Penning Picture Books #7: The Building Blocks of Plot, or “Dramatic Arc”

Basic plot structure for a picture book is the same as for any other kind of dramatic structure, be it a novel, a play or a film: 3 acts – or, beginning, middle, and end. Each one takes up roughly one third of the book, and each is divided by a transition or [...]

Penning Picture Books #6 – They’re Called PICTURE Books…

Like many children’s book authors who are also parents, I get a lot of ideas from my own kids.  Several years ago, something sort of magical happened to my son that seemed worthy of a picture book.  We were dining on our back deck, and he – at the age of three – essentially willed [...]

Penning Picture Books #5 – “Theme”, or Simple Gifts

The ‘What’s It All About’ discussion of the last post leads right to the next topic: theme.
What do you want to say to your audience, and why?  It’s not enough to simply entertain – we want to offer our readers something to think about, a feeling, perhaps, or a question for further dialogue after the [...]

Penning Picture Books, #4 – What’s It All About, Maurice?

At the core of every successful children’s book is the “central dramatic question.” This is the question raised by, and in, the story. Will Max’s mother forgive him and give him dinner after all? Will Peter learn to whistle? Will the prince ever find a real princess? Will the pigs [...]

Penning Picture Books, #3 – Icing Vs. Cake (or, Verse Vs. Prose)

I’m going to be very frank, since this is a subject that comes up over and over again in my editing practice. Language is a fundamental part of children’s literature. Word play, rhythm, alliteration, parallelism, refrain  - being playful, imaginative, creative with language is at the core of style when it comes to children’s books.  [...]

Penning Picture Books, #2 – A Question of Style

A major question to consider when developing an idea for a children’s book is what the style of the book will be. Will it be lean and simple, or rich in imagery and ideas? Will it be matter-of-fact, lyrical, or tongue in cheek? What about narration – what voice will the story be told in? [...]

Penning Picture Books, #1 – Q: Who’s Your Hero? (A: Your Reader!)

Welcome to the first entry in a new blog series on writing books for children!
This series is part of a new e-course and group coaching program I am developing, as well as being fodder for a new book, so your comments here are most welcome and will help me shape the direction of all these [...]