, a flat paragraph can go undetected, however in a 32 page book, a few weak words can mean trouble for you plot.
Good picture books capture the essence of the story through the words. It’s up to the illustrator to tell the rest of the story. Picture books are meant to be read aloud to children, therefore the rhythm of the words are very important. The trick is to get the text to sounds like poetry. Choosing the words very carefully and rewriting as many times as it takes.
The average picture book is no longer than 1500 words. In this short space, a writer must develop a story with convincing characters. The writer must also set a mood and a scene from a child’s life. Every sentence contains a single, concrete idea and every two to three sentences should convey a different scene that can be illustrated and communicated visually.
After writing the first draft of the story, go back through the text again and delete every unnecessary word. Go through again and replace some of the ordinary words with a selection of deeper words.
After your story has been revised several times and the text is tightly written like a poem, then you are ready to send it to the editors.
Of all the different mediums a writer could write for, children’s picture books are probably the most challenging. The text is usually short, therefore every word is very important and must “earn its own way to the table.” In a longer story, a flat paragraph can go undetected, however in a 32 page book, a few weak words can mean trouble for you plot.
Good picture books capture the essence of the story through the words. It’s up to the illustrator to tell the rest of the story. Picture books are meant to be read aloud to children, therefore the rhythm of the words are very important. The trick is to get the text to sounds like poetry. Choosing the words very carefully and rewriting as many times as it takes.
The average picture book is no longer than 1500 words. In this short space, a writer must develop a story with convincing characters. The writer must also set a mood and a scene from a child’s life. Every sentence contains a single, concrete idea and every two to three sentences should convey a different scene that can be illustrated and communicated visually.
After writing the first draft of the story, go back through the text again and delete every unnecessary word. Go through again and replace some of the ordinary words with a selection of deeper words.
After your story has been revised several times and the text is tightly written like a poem, then you are ready to send it to the editors.
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