I’ve only been in the business of writing children’s books for a couple of years and yet, I couldn’t even venture a guess as to how many times I’ve been asked to supply a biography for myself. Doesn’t it make sense to get one good biography ready and store it somewhere safe? Better still–email your…
Month: April 2022
#14DayPBChallenge Day 10 – Let’s Practice Writing Twitter Pitches
Frances Gilbert, Vice President and Editor in Chief at Doubleday for Young Readers [under the hood of Random House Children’s Books], acquired my debut picture book The Donkey’s Song via #PBPitch, which is a Twitter Event for picture book writers who want to pitch their books to agents and editors. I have written several posts…
#14DayPBChallenge Day 9 – How to Write a Picture Book Pitch
Your Assignment for Day 9 of the #14DayPBChallenge is to Write Sample Pitches for Your Picture Book. What Is A Picture Book Pitch? Writer’s Digest Distinguishes Between A Synopsis, A Pitch, and a Query. Here: What Is A Pitch? “…an explanation of your story in 3-8 sentences. It’s like the text you see on the back…
14-Day Picture Book Challenge Day 6 – Write the First Draft of Your Manuscript
The challenge for Day 6 of the #14DayPBChallenge is to write your official first draft. We have spent several days describing, describing, researching eras, and describing some more. Today, I want to put away your notes and your descriptions, and everything else that might distract you. I want you to close your eyes and recall…
Create a Text Dummy for Your Picture Book + A Look at A Variety of Different Types of Picture Books – Different Number of Pages – Different Pages to Begin the Text
Today, I have several objectives: I want you to know how to create a picture book text dummy. Unlike an illustrator’s dummy, a text dummy is for writers. It will help them edit and re-edit their books. It will also help them with their books’ pacing–helping them understand where the page breaks should fall. Above all…
I Am Foverver Trapped in the 1800s
I am a true Romanticist. I am more engaged with my Romanic and idealized vision of the past than I am with the present. I am emotionally trapped in the 1800s, but none of my picture books [at this point] spring from that period. I am, however, currently creating one or more series of books…
14-Day Picture Book Challenge Day 4 – Describe the Main Character of Your Picture Book
Day 4 Challenge – 14 Day Picture Book Challenge – Describe the Main Character of Your Picture Book. Step 1: Decide what story that you want to tell. Step 2: Decide who is the star of your story. Step 3: Describe that Character Your assignment today is to fill your mind with as many details…
14-Day Picture Book Challenge Day 3 – Picture Writing and Word Painting – How to Write Descriptively
Day 3 Challenge – 14 Day Picture Book Challenge – Part A: Read Jane Yolen’s description of the setting in her book Owl Moon and after you have reduced the words significantly, rewrite it — without losing the power of the initial words. Part B: Rewrite the Setting of Your Picture Book. In another post,…
14-Day Picture Book Challenge Day 2 – Describe the Setting of Your Picture Book
For the second day of the 14-Day Picture Book Challenge, your assignment is to describe the setting of the picture book that you will be writing. You don’t need to write in beautiful, poetic words yet. You don’t need to consider the voice or the format of your potential picture book. You don’t need to…
14 Day Picture Book Challenge Day 1 – Plan and Write Your First Draft
“One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. ‘Which road do I take?’ she asked. “Were do you want to go?’ was his response. ‘I don’t know,’ Alice answered. ‘Then,’ said the cat, ‘it doesn’t matter.’ “ When I am writing creatively, I prefer an…