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PiBoIdMo Day 6: Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen’s Characters are the Key (plus a prize!)

November 6, 2014 6:30 am

by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

It’s still early in Picture Book Idea Month, and hopefully you’re all still overflowing with ideas that you can put down on paper. It does get tougher as the month continues, but bravo to you for taking up the challenge!

You’re going to come up with a lot of different kinds of ideas. You’ll think of titles, puns, and images that you see in your mind’s eye. You’ll imagine complicated scenarios and Holy Grails. You’ll draft punchlines and scenes that tug at the heart. All of these varied things can eventually grow into a beautiful, successful picture book.

But no matter what you start with, character is almost always the key to crafting a book that will be published.

POPPYCOCK! you say. CODSWALLOP! BUNK! After all, there are so many other things we hear about that make editors want to publish a manuscript. Compelling plots. Flawless writing. Powerful marketing hooks. And those are all vital things! Your plot has to be gripping and unique. The writing must be impeccable and beautiful to read. There has to be hooks to help the book sell.

But all of those things pale in comparison to the character.

It is the character that the reader will fall in love with. It is the character who he will root for. It is the character he will draw on his fan mail to you. It is the character who will live on in his imagination for week, months, years to come.

It is the character you have to get right.

Let’s talk about some ways to do that.

Character is Like the Salt

Every once in a while when I’m cooking dinner, I totally forget to add salt. The meal I end up with is nothing short of disgusting and inedible. Salvageable, yes—as long as I add some salt to it. But without that one ingredient, dinner is nothing like what it is supposed to be.

Character is the salt in your picture book idea.

Some meals use a lot of salt. Others, just a sprinkling. But salt is essential. The same holds true for character.

Even in a high concept idea (which is becoming increasingly popular in picture books), you still need that sprinkling of salt, errrr, character. Here’s an example: I have a book coming out soon called RUTABAGA BOO (which will be illustrated by the uber-talented Bonnie Adamson). The entire book is about the unbreakable bond between a son and his mother. Whenever the son needs his mother, he says, “Rutabaga!” To show that she is there, she answers, “Boo!”

On the surface, it may not seem like there is a lot of character in this idea. (I mean, how much character development can you show in 22 words?) But while the heart of this story is the mother/son bond, what draws the reader in is what you learn about the characters—and how much those details endear the characters to the reader. Every spread tells you something more about the characters—what they like to do, what scares them, what makes them feel better. The characters in this case may just be a sprinkling of salt—but without them, the story doesn’t mean nearly as much to the reader.

Think Wedding Cake, Not Cupcake

Let’s belabor the cooking theme some more.

As you are thinking of you PiBoIdMo ideas (and you are focusing on character because you, like me, believe character is the key), make sure you incorporate layers from the beginning. Just like a wedding cake is more impressive because of its tiered layers, you want to create a character that has, well, tiers and layers. Don’t let your idea stand at “Cindy wants a new puppy.” Push it to the limit (even at the idea stage):

• Can you enhance the theme? “Cindy wants a puppy so she can join the kids who walk their dogs afterschool and make some new friends” or “Cindy wants a puppy so she isn’t so lonely”
• Can you ratchet up the conflict? “Cindy wants a puppy but her father hates dogs” or “Cindy wants a puppy – but she only wants responsibility for the top half (the bottom half – and anything that comes out of the bottom – should be her brother’s responsibility!)”
• Can you make your character a study in contradictions? “Cindy wants a new puppy—and yet, she is allergic to dog hair!” or “Cindy wants a puppy but she already has a kitten who is deathly afraid of dogs”

Every time you add a layer to the idea, you make your story inherently more interesting. And no matter where you add the layer, try to leverage into making the character more complex.

To go back to the RUTABAGA BOO example, layers were very important to make that story meaty enough to merit a hardcover picture book. It wasn’t enough to say that the son wanted to be with his mother in a whole bunch of different scenarios. When I wrote the story, I thought about all the different reasons that children want their parents. Would he look for her when he was hungry? When he was scared? How would those look different? How about when the boy was excited – how would he look for his mother then? When he was lonely? When he was tired? What kinds of scenes would show all these diverse interactions that create a relationship?

I started with the cupcake model of “sons like having their mothers nearby” and added tiers to make the story mouthwatering. In 24 words (and Bonnie’s beautiful illustrations, the reader is left with a full depiction of the mother / son bond – and meets characters that they can identify with.

Envision Your Character

After I’ve lectured you on the importance of character, I’m sure you’re all committed to brainstorming great characters every day of PiBoIdMo 2014. So now I’d like to give you a tool to help you with that.

When I teach kids at author visits about developing characters, I give them a graphic organizer to help them get their thoughts down on paper. As it turns out, that organizer works really well for picture book authors, too. (I know. I use it!) So here you go, PiBo-ers! Your own Character Graphic Organizer to help you develop your ideas…

Click for full-sized, printable version.

Sudipta is an award-winning author of over 40 books and the co-founder of both Kidlit Writing School  and Kidlit Summer School. Her books include DUCK DUCK MOOSE, TYRANNOSAURUS WRECKS, ORANGUTANGLED, and over thirty more books that have been acclaimed by the Junior Library Guild, the California Reader’s Collection, the Bank Street Books Reading Committe, the Amelia Bloomer list, and many more. Find out more about her by visiting SUDIPTA.COM or her blogs NERDYCHICKSRULE.COM and NERDYCHICKSWRITE.COM.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SudiptaBardhanQuallen

Twitter: @SudiptaBQ

One lucky commenter will receive a free picture book course at Kidlit Writing School! Our next picture book course will be on character development in picture books. The winner can opt to take that course or any other picture book course offered in 2015.

This prize will be given away at the conclusion of PiBoIdMo. You are eligible for this prize if:

1. You have registered for PiBoIdMo.
2. You have commented ONCE ONLY on today’s post.
3. You have completed the PiBoIdMo challenge. (You will have to sign the PiBoIdMo Pledge at the end of the event.)

Good luck, and happy brainstorming!

As a bonus, ALL PiBoIdMo participants who register for a class during PiBoIdMo can get a discount on picture book courses at Kidlit Writing School by going to the secret PiBoIdMo page: http://www.kidlitwritingschool.com/piboidmo-special-registration.html. Find the coupon code to get your discount—just make sure you register before November 30!

Posted by Tara Lazar

Categories: PiBoIdMo 2014, Picture Books

Tags: Duck Duck Moose, Orangutangled, Rutabaga Boo, Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, Tyrannosaurus Wrecks

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565 Responses to “PiBoIdMo Day 6: Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen’s Characters are the Key (plus a prize!)”

1. Thank you for the valuable information.

   By Kathy Johnson on November 6, 2014 at 6:37 am

2. Creating a memorable character is the hardest bit for me. Thanks for making me think about it.

   By Penny Morrison on November 6, 2014 at 6:50 am

3. Thank you for this emphasis on creating not just any character.

   By janejpark on November 6, 2014 at 6:55 am

4. Creating memorable characters is fun…and challenging! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on using layers to give a character more depth.

   By Andrea on November 6, 2014 at 6:56 am

5. Thank you! I usully approach a story without much of a plan; just a glimmer of an idea and wonder why the end product is not quifte what i want it to be. Already, using some of your tips, the notes for one of my PiBoIdMo stories are better! Cannot wait to write it!

   By Rebekah Hoeft on November 6, 2014 at 6:57 am

6. Thanks Sudipta for your important tips on character building with salt and layers. I feel like i’m in a continuation of KitLit Summer School and loving it.:-)

   By Barbara Cairns on November 6, 2014 at 7:09 am

7. Thanks Sudipta great to see and hear from you again loving your “teaching” and words of wisdom 🙂

   By Sharon Giltrow on November 6, 2014 at 7:15 am

8. I love the graphic organizer. Thanks for sharing. These are great tips and suggestions.

   By Mary Zychowicz on November 6, 2014 at 7:16 am

9. Sudipta, your post was very helpful and I can’t wait to read “Rutabaga Boo.” I love all your books! Thanks for being an inspiration

   By Doris Stone on November 6, 2014 at 7:25 am

10. I love the salt analogy! Thank you Sudipta for an inspiring post!

    By Julie on November 6, 2014 at 7:29 am

11. Wonderful insight about how to make compelling characters. Great graphic organizer for this process.

    By Dee Knabb on November 6, 2014 at 7:29 am

12. Great info regarding characters. Can’t wait to use the graphic organizer!

    By Eva Folks on November 6, 2014 at 7:33 am

13. Such helpful information. As a children’s storyteller, my characters and their “tiers” come to me naturally when I’m performing, but as I try to turn these tales into books, I sometimes struggle with getting the characers to come to life on paper. Thanks for the insight.

    By thestoryladyva on November 6, 2014 at 7:40 am

14. Wedding cake not cupcake–that is such a great tip for working in layers! Thanks for a great post!

    By Erin O'Brien on November 6, 2014 at 7:41 am

15. Woke up to your wonderful post! Thanks so much! Going over my ideas & building characters. Now I’m hungry for (salty) cake! 🙂

    By Chana Stiefel on November 6, 2014 at 7:47 am

16. Great analogies! Always enjoy reading your character development lessons. You make some great points and I love that you tie it all in to food…after all, who doesn’t love cake! Thanks again for the insight!

    By Deborah Cuneo on November 6, 2014 at 7:51 am

17. I love character driven books. thanks on the advice on how to write one.

    By Janet Smart on November 6, 2014 at 7:53 am

18. Thanks for this great reminder to develop the character well. That it is important to have a rich and developed sense of who they are in my mind and heart to better drive the story, even when the words are fewer.

    By 3011mileswestofvt on November 6, 2014 at 7:58 am

19. Characters take the cake! Thanks, Sudipta!

    By Hayley B on November 6, 2014 at 8:00 am

20. Thanks for your post. It’s always good to be reminded about the importance of character!

    By cat jones on November 6, 2014 at 8:01 am

21. I love the graphic organizer….visual thinker here.

    By Louann Brown on November 6, 2014 at 8:02 am

22. Great graphic!

    By msmo1958 on November 6, 2014 at 8:04 am

23. Lisa Connors
    Building a strong character after my initial idea is always hard. Thank you for your insight.

    By lmconnors on November 6, 2014 at 8:12 am

24. Characterization is my weak point–thanks for the tips:>)

    By Laura Purdie Salas on November 6, 2014 at 8:15 am

25. I love hands-on and visuals, so your graphic organizer is great! Thanks for the tips.

    By Heather Pierce Stigall on November 6, 2014 at 8:18 am

26. Very helpful post, and I love the graphic organizer. Thank you Sudipta. I know this is going to help me throughout PiBoIdMo, and in developing characters in my writing.

    By Jim Chaize on November 6, 2014 at 8:18 am

27. Thanks for a great post! I love the template. Thank you for sharing it with us! 🙂

    By Loni Edwards (@LoniEdwards) on November 6, 2014 at 8:19 am

28. Sudipta, you must have been hungry when you were writing this! Ha! Great relateable advise. Thanks!

    By Lenora Riegel on November 6, 2014 at 8:19 am

29. Characters come first in all my PBs. Thanks for sharing your Character Graphic Organizer.

    By ManjuBeth on November 6, 2014 at 8:21 am

30. Can’t stop thinking about cake now, but I will try hard to set it aside so I can put your advice to use when building my characters. Your Nerdy Chicks Summer School posts talked about making multidimensional characters as well and those processes have been invaluable to my writing. Thanks!!

    By jodimckay on November 6, 2014 at 8:21 am

31. Awesome post! Thanks for the organizer!

    By writing4children on November 6, 2014 at 8:29 am

32. Thanks for the character development steps! My characters will be much more interesting.

    By Elizabeth Davis on November 6, 2014 at 8:29 am

33. Thanks so much. I’m off to bake some wedding cake!

    By Daryl Gottier on November 6, 2014 at 8:31 am

34. Just printed out the character organizer! What a great idea! Thank you for sharing.

    By cindyjohnson2013 on November 6, 2014 at 8:32 am

35. Solid ideas! When I read, if I’m not in love with the character, I don’t like the book. Thanks for the analogies too. Love the layers!

    By Linda Baie on November 6, 2014 at 8:32 am

36. Love the article, love the character organizer. Thanks for sharing!

    By anitanolan on November 6, 2014 at 8:34 am

37. Such a wonderful gift! I’ve run off several copies of the diagram and can’t wait to use it this evening when I settle down to write. Many thanks!

    By Karen Calloway on November 6, 2014 at 8:35 am

38. Good morning all. Sudipta, you continue to produce fun and innovative books. Would love to bump into you again at a conference one day. The layering idea works for lots of stuff–cakes, changing weather, and Mexican dip!

    By Sherri Jones Rivers on November 6, 2014 at 8:41 am

39. Thank you! This is so helpful as a nonfiction writer with a desire to show the reader the what makes a person special!

    By Shena Ashcraft on November 6, 2014 at 8:44 am

40. Very helpful and I love the Character Graphic Organizer!

    By Rebecca Colby on November 6, 2014 at 8:48 am

41. Wonderful blog, thank you!

    By Laurie Theurer on November 6, 2014 at 8:49 am

42. Layering, thanks for the advice, now I have to get back to my character.

    By Jan Milusich on November 6, 2014 at 8:51 am

43. Thanks for the character development chart that is something I am wrestling with!

    By Margaret Flint Suter on November 6, 2014 at 8:51 am

44. Thanks for showing us how character is key.

    By Andria on November 6, 2014 at 8:53 am

45. Love the wedding cake analogy (mmm, caaake), and the character dev. tool. Delving into my characters was one of my favourite activities as a kid writer, and I’m galvanized to do it more now too!

    By marcimcadam on November 6, 2014 at 8:54 am

46. Wow, thank you for a really helpful post! There are some really useful tips there and in fact I had to pause mid-post to start furiously jotting down ideas to develop my character 🙂 from one of my pre-PiBo ideas! Such a practical post, with lots of food for thought (pun intended, sorry!)

    By Jennysha Patel on November 6, 2014 at 8:55 am

47. Character building is like a kid playing with blocks. It’s just not blocks of wood or plastic to him/her. It’s a tower! A mountain! A skyscraper! Think outside of box and let your imagination roam free.

    By Pj McIlvaine on November 6, 2014 at 9:00 am

48. I love the brainstorming worksheet!!!

    By Sarah Frances Hardy on November 6, 2014 at 9:00 am

49. OOO. A new tool to try. Thanks, Sudipta. Can’t wait to get my hands on Rutabaga Boo.

    By Valarie Giogas on November 6, 2014 at 9:01 am

50. I sauntered into PiBo today all glowing because a dreamy idea poured out 10 spreads this morning. Now I realize it’s codswollop without better characters. Thanks for the gentle reminder and the tools to improve it!

    By Lauri Meyers on November 6, 2014 at 9:03 am

51. Thanks for the great post and the character graphic organizer, Suditpa! It’s given me a great idea for revising one of my stories!

    By Kelly Russell Jaques on November 6, 2014 at 9:04 am

52. You had me at “FOOD” !! Thanks for helping me think in a little bit different way. I am now having yummy thoughts and writing tem down. 🙂

    By Karen Lawler on November 6, 2014 at 9:05 am

53. Very helpful post! I love the salt analogy, and I am actually going back through my notes for this week to add details about the characters, who I have definitely overlooked. Thank you!

    By alikotanko on November 6, 2014 at 9:07 am

54. When you think of your favorite picture books, it’s always the character that makes you fall in love with the book. Thanks Sudipta!

    By Becky P. Hurd on November 6, 2014 at 9:08 am

55. Very helpful. Thnaks, Sudipta!

    By Alexa Kaufhold on November 6, 2014 at 9:12 am

56. Love the graphic organizer you included! A perfect tool for helping to develop any ideas that stand out this month.

    By Heather Thurmeier on November 6, 2014 at 9:12 am

57. I’m working on a book with two brothers as the main characters. Conflict (and resolution) between siblings can make for powerful connections with a reader!

    By Kelly Campbell on November 6, 2014 at 9:13 am

58. PB genius as always, Sudipta! Thanks so much!

    By Kenda Henthorn on November 6, 2014 at 9:18 am

59. So very helpful – thanks, Sudpita. And I love the cake not cupcake idea!

    By pathaap on November 6, 2014 at 9:18 am

60. Thanks Sudipta. Great input and advice as always. And great picture up top too — it almost looks like you’re writing to us from the BEACH…

    By hmmmmm on November 6, 2014 at 9:18 am

61. This will definitely help me flesh out some characters I’m working on right now! Thanks!

    By Talitha Shipman on November 6, 2014 at 9:19 am

62. Great cooking analogies. Thanks for the insight.

    By Rita Zobayan on November 6, 2014 at 9:19 am

63. I found this post extremely useful and inspirational. I printed out the pdf and will post it to remind me of character and to use for my ideas. The giveaway is something I can use very much–thank you!

    By danielle hammelef on November 6, 2014 at 9:23 am

64. That creaking sound you hear is me, shifting gears. Just finished your class in plotting, but it makes sense to focus on character first. Thanks for the graphic organizer, too!

    By deborahholtwilliams on November 6, 2014 at 9:25 am

65. Thank you, Sudipta–I am struggling‘to make one of my characters more “indelible” and this was a great pep talk (also made me a little hungry)!

    By nancydrewit on November 6, 2014 at 9:27 am

66. Love the chart! You have a great way of simplifying concepts and deed signing usable tools. Thanks again!

    By Nadine Gamble on November 6, 2014 at 9:29 am

67. Thanks, Sudipta. And thanks for the Character Graphic Organizer. I love “she only wants responsibility for the top half.” If I could pull that off, I might actually consider getting my kids a dog. Great examples to get us thinking about character layers.

    By rgstones on November 6, 2014 at 9:31 am

68. Reminded of the Italian fairy tale “Water and Salt”!

    Did you know a rutabaga is also called a swede?

    Thanks for the graphic organizer and great tips!

    By Cathy Ballou Mealey on November 6, 2014 at 9:31 am

69. I love the chart. I am already rethinking some of my works in progress.

    By Kim Erickson on November 6, 2014 at 9:33 am

70. I used your chart this morning. Simple, yet effective. It is going to help! Thanks!!

    By Lorraine Donohue Bonzelet on November 6, 2014 at 9:34 am

71. Sudipta – I needed the reminder to ratchet up the conflict for my characters – makes the story a lot more fun to read!

    By Melanie Ellsworth on November 6, 2014 at 9:34 am

72. OOH. Great advice and great organizer!

    By Viki Woodworth on November 6, 2014 at 9:37 am

73. Thank you! That graphic organizer is great!

    By Lill Pluta on November 6, 2014 at 9:38 am

74. The salt analogy is terrific! Thanks for sharing Sudipta.

    By michelenorman2014 on November 6, 2014 at 9:40 am

75. I would love to take that course!

    By StephWJ on November 6, 2014 at 9:42 am

76. Thanks, Sudipta, for the advice and inspiration! The graphic organizer is great, too.

    By rowenarae on November 6, 2014 at 9:42 am

77. I just logged in and there are already so many comments! Thank you all for reading and I’m happy to hear this helped you!

    By sudiptabq on November 6, 2014 at 9:43 am

78. The character graphic organizer is GOLD! Easy to use and everything is all in one place. Brilliant! Thank you!!

    By Nancy Armo on November 6, 2014 at 9:43 am

79. Thanks, Sudipta!

    By Anita Banks on November 6, 2014 at 9:43 am

80. I love this reminder, Sudipta! And I’m impressed that you have yet another nearly wordless story! Thanks for the chart 🙂

    By kirsticall on November 6, 2014 at 9:45 am

81. Thanks for this post – very inspiring!

    By Michelle Fandrich on November 6, 2014 at 9:46 am

82. Thanks Sudipta! Salty layered cake! Yum, yum, yum! Great food for thought 🙂

    By Jennette Mutolo on November 6, 2014 at 9:49 am

83. Thank you, Sudipta, for the tips and the graphic organizer. I love your title _Rutabaga Boo_! Though I don’t much care for rutabagas, it is such a fun word to say.

    By Jane Heitman Healy on November 6, 2014 at 9:50 am

84. Thank you, Sudipta! It’s great to get your insight and you’re right, the most compelling characters do stay with us for life.

    By Jennifer Cheng DesAutels on November 6, 2014 at 9:50 am

85. Even though summer school is over there’s still so much to learn from Sudipta! Thank you!!

    By Kimberly Sprinkles Cowger on November 6, 2014 at 9:54 am

86. Wonderful explanation of layering characters. Cindy is a great example. I visited your webpage. I love the beautiful family picture at the bottom of your about page. (Priya Gopal)

    By Priya on November 6, 2014 at 9:56 am

87. Seasoning as we speak!

    By Lauren Greenberg on November 6, 2014 at 9:56 am

88. I like your analogies, Sudipta. Thanks for the lesson on characters and the handy graphic organizer! I’m interested in seeing your Rutabaga Boo book!

    By Tina Cho on November 6, 2014 at 9:59 am

89. This is a great tool! I’ve fallen behind on ideas, but will catch up. . .

    By Debra Shumaker on November 6, 2014 at 10:00 am

90. Thanks for the wonderful explanation on how to make characters more interesting.

    By Linda Norman-Lyman on November 6, 2014 at 10:01 am

91. Thank you for the post. Such great info on characters, Sudipta!

    By Elizabeth Brown on November 6, 2014 at 10:01 am

92. Thanks Sudipta! I agree. Our characters are the salt of our stories. Everything is better with a little spice. Thanks also for your diagram. I use something similar. I talk to talk about an onion too, when talking about characters. They both have many layers.

    By Tracey M. Cox on November 6, 2014 at 10:01 am

93. Great ideas! And the new book sounds wonderful!

    By beckylevine on November 6, 2014 at 10:02 am

94. Thanks for the graphic organizer. It looks helpful.

    By AlenaT on November 6, 2014 at 10:03 am

95. Always a good reminder to keep characters front and center and the graphic organizer is a definite bonus.

    By Linda Tripp on November 6, 2014 at 10:06 am

96. I’m intrigued by RUTABAGA BOO and with only 24 words–can’t wait to read it!

    By Nancy Furstinger on November 6, 2014 at 10:06 am

97. Thanks for the excellent information and organizer!

    By bonzerb on November 6, 2014 at 10:09 am

98. I absolutely love the titles of your books. 🙂

    By stephseclecticinterests on November 6, 2014 at 10:12 am

99. Thanks for the simple, perfect chart. I’ve learned a lot from you about how to “do” picture books, Sudipta. Thanks for adding another layer. ; )

    By Nancy Tandon on November 6, 2014 at 10:12 am

100. I like cake, the more layers the better. Good way to make this “sticky” in my mind in terms of character development. Thanks!

     By Kathleen on November 6, 2014 at 10:12 am

101. Thanks for the graphic organizer! I’m going to start using it right away! Can’t wait to see who they will become!

     By Stephanie Fitzpatrick on November 6, 2014 at 10:13 am

102. Thanks for the great post, Sudipta. I’m working on my first character-based pb now, and it’s really fun! I appreciate all the tips you shared, and I look forward to reading RUTABAGA ROO.

     By Lisa Kahn Schnell on November 6, 2014 at 10:13 am

103. I like cake, the more layers the better. Good way to make this “sticky” in my mind in terms of character development.

     By Kathleen on November 6, 2014 at 10:14 am

104. I’m also curious about Rutabaga Boo, it must have been a challenge to write in only 24 words.

     By Marla on November 6, 2014 at 10:15 am

105. I will certainly remember the salt and wedding cake analogies when I’m working on characters! Thanks for the graphic organizer.

     By Jacqueline on November 6, 2014 at 10:16 am

106. I’m loving the layered wedding cake analogy. Thank you so much!!

     By tphumiruk on November 6, 2014 at 10:17 am

107. Pick me! Pick me! With a please on top.

     By Shirley Timberlake Fadden on November 6, 2014 at 10:20 am

108. This is very helpful. Thank you!

     By Debbie Lubbert on November 6, 2014 at 10:22 am

109. I love the graphic organizer… it is very helpful in considering the obstacles. Thanks a bunch!

     By Deirdre Englehart on November 6, 2014 at 10:26 am

110. I would love to win this prize.

     By Dinah Miller on November 6, 2014 at 10:28 am

111. Thank you, Sudipta. I just wanted to ell you that I am a great TYRANNOSAURUS WRECKS! fan. Anyone who hasn’t read it, you NEED to pick it up. 🙂

     By KatyD on November 6, 2014 at 10:31 am

112. Let’s see…salt and cake. I’ll keep the those visual reminders with me. Plus, it gives me an excuse to enjoy a good slice of cake as I brainstorm for ideas. 🙂

     By Sharon Nix Jones on November 6, 2014 at 10:33 am

113. Sudipta, love the graphic organizer! Thinking wedding cake layers instead of cupcakes! Just took your A-Z plotting PB class and you rock!

     By Janie Reinart on November 6, 2014 at 10:35 am

114. Thank you for digging in a little deeper into character and conflict and for sharing your Character Graphic Organizer!

     By MaryAnn Clark on November 6, 2014 at 10:35 am

115. The graphic organizer is a most helpful tool. Will definately use in the future. I’ve been working on a pb for about 2 yrs (same story) (I’m a perfectionist 😦 ). Still getting to know my character so. This post is validation that his “layers” are key. Thank you for this.

     By Becky Hohensee on November 6, 2014 at 10:39 am

116. Perfect metaphors! Thanks for the inspiration. 🙂 Now I want cake. 😉

     By Jodi Moore on November 6, 2014 at 10:39 am

117. Really valuable info! Character building is difficult for me, so I definitely appreciate this.

     By holly mclaughlin on November 6, 2014 at 10:40 am

118. Pat Zietlow’s organic, pesticide-free process + Sudipta’s layer cake = one delicious and healthy picture book!

     By BLAHM on November 6, 2014 at 10:41 am

119. Wonderful post. I especially like that you say that all stories need a different amount of salt!

     By vijikc on November 6, 2014 at 10:41 am

120. Heading straight to my printer so I can begin using your chart. Thank you for the advice!

     By brigidoco on November 6, 2014 at 10:42 am

121. Sudipta – I have always loved your workshops and perspectives on writing pictures books. Thank you!

     By Lisa Ventrella on November 6, 2014 at 10:42 am

122. So very helpful. Thank you very much!

     By Robyn Campbell on November 6, 2014 at 10:47 am

123. I love this Sudipta!! It’s all about the layers and how they make your character delicious and irresistible! Thanks!

     By Kathy Cornell Berman on November 6, 2014 at 10:48 am

124. Love the handout. Thanks.

     By Linda Ford on November 6, 2014 at 10:50 am

125. Thank you for this post and also for providing the worksheet. I was thining about how to make one myself. 🙂

     By Mishka Jaeger on November 6, 2014 at 10:51 am

126. Thanks for some fresh insights into ensuring character is at the Herat of every story.

     By Lois Peterson on November 6, 2014 at 10:51 am

127. Thanks so much for the chart. Every agent or editor I’ve heard speak stressed character as the most important part of a story!

     By Erin Nowak on November 6, 2014 at 10:52 am

128. Good analogy. I will think more carefully about my characters. Thanks for the post.

     By lindaschueler on November 6, 2014 at 10:54 am

129. The cake picture made my mouth water. 🙂 enjoyed

     By Cheryl Michael on November 6, 2014 at 10:56 am

130. I love salt… My in-person critique group told me I need more fat and sugar!

     By loriannlevyholm on November 6, 2014 at 10:57 am

131. What a savory post!–Now to get cooking on a new character driven idea for today. 😉

     By Ashley Bohmer on November 6, 2014 at 10:58 am

132. This was just what I needed today! Thanks!

     By Amy on November 6, 2014 at 11:00 am

133. I have been stewing and stewing about what my book is missing. SALT! Thank you so much!

     By Celeste Elbert on November 6, 2014 at 11:01 am

134. Very, very usable info, Sudipta! I love the layering and the questions you asked for a simple concept to make it tons more interesting.The graphic is fab, too. TY.

     By kathalsey on November 6, 2014 at 11:01 am

135. I like the graphic organizer.

     By colleen kosinski on November 6, 2014 at 11:01 am

136. I’ve had a manuscript I THOUGHT was ready to go out, but I realize now that it doesn’t have enough salt. That analogy was SO helpful for me. I have some ideas (NOW) about layering it to make the character (and thereby the plot) more complex. Thank you for this great advice.

     By Stacey Shubitz on November 6, 2014 at 11:01 am

137. For the foodie in me, there’s no better way to understand this concept of character development! Thanks for putting this all on one plate, Sudipta:)

     By Sita Singh on November 6, 2014 at 11:02 am

138. I find I frequently need to add more salt. Thank you Sudipta.

     By Anna Totten on November 6, 2014 at 11:04 am

139. Thank you for your insight. I’d love to be the lucky winner of one of your classes!

     By Sandi Lawson on November 6, 2014 at 11:04 am

140. Great post – I especially love the 3 ways to develop a character. You have me thinking about a character I found yesterday — going to work in my writer’s notebook!

     By Dana Murphy on November 6, 2014 at 11:06 am

141. Thanks for the specific examples, Sudipta. While we all know that character development is important, it is often difficult to get it out of our head and onto the paper. 🙂

     By Cindy Williams Schrauben on November 6, 2014 at 11:08 am

142. Now I’m inspired and hungry! 😉

     By Erin Bellingham on November 6, 2014 at 11:10 am

143. Thank you for the helpful post, Sudipta! Looking forward “Rutabaga Boo.” Sounds adorable!

     By Debbie Wagenbach on November 6, 2014 at 11:10 am

144. Thanks for sharing the Character Graphic Organizer. I can’t wait to put it to use.

     By Dawn on November 6, 2014 at 11:10 am

145. The best books are character based. Thank you for Sharing Sudipta! Always great to hear your insight.

     By Angie Jones on November 6, 2014 at 11:14 am

146. Excellent points regarding characters. Thank you for sharing your worksheet. It will come in handy.

     By Alayne Kay Christian on November 6, 2014 at 11:16 am

147. Wonderful graphic. I’ve printed out several to use-thank you!

     By Joan Waites on November 6, 2014 at 11:17 am

148. Excellent writing tips and I love the graphic organizer. Character development is challenging. The food analogies really help 🙂

     By Aimee Bissonette on November 6, 2014 at 11:18 am

149. Thanks Sudipta! I will be using the chart and of course all your words.

     Tara, loving this PiBoMo group!

     By katmaz2012 on November 6, 2014 at 11:19 am

150. Every guest blogger ha given me sound advice and you’re no exception. Thank you.

     By hummingbird13 on November 6, 2014 at 11:19 am

151. All great tips, esp the layering. Will get me thinking more deeply about my ideas. Thanks!

     By Tom Barrett on November 6, 2014 at 11:20 am

152. Thank you! Great tips and a very handy worksheet. Except now I’m hungry for cake….

     By Emmeline Hall on November 6, 2014 at 11:22 am

153. Thank you for your splendid post. The character graphic is a wonderful tool and love your thoughts on layering and adding more depth to your character. Can’t wait to get going with these pointers. Have a splendid week.
     T

     By tanjabauerle on November 6, 2014 at 11:22 am

154. Thanks for the reminder that a PB starts with a memorable main character. Great graphic organizer, too. Thanks, Sudipta!

     By Lori Alexander on November 6, 2014 at 11:23 am

155. Thank you Sudipta! I love that this post made me feel like I was still taking your class! Very helpful.

     By Susan Schade on November 6, 2014 at 11:25 am

156. Love the graphic organizer!

     By Nicole turner on November 6, 2014 at 11:26 am

157. Thank you for the post and I love the organizer! Thank you!

     By Maria Oka on November 6, 2014 at 11:26 am

158. Thanks Sudipta for this delicious “C”haracter recipe! I plan on adding more “C”-salt to my PBs.

     By Rita Allmon on November 6, 2014 at 11:27 am

159. Love the chart! Also, I think I’m going to treat myself to a character cake each time I write a new manuscript 🙂

     By jngallaher on November 6, 2014 at 11:27 am

160. Great post! Thank you for the character graphic organizer!

     By Nancy Ramsey on November 6, 2014 at 11:28 am

161. Thanks, Sudipta for the reminder that we are, in a sense, creating best friends for kids and that they need to be as dimensional as the real ones who love them!!! Kim Sebastian

     By Kim Sebastian on November 6, 2014 at 11:28 am

162. Ooh, I love the graphic organizer. Thanks for your post!

     By Dara Dokas on November 6, 2014 at 11:29 am

163. Looking forward to reading your new book! Like you, I tend to start with character dev first, then build a story for it to “act” in. This opens the door for another story or two. Thanks for the character building graphic, Sudipta, I’ll use it today!

     By Kathryn Ault Noble on November 6, 2014 at 11:35 am

164. I have a character who is a study in contradictions, so I’m glad to see this as a suggestion…thanks!

     By tanyakonerman on November 6, 2014 at 11:35 am

165. Love the graphic organizer. Thank you.

     By Maple and Baobab on November 6, 2014 at 11:36 am

166. Thanks for the easy to understand explanation of character! I am determined to brainstorm a character for PiBoIdMo today!

     By Margaret Greanias on November 6, 2014 at 11:37 am

167. Thank you so much for this post. I’m writing a PB about a little boy whose mother has breast cancer. Of course, this subject has an inherent tenderness, but I want to truly push my little guy to a higher level. I will definitely use your words of wisdom.

     By Karen on November 6, 2014 at 11:40 am

168. Thanks for the great graphic organizer! And I love the image of character as salt. not as glamorous as, say, chocolate, but necessary. Discovered that while making bread – just a pinch, but needed.

     By Sue Heavenrich on November 6, 2014 at 11:42 am

169. Thanks for the great tool, Sudipta. Off to find a knockout character for my next pb idea.

     By Debbie Austin on November 6, 2014 at 11:42 am

170. Thanks so much for the graphic organizer and for your examples for creating memorable characters!

     By Penny Parker Klostermann on November 6, 2014 at 11:47 am

171. Thanks so much for the post. And for giving us another “layer” to think about. I’ve also heard in cooking that a pinch of salt will bring out the sweetness!

     By Pamela M. Tuck on November 6, 2014 at 11:48 am

172. Love you idea of salt, rooting for character, and tiers. I know which of my books I going right back to. Thanks!

     By cantsing1 on November 6, 2014 at 11:48 am

173. I’ve been mulling over a Thanksgiving story for a couple days. This morning, out of the blue, my son said, “I’m thinking about a shy, easily confused squirrell.” I think she’ll fit in perfectly!

     By Susanne on November 6, 2014 at 11:50 am

174. Thanks for reminding us what the key ingredients are when we are cooking up stories and characters. Measuring and layering are challenging but essential. Thanks for explaining that so well. Just took your Picture Book Plotting class and got so much out of it, Sudipta!

     By Lori Dubbin on November 6, 2014 at 11:53 am

175. Always enjoy your tips and lessons on PB writing, Sudipta. And what a generous prize! I’ll have to find a way to keep my fingers crossed while still writing my ideas down for the rest of the month!

     By Rachel H on November 6, 2014 at 11:53 am

176. I think I remember you talking about that concept book! Can’t wait to see it on the bookshelf.

     By JEN Garrett on November 6, 2014 at 11:53 am

177. Love the salt analogy and thank you for the graphic organizer too. Heard great things about your class. Wishing you continued success!

     By danielledufayet on November 6, 2014 at 11:54 am

178. Great advice. Thanks! Marty McCormick

     By Marty McCormick on November 6, 2014 at 11:58 am

179. I love your salt analogy! Thank you for your advice, a picture always helps the info stick!!

     By cartwomey on November 6, 2014 at 11:59 am

180. Thanks for the reminder about character being the heart of a story. The graphic organizer will be a great tool.

     By Teresa Daffern on November 6, 2014 at 11:59 am

181. Great information. Helpful Character Graphic Organizer.

     By Nina Haines on November 6, 2014 at 12:00 pm

182. Thanks for the great character information. I love the graphic organizer.

     By Michele Prestininzi on November 6, 2014 at 12:06 pm

183. Terrific post. Thanks for the resource.

     By Alison Goldberg on November 6, 2014 at 12:07 pm

184. Thanks for the insightful post, Sudipta. My husband is from India, and he taught me the importance of salt in cooking. We talk about how a dish sings with just the right amount of salt. Now I’ll work more on salting and layering flavors in my narrative nonfiction. Thank you!

     By carolynscombs on November 6, 2014 at 12:10 pm

185. I don’t like salt in any of my cooking!! But I still see what you’re saying, character is definitely key. Great post.

     By Sian Mole on November 6, 2014 at 12:11 pm

186. This has always been my challenge. I have these wonderful situations, write them out to fruition and kind of just drop any old character into them. Thanx for the reminder to spend more time with them.

     By Stephen S. Martin on November 6, 2014 at 12:14 pm

187. I’m printing off my character organizer now. Thanks for the great post!

     By Sandy Jones on November 6, 2014 at 12:15 pm

188. Thanks for showing us specific examples of how to add layers to characters! Great info!

     By csschwarz on November 6, 2014 at 12:15 pm

189. Definitely going to try your graphic organizer. Thanks for the tips on making characters memorable!

     By Janet Halfmann on November 6, 2014 at 12:16 pm

190. It’s always a pleasure to read what you have to say, Sudipta! This was an extremely helpful post to me. Thank you! -MK O’Keefe

     By mkokeefe on November 6, 2014 at 12:19 pm

191. Time to get the salt shaker 🙂 And the character graphic organizer is so helpful! Thanks for sharing it!

     By mariagianferrari on November 6, 2014 at 12:25 pm

192. Thanks for helping us to take a good look at our characters. Of course, we want a character that the readers love, so thanks for the tips to help us to analyze that. Also congratulations on am amazing career of over 40 picture books. Your course sounds wonderful.

     By Sharalyn A. Edgeberg on November 6, 2014 at 12:26 pm

193. Brilliant!! Thank you so much!

     By LauraHB on November 6, 2014 at 12:31 pm

194. I love the character graphic organizer. Thank you! I can’t wait to use it.

     By Amanda Banks on November 6, 2014 at 12:31 pm

195. Thank you for these words of wisdom and experience, and for sharing your Character Graphic Organizer with us. I appreciate being able to print it off.
     The person who wins the prize you’ve offered will be so fortunate!

     By Lynn A. Davidson on November 6, 2014 at 12:34 pm

196. The graphic organizer looks like a great tool, thanks!

     By Ellen Wrin on November 6, 2014 at 12:34 pm

197. Really helpful graphic – and great post. Thanks!

     By Amy on November 6, 2014 at 12:35 pm

198. A dash here, a dash there. Thanks for sharing tips on making a character sweet AND salty! Delicious 😉

     By Stephanie Geckle (@SPGeckle) on November 6, 2014 at 12:36 pm

199. Great post. Character is KEY right now. The graphic organizer looks useful.Thanks!

     By Judy Cox on November 6, 2014 at 12:37 pm

200. Thanks for this post! I totally agree that character is key! I will try out this graphic organizer in the future!

     By Cat Clerkin on November 6, 2014 at 12:41 pm

201. This was fun and very helpful. I love the cooking comparisons. Layers, think layers. Thank you for sharing Sudipta!

     By telainamuir on November 6, 2014 at 12:45 pm

202. Like the idea of layering for character. Reminds me of the circle of “why?” questions from kids. After explaining why for the tenth time, you get to some interesting tidbits.

     By Mary Worley on November 6, 2014 at 12:47 pm

203. Thank you! When I look at the picture books that I love to read, I realize they all have well-thought out characters. Now, to find mine. 🙂

     By Heather Erquiaga on November 6, 2014 at 12:57 pm

204. Sudipta, I agree that characters are very important to a story. For example, I read and reread Olivia and all the Olivia books because she is such a great character. The character is what makes you come back for more. Also, thank you for the Character Graphic Organizer. It looks like a great tool to use to really get to know your character.

     By Sandy Powell on November 6, 2014 at 12:57 pm

205. Thank you for the great organizer! The analogies helped me to really see more clearly about characters.

     By Joyce Tucker on November 6, 2014 at 1:00 pm

206. Thanks for this helpful post, Sudipta! Character is queen (or king)!

     By gabisnyder on November 6, 2014 at 1:00 pm

207. Thanks Sudipta! For the great ideas and the character organizer.

     By kmshelley on November 6, 2014 at 1:04 pm

208. This is one area I really would to work on. This course sounds awesome!

     By Bonnie on November 6, 2014 at 1:08 pm

209. What a treat to have such an accomplished guest blogger!

     By Carol Jones on November 6, 2014 at 1:09 pm

210. This post is exactly what I needed to hear! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Character is so important. I love the graph you created. I need to use this. I also love the idea of layers. It is the layers that make is fall in love with characters. No one wants a one-dimensional character. We need layers. Thanks again for all the insight.

     By Ashley Bankhead on November 6, 2014 at 1:12 pm

211. Sudipta, your post was incredibly helpful. I have bookmarked it and will use your handy printout. Thanks for your generosity!

     By Jarm Del Boccio on November 6, 2014 at 1:13 pm

212. Cooking analogies always work for me! Great advice!

     By June Smalls on November 6, 2014 at 1:15 pm

213. Love the sweet and salty references! I’m excited for Rutabaga Boo…it’s my world right now 🙂

     By katrinamoorebooks on November 6, 2014 at 1:15 pm

214. GREAT article. I especially like the wedding cake analogy!

     By Donna Earnhardt on November 6, 2014 at 1:16 pm

215. I love character development! Getting to know an existing character leads me to new characters and ideas. Your wedding cake metaphor is a great visual tool to help me remember that my characters are not one dimensional.
     Thank you!

     By girlwrites29 on November 6, 2014 at 1:19 pm

216. Great post! Great characters are like onions – peel back layers until they make you cry. I mean laugh… laugh until you cry. Er… let’s just stick with cake 🙂

     By Josh Alves on November 6, 2014 at 1:19 pm

217. Great post. Looking forward to seeing RUTABAGA BOO!

     By Kelly Ramsdell Fineman on November 6, 2014 at 1:19 pm

218. Thanks so much for the organizer! I’ll be using that for sure! I really appreciate the wedding cake analogy too, I often get stuck between cupcake and wedding cake (birthday cake?). I will try to add more layers.

     By Danielle Heitmuller on November 6, 2014 at 1:20 pm

219. Thanks for the organizer on character development. I would love to take a class from you. Great post!

     By DianeKHower on November 6, 2014 at 1:24 pm

220. Great blogpost about character development. Thanks for your wonderful printable worksheet too!

     By Claire Lordon (@ClaireLordon) on November 6, 2014 at 1:29 pm

221. Stupendous post, Sudipta! Thanks for sharing a winning recipe!

     By LovableLobo on November 6, 2014 at 1:31 pm

222. Great info, a helpful tool (Organizer on Character Development) and a fabulous prize opportunity. Thank you, Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen!

     By Julene Kinser on November 6, 2014 at 1:33 pm

223. Awesome information, as always, Sudipta!

     By kpbock on November 6, 2014 at 1:33 pm

224. I’ll start thinking of some strong characters to anchor some PiBoIdMo ideas. Thank you for the graphic organizer! Always great to have another tool in the shed!

     By Virginia Law Manning on November 6, 2014 at 1:34 pm

225. Character, character, and oh yeah, Character!

     By Anne Lei-Yeung So on November 6, 2014 at 1:36 pm

226. Wonderful post!! So inspiring and motivational—thanks for sharing and I look forward to learning more about the Kidlit Writing School.

     By melinda beavers on November 6, 2014 at 1:46 pm

227. Thank you for the character worksheet, I’m sure it’ll come in handy. Enjoyed your post.

     By Nancy Colle on November 6, 2014 at 1:48 pm

228. I really like the Character Graphic Organizer, which leaves room to elaborate on areas that will add layers to the story. For me, it is also important to know the MC’s name early in the story because I find myself writing to the name. Will be watching for RUTABAGA BOO. 🙂

     By Sydney O'Neill on November 6, 2014 at 1:49 pm

229. Thanks for the delicious advice. I can’t tell you how many times my super smart, insightful, wonderful agent has sent back a manuscript asking for more character in my characters. And not because character sells. Because, as you point out, kids connect to character.

     By Charlotte Gunnufson on November 6, 2014 at 1:51 pm

230. Thank you, Sudipta, for the visuals- the worksheet and the image of a tiered cake to use in building character.

     By Naana Kyereboah on November 6, 2014 at 1:51 pm

231. Great advice Sudipta!

     By Gail Maki Wilson on November 6, 2014 at 1:57 pm

232. I am booking-marking this blog post – very insightful!

     By Anneke Swanson on November 6, 2014 at 1:57 pm

233. Thank you Sudipta for the advice and the wonderful character graphic.

     By Maria Marshall on November 6, 2014 at 2:02 pm

234. I tend to be a bit plot-driven. Thank you for reminding me to love my characters too!

     By Aimee Isaac on November 6, 2014 at 2:03 pm

235. Sudipta, thanks for the great post and for sharing your graphic organizer! I’m one of your students from A to Z: Plotting in Picture Books class, and I’m hoping to be the lucky one who wins your prize for A to Z: Character Building in Picture Books. But even if I don’t win, I’ll be happy that another PiBo-er will benefit from such a fantastic prize.

     By Sherry Walz on November 6, 2014 at 2:06 pm

236. Thank you for this wonderful post! Love the Character graph organizer too! Character development is so important and your thoughts on doing this are wonderful. Thank you for sharing your time with us!

     By Kelly Vavala on November 6, 2014 at 2:11 pm

237. Sudipta, Thank you for the wonderful advice on how to develop a layered character.

     By Heidi Yates on November 6, 2014 at 2:13 pm

238. Just as the cool fall winds arrive, I’m reminded of the importance of layers. Not just in clothing but in characters as well. Brilliant. Thank you for sharing and teaching us! #learning

     By cravevsworld on November 6, 2014 at 2:13 pm

239. Sudipta, thank you for your post and the reminder how important characterization is. I’ll be using the Character Graphic Organizer! Thanks. Love your layers idea.

     By Beth Blee on November 6, 2014 at 2:28 pm

240. Great reminder. I’ve been putting too much emphasis into the title. Character focus is now… in focus!

     By KurlGurl on November 6, 2014 at 2:29 pm

241. Thank you

     By Anna Redding on November 6, 2014 at 2:29 pm

242. Mmmmmm Cake. Even better, layered cake…. Thank you for the icing on the cake! It really takes the cake! Now it will be as easy as pie!

     By Shel LeDrew on November 6, 2014 at 2:29 pm

243. Thanks, Sudipta! I look forward to reading Rutabaga Boo! And I will think about character every time I shake the salt!

     By Erin Fennell on November 6, 2014 at 2:39 pm

244. Your graphic organizer is just what I need. Thanks.

     By claireannette1 on November 6, 2014 at 2:40 pm

245. Your blog has a lot of CHARACTER in it. Thank you

     By Carolyn Rohrbaugh on November 6, 2014 at 2:40 pm

246. Love the salt analogy. What a great way to illustrate the importance of character. And layered cake notion is also terrific. I’m hungry to write now! Thanks, Sudipta~

     By tpierce on November 6, 2014 at 2:42 pm

247. Sudipta, Many thanks for sharing this wisdom and providing us with your outline page. It’s going to be such a help to me this month especially as I work PiBo through each day thinking up character possibilities. That cake is such a good image for layers. Something to be remembered.

     By Mary Jane on November 6, 2014 at 2:42 pm

248. Excellent tips on making your idea more meaty, your characters deeper! Thanks for the help!

     By kdveiten on November 6, 2014 at 2:46 pm

249. Thanks, Sudipta! You are so right… characters are the emotional connection to our hearts. As always, I appreciate your picture book wisdom and experience. 🙂

     By Carrie Charley Brown on November 6, 2014 at 2:46 pm

250. Thank You Sudipta! Great information and Graphic Organizer!

     By marylouisealucurto on November 6, 2014 at 2:48 pm

251. Thank you! Useful reminder that writing needs a dash of science as well as a heart of art!

     By oyjojo on November 6, 2014 at 2:49 pm

252. Great post (love the salt and wedding cake analogies) and thank you for the Character Graphic Organizer – I’m going to use it this afternoon.

     By Andrea Allen on November 6, 2014 at 2:52 pm

253. More great information from you, Sudipta! I loved Kidlit Summer School and I love this post, too. Especially the wedding cake analogy. Not only does it make so much sense, it also makes me think about cake. I love cake! 🙂

     By Kim Chaffee on November 6, 2014 at 2:53 pm

254. The majority of my PB ideas are concept books, and I have always struggled with character development. Thanks for a highly relevant post!

     By Jessica Maria on November 6, 2014 at 2:55 pm

255. Hi Sudipta! Love Duck, Duck, Goose and all your fractured fairy tails too. Will be looking for Rutabaga Boo, sounds darling. Thanks for the graphic organizer too! Will be using that myself.

     By Juliana Lee on November 6, 2014 at 2:56 pm

256. Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, I enjoyed your post. My characters always tell me they are the most important part of the story. Now I see how important it is to give them layers. I will use your Character Graphic Organizer all the time. Thank you for including it in your post.

     By Ali Pichardo on November 6, 2014 at 2:57 pm

257. Thanks so much for the graphic. It will certainly come in handy. I’m thinking of using it to go back through some old manuscripts that need some tidying up!

     By Maria Bostian on November 6, 2014 at 3:00 pm

258. I love the graphic organizer. Thanks for the great tips for character development.

     By Carol Nelson on November 6, 2014 at 3:04 pm

259. Sudipta, super reminder for us all. Season up our dishes er..characters. Hoping the PB muse is sitting on your shoulder this month.

     By Suzanne Dameron on November 6, 2014 at 3:04 pm

260. I love the character graphic organizer! And great reminders about adding layers. Great article!

     By Shawna JC Tenney on November 6, 2014 at 3:06 pm

261. Like your character graph – visual aids help when I’m having an unorganized-mind-day. Congratulations on 40+ books-WOW!

     By Pam Miller on November 6, 2014 at 3:07 pm

262. Excellent tips and thanks for the graphic organizer!

     BTW, I love ‘Duck, Duck, Moose’! 🙂

     By Jill Siegel on November 6, 2014 at 3:08 pm

263. Great post! I always forget the salt when cooking, loved the analogy. Thank you for your tips and the graphic organizer!

     By Jabeen on November 6, 2014 at 3:10 pm

264. Perfect examples and a chart! Those are prizes already! Thank you.

     By Elizabeth Saba on November 6, 2014 at 3:11 pm

265. Thank you, Sudipta! The reminder that character is “the salt” of a story really hit home, and I do appreciate that visual aid.

     By Anne Bromley on November 6, 2014 at 3:11 pm

266. You are right! The character is KEY! I love the graphic organizer. Thank you.

     By Carol Federoff on November 6, 2014 at 3:13 pm

267. It always seems like I end up with spicier side characters than main ones. Adding ‘salt’ to my main characters seems like it’s my biggest challenge. Thank you so much for the post.

     By kckass on November 6, 2014 at 3:18 pm

268. Love the salt analogy, thanks Sudipta and your new book sounds great.

     By Kaye Baillie on November 6, 2014 at 3:20 pm

269. You appeal to the chef in me! Thanks!

     By Laura Rackham on November 6, 2014 at 3:21 pm

270. So, so helpful!! I feel inspired to finish a story that has been simmering for years.

     By Leslie Raith on November 6, 2014 at 3:23 pm

271. A wonderful reminder – and thanks for the graphic organizer! 🙂

     By Didi Wood on November 6, 2014 at 3:26 pm

272. Sudipta, I appreciate this post and its reminder of the importance of character as well as layers that make a character have depth even when very few words tell the story. We do fall in love with character. We don’t want stories to end because of character. The graphic organizer is a generous bonus from you as is the discount and prize you offer.

     By M Lapointe Malchik (@imartytweet) on November 6, 2014 at 3:32 pm

273. I love cupcakes and wedding cake and think of them often. Thanks for making all that food dreamin’ applicable to my writing life too! 🙂

     By Michelle O'Hara Levin on November 6, 2014 at 3:33 pm

274. Where’s my salt shaker? You’ve really got me thinking, Sudipta!

     By Nicole Popel on November 6, 2014 at 3:35 pm

275. Great tips about layering and adding some “flavour”. Thanks for the organizer as well. I can’t wait to get back to a story that has been tugging at me for a while but I keep putting off.

     By Tracy on November 6, 2014 at 3:36 pm

276. Thanks for these great pointers. 40 books and counting!

     By supermario6 on November 6, 2014 at 3:37 pm

277. Love the diagram! Excellent. Brilliant advice about deepening character. Thank you!!

     By Paulette on November 6, 2014 at 3:40 pm

278. Sudipta: Your words of wisdom are always helpful and valuable. The analogy of writing lucious characters and comparing them to the layers of a wedding cake is outstanding. Thank you for sharing the graphic organizer. I look forward to reading and owning a copy of Rutabaga Boo! The character sounds delightful with many delicious layers. ~Suzy Leopold

     By Prairie Garden Girl on November 6, 2014 at 3:41 pm

279. The layer concept is a great way to dream up interesting elements for a story that would otherwise be flat. Thanks for the tips and the graphics, Sudipta!

     By teresarobeson on November 6, 2014 at 3:41 pm

280. It would be fab to take a pb course from Sudipta. I have heard her live at conferences and she is fun and full of knowledge. Good post too!

     By poppy wrote on November 6, 2014 at 3:45 pm

281. And for author-illustrators there is extra delight to be found working with the icing layers the imagery can add.

     By Aidan Cassie on November 6, 2014 at 3:47 pm

282. I like the salt analogy! I’ve been known to add salt to food before even tasting it…which probably isn’t the best choice! Hopefully I can sprinkle the “salt” into my stories more effectively. 🙂 I really enjoyed your post. Thanks!

     By Sheri Roloff on November 6, 2014 at 3:51 pm

283. Thanks, Sudipta! Now I need to go marinate a 5-layer cake in a vat of brine and since I feeling rather saucy today, I might even flambe it. Who wants to join me for Thanksgiving?

     By Mike Karg on November 6, 2014 at 3:52 pm

284. Thanks, Sudipta – you’ve really made character development easy to understand with your examples. Love the graphic organizer, too.

     By Sandy Perlic on November 6, 2014 at 4:01 pm

285. Helpful! Thanks!

     By Kerrie on November 6, 2014 at 4:07 pm

286. Great organization tool! Thanks for this 🙂

     By Cassandra Federman on November 6, 2014 at 4:08 pm

287. Fantastic! This was an important lesson I learned at MICA and it’s always good to get reinforcement of this concept. I’m also definitely going to check out Rutabaga Boo from my work (aka, the library!)

     By Amelia Gossman on November 6, 2014 at 4:08 pm

288. Thanks Sudipta, I’m intrigued about a picture book with just 24 words!

     By Cat on November 6, 2014 at 4:10 pm

289. Enjoyed your post, Sudipta! Going to work on my picture book cake now!

     By Annie Cronin Romano on November 6, 2014 at 4:19 pm

290. Thanks Sudipta. Yummy Layer cake imagery. Love the character organization chart -just used it for aPB dummy I’m working on.

     By Diana Delosh on November 6, 2014 at 4:20 pm

291. That cake picture made me hungry! You’re so right about the salt. I’ll keep that in mind with my characters 😀

     By Jessie on November 6, 2014 at 4:20 pm

292. Love the salt analogy and the title of your new book. Thanks for sharing.

     By suzannepoulterharris on November 6, 2014 at 4:22 pm

293. Sudipta is a fabulous teacher! Consider taking one of her courses. Upping the stakes and adding layers is so important–but sometimes hard to do.

     By kathydoherty1 on November 6, 2014 at 4:23 pm

294. Thanks! I’m going to try and re-think a couple of my good PiBoIdMo ideas from last year!

     By Janny J Johnson on November 6, 2014 at 4:28 pm

295. Thank you for sharing these great strategies for character development! I will use them.😊

     By gweddle on November 6, 2014 at 4:30 pm

296. I love your character graph. Thanks for this helpful post.

     By Shirley Menendez on November 6, 2014 at 4:38 pm

297. Wow, Sudipta! You’re full of prizes and surprises! The Character Graphic Organizer is the first big one. Thanks so much!!! and just a PS to the rest of you… If you ever see one of Sudipta’s workshops offered at a conference, sign up for it. She’s a wonderful teacher!

     By mona861 on November 6, 2014 at 4:42 pm

298. I agree with you about the importance of character development. And I’m excited to try out this Character Graphic Organizer tool. Many thanks for sharing it.

     By bangersnmashdesign on November 6, 2014 at 4:44 pm

299. Brilliant as always! Thanks, Sudipta!

     By marciecolleen on November 6, 2014 at 4:49 pm

300. Great examples and images! thank you!

     By dsi1nyu on November 6, 2014 at 4:53 pm

301. Thanks or the post and the chart!!

     By Christine M. Irvin on November 6, 2014 at 5:00 pm

302. Great suggestions! Happy to see I’m using the correct “ingredients” by utilizing the graphic organizers from my 1st grade classroom! 🙂

     By seschipper on November 6, 2014 at 5:04 pm

303. Hi Sudipta, great post! I’ve got Tyrannosaurus Wrecks on my desk right now. Of course, it’s wonderful! :0)

     By Donna L. Sadd on November 6, 2014 at 5:04 pm

304. I especially loved the paragraph on specifically how you searched for layers to add character depth in your story. And the chart. Very helpful.

     By Lynn Becker on November 6, 2014 at 5:09 pm

305. The character form is great. Thank you for so many great tips.

     By jdewdropsofink on November 6, 2014 at 5:10 pm

306. Fantastic! Loved the connection with salt. I love salt… so that makes a LOT of sense to me! My characters are the salt of my story. THANK YOU!

     By Marcy P. on November 6, 2014 at 5:14 pm

307. Great analogy! We read the story of Caporushes every year with the third graders and always spend time talking about why she loves her father “like meat loves salt!” Thanks for the graphic organizer too!

     By thelogonauts on November 6, 2014 at 5:22 pm

308. Can’t wait to use your graphic organizer to further explore my picture book ideas.

     By Laura Bellina on November 6, 2014 at 5:29 pm

309. Sudipta is extremely awesome and a seemingly endless source of great info on writing picture books. I am now going to apply my new mantra (theme-conflict-contradition) to my ideas. Thanks!

     By Laurie L Young on November 6, 2014 at 5:37 pm

310. Thank you for the reminder that character building is so important – the organizer will keep thoughts on track great idea
     Thank you!

     By Jennifer Huls on November 6, 2014 at 5:41 pm

311. Thanks for the sprinkling of salt! Great organizer–I’m saving it.

     By Buffy Silverman on November 6, 2014 at 5:46 pm

312. Thanks for the great advice as always!

     By Kari D Allen on November 6, 2014 at 5:47 pm

313. Thanks, Sudipta! I’m always looking for tips to help write stronger characters!

     By Holly Ruppel on November 6, 2014 at 5:49 pm

314. That was a fantastic post. You are such a good instructor. Hopefully will get a chance to take one of your courses in the coming year.

     By Darshana on November 6, 2014 at 5:51 pm

315. Thank you, Sudipta, for your words and diagram. I will try using the diagram before beginning to write my next picture book. It looks great!

     By Dorothy Wiese on November 6, 2014 at 5:54 pm

316. Love today’s post! All of my idea’s so far have been centered around a character I came up with first. I get this character in my head that won’t quit and eventually, I just have to write a story for them 🙂

     By Karen A on November 6, 2014 at 5:55 pm

317. thank you for the great advice. Also, I like the salt/characrer analogy.

     By Linda E.H. on November 6, 2014 at 5:57 pm

318. Thank you for the advice about developing our characters and for the outline. Congratulations on your success in the PB world and your Rutabaga Boo (awesome title and concept!) book coming out soon.

     By Jamie Deenihan on November 6, 2014 at 6:00 pm

319. Thank you for a great post and a recipie to follow! It certainly helps to have a good guide…

     By Jeanine Potter on November 6, 2014 at 6:01 pm

320. Such a smart way to really get into the characters and make them three-dimensional! Thanks for the suggestions!

     By jshaklan on November 6, 2014 at 6:02 pm

321. As always, such wonderful tools to write by. Thanks, Sudipta!!

     By pattywaymedic on November 6, 2014 at 6:04 pm

322. Sudipta, I really like your characters Duck, Duck and Moose! Thanks for the reminder that characters count. Your pointers about characters can work for nonfiction writers too. To make those cranky old historical figures believable, you gotta have motivation, details and emotions . . . .

     By Christy Mihaly on November 6, 2014 at 6:04 pm

323. Thanks for the diagram. I’l try it out when fleshing out some PiBoIdMo ideas!

     By Stephan Stuecklin on November 6, 2014 at 6:06 pm

324. Thanks for the great graphic. I will try putting it to use with my next picture book ideas!

     By l8k8 on November 6, 2014 at 6:17 pm

325. Thank you for the shout-out, Sudipta. RUTABAGA BOO has been a joy! You know I’m your biggest fan. :-DD

     By Bonnie Adamson on November 6, 2014 at 6:21 pm

326. Rutabaga, Sudipta! (I am happy and excited with that tinge of writer’s anxiety). Great graphic prompt for our writing.

     By Wendy Greenley on November 6, 2014 at 6:22 pm

327. Love, love, love the salt analogy. Good luck on your new title, Sudipta. Can’t wait to read the many more picture books that you will have published.

     By Carol Gordon Ekster on November 6, 2014 at 6:26 pm

328. Tasty blog. Thanks for adding some flavor to November!

     By Matt Tesoriero on November 6, 2014 at 6:42 pm

329. Way to get through using the cooking theme, Sudipta! – Food and writing, the perfect combination. I’ll start working up some delicious characters. (Sorry, just had to do that). But really, thanks!

     By Sally R. Flannery on November 6, 2014 at 6:57 pm

330. Thank you for the great post
     !

     By jessicacanwrite on November 6, 2014 at 7:02 pm

331. Love that graphic organizer, Sudipta! It will be very helpful for my students and for my own writing. Thank you!

     By Kara Stewart on November 6, 2014 at 7:03 pm

332. Thank you for the great character-development tool! I’ll look forward to its guidance for many PBs to come!

     By lgalaske on November 6, 2014 at 7:04 pm

333. Love the scheme! Thanks a lot!!

     By Maria J Cuesta on November 6, 2014 at 7:09 pm

334. I improvise in Chicago and it never fails that if the character is flat the scene follows. Even though I know this on stage, I still forget it on paper. Thanks for the reminder!

     By natalie15 on November 6, 2014 at 7:11 pm

335. Great writing advice thanks. I’m making a cake.

     By Karen Casale on November 6, 2014 at 7:13 pm

336. Thanks for sharing the graphic organizer. Enjoyed this post!

     By shirley johnson on November 6, 2014 at 7:21 pm

337. Great tips!

     By Patricia Toht on November 6, 2014 at 7:22 pm

338. No more cupcakes for me – I will work to create a multilayered cake of wonderful wild colors held to together with lots of sweet frosting sprinkled with nuts. Thanks for the inspiration!

     By writeknit on November 6, 2014 at 7:28 pm

339. Thank you for the tips and graphic organiser.

     By jennyrusks on November 6, 2014 at 7:29 pm

340. Thank you Sudipta and Tara for a wonderful post. I like to use my theater-crazy 9 yr old as a character sounding board. If she can’t “act like” the character after reading the story – then there’s not enough character there. Now I can ask my baking-crazy 7 year-old to chime in, too!

     By kateywrites on November 6, 2014 at 7:32 pm

341. Thank you for sharing your great tips! Loved the salt analogy!thth

     By Therese Nagi on November 6, 2014 at 7:33 pm

342. Wow! This post is full of helpful info! Thanks Tara and Sudipta!

     By thislittlebirdie on November 6, 2014 at 7:39 pm

343. Did someone say CAKE?! Thanks for a great post and worksheet!

     By Mary McClellan on November 6, 2014 at 7:47 pm

344. Love your wordplayful titles!

     Sent from my iPhone

     By Gretchen McLellan on November 6, 2014 at 7:47 pm

345. I love that graphic organizer Sudipta! Thank you for your post 🙂

     By erikammon on November 6, 2014 at 7:48 pm

346. This was such a fun post. I love the organizer and will put it to good use…now!

     By Mary Warth on November 6, 2014 at 7:54 pm

347. Great post Sudipta, even for those of us who aren’t currently working on a PB.

     By darlenebeckjacobson on November 6, 2014 at 7:56 pm

348. Write layered, salty, meaty wedding cakes. Got it! 😉 I’ve wanted to take your class. Whoever wins the free course will be a lucky PiBoIdMo-er, indeed.

     By sardyhar on November 6, 2014 at 7:59 pm

349. 342 (and counting) grateful pibo-ers. Our Hoosiers are going to be quite happy come March!

     By Jenifer Heidorn on November 6, 2014 at 8:02 pm

350. Great advice. I’m a Southern girl, so I LOVE the salt analogy.

     By tinawissner on November 6, 2014 at 8:02 pm

351. My first PB manuscript is very character driven, so I appreciated this post a lot. Thank you!

     By trobinsondaly on November 6, 2014 at 8:08 pm

352. Was on a low salt diet, but am going to be sprinkling more thanks to this super helpful post. Love your suggestion to look at the construction in terms of layers.

     By Ronna Mandel on November 6, 2014 at 8:11 pm

353. A great article! I’m mostly writing character-driven stories so this post is very helpful. Thank you!

     By Hope Lim on November 6, 2014 at 8:14 pm

354. Thank you so much for an informative post. The graphic organizer is great!
     I’m focusing on quality – not quantity. It takes a lot of brainstorming to develop a great character.

     By Janine Johns on November 6, 2014 at 8:16 pm

355. Reblogged this on Pearlz Dreaming and commented:
     Don’t forget to add the salt – of character to your stories, a great blog rom Sudipta.

     By pearlz on November 6, 2014 at 8:17 pm

356. Great advice, as usual, Sudipta. And that cheat sheet at the close of the post? Very cool swag. Thanks!

     By carolmunrojww on November 6, 2014 at 8:17 pm

357. Love the analogy and focus on characters, sometimes my characters take over stories and have a mind of their own!

     By pearlz on November 6, 2014 at 8:18 pm

358. Characters! My nemesis, great post and tool, thanks Sudipta !

     By Claire O'Brien on November 6, 2014 at 8:19 pm

359. The layers idea along with your graphic organizer are just what I need right now to get one of my PB ideas out of the side yard and back on track!
     Thanks!

     By Charlotte on November 6, 2014 at 8:22 pm

360. I don’t know why but this post made me hungry

     By apserione on November 6, 2014 at 8:28 pm

361. Great graphic and post, as always, thanks Sudipta!

     By Doreen E. Lepore on November 6, 2014 at 8:30 pm

362. Sudipta,
     Now to add some more cake layers and conflict to my WIP. Thanks for the tips.

     By lindamartinandersen on November 6, 2014 at 8:32 pm

363. Rutabaga Boo is so much fun to say- can’t wait to read it.

     By Natasha on November 6, 2014 at 8:36 pm

364. 24 words? Wow! Can’t wait to read it. Always great words of wisdom from you, Sudipta. Thank you for this post.

     By Pia Garneau on November 6, 2014 at 8:38 pm

365. Thanks for the organizer! I’m going to take it for a spin 😀

     By Lori Mozdzierz on November 6, 2014 at 8:41 pm

366. To create a character who becomes a part of someone else’s childhood must be one of life’ s biggest accomplishment.

     By Hélène Sabourin on November 6, 2014 at 8:51 pm

367. I really loved you article.

     By Ann Bentley on November 6, 2014 at 8:59 pm

368. Loved the wedding cake visual, it made me hungry..to ramp up a character I’m writing on that is 🙂

     By Tarryn Lean (@TarrynLean) on November 6, 2014 at 9:03 pm

369. And they say novelists get to have all the fun with character development! This was a great read and I am going to apply it to my PB idea for today! Thank you!

     By Brittany Mercer on November 6, 2014 at 9:06 pm

370. So inspiring!

     By Freckled Daisy Creations on November 6, 2014 at 9:07 pm

371. Great post! Thanks for the tips on building characters with more depth/tiers. And now I’m hungry for cake, too. 🙂

     By wendymyersart on November 6, 2014 at 9:09 pm

372. Sudipta, aren’t you far too young to have authored 40 books!?

     By Lauri Fortino on November 6, 2014 at 9:25 pm

373. I love tangible try-it’s. Thanks for the handout!

     By laura516 on November 6, 2014 at 9:31 pm

374. Great post on how important our characters are! I really appreciate the graphic organizer as well. You are such a generous and classy lady!!!

     By angiekarcher on November 6, 2014 at 9:31 pm

375. Thx! I’ll try out the graphic organizer and see where my characters go.

     By Deborah Patz on November 6, 2014 at 9:45 pm

376. Great post, I LOVE building characters!

     By MJ Marston on November 6, 2014 at 10:09 pm

377. Great post! Thanks for the information.

     By Zainab on November 6, 2014 at 10:16 pm

378. Cupcake / Wedding Cake. Great way to look at it. I’m not usually a big planner, but your graphic organizer and explanation make it seem like maybe I can be. Layers. Yup. I get it!

     By Genevieve Petrillo on November 6, 2014 at 10:20 pm

379. Thank you. You’ve definitely left me with lots to think about.

     By Laura J on November 6, 2014 at 10:28 pm

380. I want to read RUTABAGA BOO! Can’t wait to see how you conveyed so much with so little.

     By Meghan Daniels on November 6, 2014 at 10:35 pm

381. Love your post. Can’t wait to use the graphic organizer!

     By mwebb32 on November 6, 2014 at 10:47 pm

382. Thanks, Sudipta, for your tips on character development.

     By barbara kupetz on November 6, 2014 at 10:48 pm

383. Great questions for thinking about how to add layers. Thank you!

     By Kara Newhouse on November 6, 2014 at 10:51 pm

384. Love the framework. Thanks!

     By Cindy Greene on November 6, 2014 at 10:54 pm

385. Thanks for the character chart!

     By Zach Roush on November 6, 2014 at 10:59 pm

386. Thank you so much for the great advice. Can’t wait to try out your character graphic organizer! 🙂

     By lbouck09 on November 6, 2014 at 11:03 pm

387. Good insightful post, Now if only I could stay on the same page as my character.

     By Jenifer McNamara on November 6, 2014 at 11:05 pm

388. Thanks for the post. It really started me thinking about character development in a new way.

     By Cindy S on November 6, 2014 at 11:07 pm

389. Great thoughts on creating a memorable character!

     By Cindy Jolley on November 6, 2014 at 11:24 pm

390. Thank you Sudipta! Love it when you share exercises & worksheets.

     By Brian Yanish on November 6, 2014 at 11:25 pm

391. Thank you

     By Sue Matzke on November 6, 2014 at 11:27 pm

392. RUTABAGA BOO sounds very cute! Excellent ideas on amping up your character, thank you! And thank you Tara! 😀

     By Meg Miller on November 6, 2014 at 11:37 pm

393. Thanks for leading us through your characterization tips with those examples! That’s very helpful.

     By Caroline on November 6, 2014 at 11:45 pm

394. Thank you for the great tips on character and layering the story. The template will come in handy. I am excited to read your new book.

     By Heather Kelso on November 6, 2014 at 11:48 pm

395. just had my character develop while reading your post after a comment by a friend on facebook……thankyou

     By Hayley Gudgin on November 6, 2014 at 11:49 pm

396. Thanks, Sudipta for reminding us to delve deeper into our characters’ wedding cake layers and sharing your knowledge!

     By Ann K on November 6, 2014 at 11:49 pm

397. Lots to think about … I really love your diagram. Thank you!

     By Joan Kassmann on November 6, 2014 at 11:51 pm

398. Thank you, Rudipta, for an important reminder. Sometimes one is tempted to think visually, come up with a strong storyline and evocative settings and overlook character development. But that layering is so vital!

     By apmartin2014 on November 7, 2014 at 12:01 am

399. The wedding cake analogy is a great help, as is the graphic organizer. Thanks a bunch for helping us get to know our characters better, and helping them know themselves!

     By Anne Neidinger on November 7, 2014 at 12:04 am

400. Looking forward to Rutabaga Boo! The title itself is irresistible! And I love the graphic organizer – after 33 years of teaching, I welcome the structure. Thank you Rudipta.

     By Vicki Wilke on November 7, 2014 at 12:10 am

401. Great post! -Zach Ratcliffe

     By Zachary Ratcliffe on November 7, 2014 at 12:11 am

402. Thanks, this was interesting, especially the comparison of character to salt, and the layered cake model. May I ask, what does “high concept” mean in the picture book world?

     By Alyssa Wejebe on November 7, 2014 at 12:20 am

403. After reading thus, I went back and sprinkled some salt on some developing characters. Im falling in live with them all over again. Thanks!

     By peter on November 7, 2014 at 12:25 am

404. Good stuff! I like the chart you gave us. It will be very helpful as I create my books!

     By Dani Duck on November 7, 2014 at 12:44 am

405. Thank you for the post and the organizer!

     By Patricia A Miller on November 7, 2014 at 12:44 am

406. GREAT post about character devel……..ooooooooohhhh….she said cake.

     By Susie Sawyer on November 7, 2014 at 12:50 am

407. Wonderful post & the organizer chart looks like a very helpful tool! Thank you so much for sharing!

     By Leah on November 7, 2014 at 12:52 am

408. Thank you, Sudipta! The template will be very helpful for me. 😉

     By viviankirkfield on November 7, 2014 at 12:52 am

409. Thank you! The salt metaphor is great. Rutabaga Boo sounds adorable, and also sounds a lot like one of the ideas I had for PiBoIdMo already. I guess I’ll have to make sure mine’s different!

     By Carrie Tillotson on November 7, 2014 at 1:05 am

410. Adding tiers to a story, I like the cake analogy. Thanks, too, for the organizer. Super way to plan the story at a glance!

     By debra daugherty on November 7, 2014 at 1:06 am

411. Yummy food for thought! Thanks for the delightful delicacies – It’s all about the character…and I’m a sucker for templates – it’s the educator in me 🙂

     By Theresa Love on November 7, 2014 at 1:08 am

412. Loving the template! Thank you!

     By Tina Hoggatt on November 7, 2014 at 1:08 am

413. I love having something concrete to try. Thanks!

     By Jenna Woloshyn on November 7, 2014 at 1:20 am

414. Thank you Sudipta, very helpful 🙂

     By Kira Kia Fruit Nims on November 7, 2014 at 1:20 am

415. Thanks- I have been brainstorming a character and that Character Graphic Organizer is going to come in handy!

     By Bethany Roberts on November 7, 2014 at 1:29 am

416. I like your character Graphic. Thanks for the information. I see quite a few names I recognize among the thousands.

     By Marge Gower on November 7, 2014 at 1:33 am

417. Brilliant advice…as always 🙂 Thank you !

     By Dawn Young on November 7, 2014 at 1:39 am

418. Thanks for your detailed layers on character!

     By Michelle Kogan Illustration, Painting & Writing on November 7, 2014 at 1:58 am

419. Character is something I struggle with so I really appreciate your advice today. Thank you for the organizer as well.

     By Angela Turner on November 7, 2014 at 2:41 am

420. The character writes the story! Thanks for this!

     By Pauline Johnson on November 7, 2014 at 3:30 am

421. I’m in love with the character organizer! Thank you for the great post!

     By Carrie O'Neill on November 7, 2014 at 3:48 am

422. The wedding cake idea is just what I needed. I need to consciously think about the layering. Thank you.

     By Marina Cid on November 7, 2014 at 5:27 am

423. I’ve never considered the importance of character in a picture book before. Thank you.

     By August Washington on November 7, 2014 at 8:19 am

424. Thanks Sudipta – you’ve given us lots to think about. I took the Plot class at KidLit Writing School, and would definitely recommend it – Sudipta is amazing, and so insightful!

     By Lauren Soloy on November 7, 2014 at 8:39 am

425. Characters are very important. I look forward to using that graphic organizer 🙂 -Lily Stejskal

     By storyfairy on November 7, 2014 at 8:52 am

426. Love the idea of layering. It’s the details that make each PB different.

     By nicolezoltack on November 7, 2014 at 9:01 am

427. I love the idea of layer cake character development and love the premise of Rutabaga Boo even more! Can’t wait to see it, and plan to check your blog for more backstory on the development of that manuscript. Thanks!

     By lmquraishi on November 7, 2014 at 9:18 am

428. I love the takeaway you provided that is usable today. Thank you. 😉

     By Jill Edmonds on November 7, 2014 at 9:44 am

429. This is great advice to keep in mind no matter what book I’m writing. Thanks so much for sharing.

     By Corey Finkle on November 7, 2014 at 9:48 am

430. Brilliant concrete advice, Sudipta.

     By angela de groot on November 7, 2014 at 9:52 am

431. Thanks for the inspiration!

     By Rebecca on November 7, 2014 at 10:01 am

432. Thank you for your practical advise and the reasons why it works.

     By Shari Della Penna on November 7, 2014 at 10:01 am

433. Upping the character ante so to speak. Kind of like real life.

     By Charla Yingling on November 7, 2014 at 10:16 am

434. Thanks for the salty character lecture! I think I’ll use the graphic organizer for all my ideas this month.

     By Susan Cabael on November 7, 2014 at 10:19 am

435. Loved your post! Thank you for the graphic organizer and the inspiration! 🙂

     By Donna Rossman on November 7, 2014 at 10:28 am

436. Loved the recipe reminders: salt, layers, complexity of combinations of flavor all have me eager to get into my kitchen and cook up some great characters! Or season some up a bit with the unexpected… Yum, and thank you!

     By becki on November 7, 2014 at 10:39 am

437. Love this. Plus, now I need cake. 🙂

     By tammi sauer on November 7, 2014 at 10:41 am

438. Love the specific examples. So helpful! (And funny, my upcoming post has a cooking analogy too)

     By Corey Schwartz on November 7, 2014 at 10:45 am

439. SAlt is one of the most overlooked seasonings in cooking so your analogy to character building is so on-point! As a food writer I love your analogies and I’ll be thinking about salt and wedding cakes every time I write. Thank you!

     By Pat on November 7, 2014 at 11:12 am

440. Thanks for the organizer! It will help me summarize some messy ideas.

     By SMHS on November 7, 2014 at 11:40 am

441. Love the graphic organizer! Thanks!

     By Amy Houts on November 7, 2014 at 12:04 pm

442. Great idea generation advice, and I love the organizer. That would definitely help me. Cheers!

     By Hey, Jim Hill! on November 7, 2014 at 12:35 pm

443. Love the Graphic Character Organizer! Thank you for the great post Sudipta!

     By Bri Davey on November 7, 2014 at 12:45 pm

444. The more I learn about writing picture books, the more I realize there is still much more I need to learn…;~)

     Thanks Tara and Sudipta for a great post!

     By Donna L Martin on November 7, 2014 at 12:45 pm

445. Thanks for sharing the graphic organizer!

     By redtiesof90 on November 7, 2014 at 12:51 pm

446. Thanks for the reminder to focus on character!

     By katiemillsgiorgio on November 7, 2014 at 1:00 pm

447. Thanks for the graphic organizer!

     By Emily Goldstein on November 7, 2014 at 1:09 pm

448. Thank you for your fantastic post, Sudipta! The focus on character, the salt and layer cake analogies, and the graphic print-out are all so, so helpful.

     By Kathleen Wilson on November 7, 2014 at 1:32 pm

449. Character’s definitely the key to the whole book. Looking forward to see how you developed it in Rutabaga Boo. And I can’t wait to see Bonnie Adamson’s fabulous pictures!

     By Laurie J. Edwards on November 7, 2014 at 2:00 pm

450. Awesome, Sudipta! You’ve got it down to a science.

     By MickiGinsberg on November 7, 2014 at 2:13 pm

451. Finally some solid guidance on character development! THank you, thank you, thank you!

     By rmcg14 on November 7, 2014 at 2:37 pm

452. Thank you for the graphic organizer, I will use it on some of my revisions and see what happens.

     By Sheri Rad on November 7, 2014 at 2:54 pm

453. You’ve really accentuated an important element for me. The character is the most important ingredient in a story book recipe. Kidlit Writing School
     looks like a great opportunity. Glad to have learned about it on PiBoIdMo.

     By Rebecca E. Guzinski on November 7, 2014 at 3:42 pm

454. Thanks, Sudipta, for that generous advice. Who says salt isn’t good for you? I’ve printed out the character graphic organizer and crossing my fingers for some much needed good luck. 🙂

     By Frances Brown on November 7, 2014 at 4:10 pm

455. Great idea…love the organizer…look forward to Rutabaga Boo.you just drip with ideas.

     By svaisnoras on November 7, 2014 at 4:33 pm

456. Excellent advice, Sudipta! Thanks you so much!

     By Laura on November 7, 2014 at 4:46 pm

457. Great ideas to keep in mind. Thanks!

     By Sue Poduska on November 7, 2014 at 5:32 pm

458. Terrific post, Sudipta!

     By Henry Herz on November 7, 2014 at 5:59 pm

459. Great post, Sudipta! And timely too. Thanks for the Character Graph Organizer. Very helpful!

     By Romelle Broas on November 7, 2014 at 6:13 pm

460. Thank you for the graphic organizer, Sudipta – very simple and useful! This is a terrific post for me, as one of my personal goals this year is to focus so much more on character development. I’m a great plotter, but need to drive my stories with great characters. You’re suggestions will help!

     By Deb Dunn on November 7, 2014 at 6:19 pm

461. Your advice is one of the best advices so far. thank you so much.

     By melsul09 on November 7, 2014 at 7:01 pm

462. Thanks Sudipta! I’ll think cake now for sure. The character graphic organizer will be helpful.

     By Claire Vita on November 7, 2014 at 7:43 pm

463. Thanks, Sudipta, for your always wise advice frosted with humor!
     Kathy Erskine

     By kathyerskine on November 7, 2014 at 8:31 pm

464. I just finished up Sudipta’s Plotting in Picture Books class, and it was fantastic – thorough and well organized. I’m sure the character class will be the same!

     By Carrie Finison on November 7, 2014 at 9:42 pm

465. GREAT stuff, Sudipta! Love the graphic organizer – AND the reminder of the importance of characters AND layering.

     By Joanne Sher on November 7, 2014 at 10:14 pm

466. Great post! Love the Character Graphic Organizer.

     By Ellen Sirianni on November 7, 2014 at 10:36 pm

467. Thanks for this post Sudipta. Great info

     By angelapadron on November 7, 2014 at 10:41 pm

468. Sudipta, I think you are a creative powerhouse! Thanks for this post today–I’m working on creating a dummy for my manuscript and I’m realizing HOW MUCH characterization is coming through in the illustrations! Can’t wait to see how you’ve handled this in Rutabaga Boo! Oh, and now I want cake :).

     By Sadee Schilling on November 7, 2014 at 11:06 pm

469. Thanks for the graphic organizer. I loved the worksheets during summer school! I look forward to racheting up the stakes for my characters, and salting all my manuscripts. Thanks, Tara and Sudipta!

     By Joanne Roberts on November 7, 2014 at 11:54 pm

470. I like the challenge to go deeper. More layers are more compelling! Easy to think, harder to do. Thanks Sudipta!

     By bitsykemper on November 8, 2014 at 12:29 am

471. I must get my hooks on a character worth her salt! Thank you for emphasizing this, Sudipta.

     By jhayslett on November 8, 2014 at 12:36 am

472. Thank you for sharing your Character Graphic Organizer. I will try it out!

     By klmcmorranmaus on November 8, 2014 at 1:54 am

473. Your recipe for character development is salt to my own process. Thanks so much, Sudipta!!

     By Darlene Gaston on November 8, 2014 at 3:30 am

474. Your recipe for character development is salt to my own process. Thanks so much Sudipta!

     By dgaston0420 on November 8, 2014 at 3:39 am

475. Fabulous approach and wonderful graphic organizer, thank you so much!

     By The Styling Librarian on November 8, 2014 at 5:45 am

476. Even just the titles make me want to read your books, thank you!

     By Barbara Webb Sinopoli on November 8, 2014 at 7:52 am

477. Thanks, Sudipta! So helpful!

     By kroberts24 on November 8, 2014 at 9:06 am

478. Thank you Sudipta for the cooking analogy and the Character Graphic Organizer. BTW, this Cindy also wants a puppy!

     By Cindy C. on November 8, 2014 at 9:08 am

479. SALTY advice = LOVE it (and loved your summer school too)

     By topangamaria on November 8, 2014 at 10:55 am

480. So true! If you don’t like or believe the character, you won’t care about what happens to him/her. That’s when you stop reading…

     By Jessica Miller-Nims on November 8, 2014 at 11:22 am

481. I’ll be able to incorporate these suggestions into my illustrations too! Thanks so much! a : )

     By Andi on November 8, 2014 at 11:22 am

482. Great advice for creating characters worth their salt!

     By Lynn Alpert on November 8, 2014 at 11:26 am

483. Thanks, Sudipta, for the template (I printed off several copies) and for the coupon to KidLit Writing School. I was unaware of this resource.

     By Pat Miller on November 8, 2014 at 11:27 am

484. thank you Sudipta 🙂

     By artistadonna on November 8, 2014 at 11:29 am

485. My favorite part of a book is building the character up and getting to know them layer by layer no matter how hard it can be. BTW, what a cool prize!

     By angelapenadahle on November 8, 2014 at 12:13 pm

486. Wonderful advice! I can totally see how this would make my characters more interesting!

     By Meridth Gimbel on November 8, 2014 at 3:00 pm

487. More wonderful advice Sudipta! Thank you so much!

     By Sarah Maynard (@SarahDMaynard) on November 8, 2014 at 4:17 pm

488. Sudipta, another great tool! My toolbox is always improved during PiBoIdMo. Your tips on character development are awesome. Thanks for the post.

     By SevenAcreSky on November 8, 2014 at 4:26 pm

489. The salt analogy is brilliant! Particularly as I have Mom/daughter unconditional love MS that is need of more seasoning. 🙂

     By Mary Jo Wagner on November 8, 2014 at 5:44 pm

490. I loved this post, especially the handout. Thanks!

     By Jennifer Rumberger on November 8, 2014 at 7:34 pm

491. Great post! I’m looking forward to reading RUTABAGA BOO and using the graphic organizer!

     By Sallye O'Rourke on November 8, 2014 at 9:20 pm

492. Congratulations on your success and thank you for sharing this graphic organizer. The cake layer analogy will also be useful when I’m developing my characters. Thank you so much!

     By Cathy Breisacher on November 8, 2014 at 9:37 pm

493. Ideas, inspiration and crafting your story are all important but it is so helpful to have some tools! The salt and the layering analogies are so powerful and easy to understand. Thank you Sudipta.

     By Jenny Blum on November 9, 2014 at 2:55 am

494. Thanks for the great post, Sudipta. I love the graphic organizer! I usually use a Plot Clock before starting a first draft, but love having another way to play around with my ideas before turning them into manuscripts.

     By Mindy Alyse Weiss on November 9, 2014 at 3:37 am

495. Terrific post as usual, you hit the nail on the head. I can’t wait for your class on character!

     By Elizabeth Martin on November 9, 2014 at 8:57 am

496. Thanks Sudipta- great advice on the layering of characters- I have ideas already!

     By Nat Keller on November 9, 2014 at 11:20 am

497. Rutabaga Boo sounds so cute! Thank you also for the graphic organizer.

     By Laura on November 9, 2014 at 2:40 pm

498. Thank you, Sudipta, for such an inspiring post! Love it when you said, “Character is the salt in your picture book idea” and to think “Wedding cake not cupcake” when adding layers to your characters.

     By saputnam on November 9, 2014 at 3:41 pm

499. This was another wonderful post in this series! I am getting so many ideas and thoughts from reading them all!

     By Karen Shipman on November 9, 2014 at 5:45 pm

500. Dunno what happened but I had four ideas before I got to the part about the wedding cake! Thanks, Sudipta!

     By julie rowan zoch on November 9, 2014 at 7:19 pm

501. Thanks for sharing your story sheet and your wise words!

     By Yvonne Mes on November 10, 2014 at 1:40 am

502. Thanks, Sudipta. Such helpful advice and techniques!

     By Tracy Molitors on November 10, 2014 at 2:44 pm

503. Thank you for the graphic organizer. It is the perfect next step in developing the ideas I have been writing down for PiBoIdMo. Thank you! Thank you!

     By Julie Durr on November 10, 2014 at 3:19 pm

504. Character is key – I learned this the hard way (by writing some rubbishy stuff!) Wish I’d read this long ago! Thanks for the reminder – always useful! And thank you for the organizer!

     By kirsten percival on November 10, 2014 at 3:22 pm

505. This post was really helpful AND it gave me another idea to scribble in my notebook. Thank you!

     By laurazarrin on November 10, 2014 at 4:41 pm

506. I love the charismatic characters. I always try to take care of my main characters, making them unrepeatable. Thanks for your post.

     By Alberto Martín - NiñoCactus on November 10, 2014 at 7:37 pm

507. great post, but now I want cake…lol 🙂

     By Karen Brueggeman on November 10, 2014 at 8:42 pm

508. thank you, thank you for your advise on character development, aaand in using food symbolism, it connects with my inner baker. I also love the creative names of your books…. i.e. Duck duck moose…. I so desperately want to take your writing course, it looks awesome.

     By angiewredhen on November 10, 2014 at 9:17 pm

509. This is a great tool! Thanks

     By billiesgirl on November 10, 2014 at 9:43 pm

510. Thank you!

     By Megan Freeman on November 10, 2014 at 10:28 pm

511. Love the layers metaphor. I can’t wait to see how you do that in so few words. I’m trying to be less wordy and have richer characters at the same time. Struggling with that! Thanks for the thoughts!

     By Jeanette Bradley on November 10, 2014 at 11:26 pm

512. Thanks Sudipta!! I have ideas for further developing my characters !

     By Nat Keller on November 10, 2014 at 11:35 pm

513. I love the idea of racheting up the conflict! Thanks for the thoughts and the organizer. 🙂

     By Meagan Moore Jensen on November 11, 2014 at 12:17 am

514. Wow…developing character in 22 words! Honestly, sometimes I think it would be easier to write Gone With the Wind than to write a compelling, character rich picture book!! Thank goodness there are such talented artists to help us out! Liz Steffenson

     By Liz Steffenson on November 11, 2014 at 12:38 am

515. Thank you so much for this! It’s true that it’s the characters we fall in love with, but sometimes when we sit down to write we forget that! I needed the reminder! I really appreciate you sharing your graphic organizer tool too. Thanks again. As the mom of a son, I’m excited to check out Rutabaga Boo! Will it be out in time for Christmas?

     By Lindsay Bonilla on November 11, 2014 at 11:14 am

516. I found the layer cake comparison to be really useful – for developing character and building conflict.

     By City Sights for Kids on November 11, 2014 at 11:58 am

517. Sudipta, thank you for the planning sheet. You’re always so generous. I still have a worksheet you shared with me MANY years ago when I participated in Paula Yoo’s PB writing challenge.

     By Michelle Cusolito on November 11, 2014 at 12:02 pm

518. Thank you for the graphic organizer! You are so right, we connect with the characters and feel compassion or sympathy, etc. for them and that is why we connect with their story.

     By kariail2013 on November 11, 2014 at 12:04 pm

519. Thank you for the wonderful advice/reminder about character and for the Character Graphic Organizer! That is very helpful! I’m using it now! I also enjoyed learning more about you on your website 🙂

     By blbachmann on November 11, 2014 at 1:17 pm

520. As a teacher I am learning that those graphic organizers we give kids to make sense of stories are also helpful to the author to begin one. So cool!

     By gasamie on November 11, 2014 at 9:32 pm

521. Graphic organisers can be great for kids and adults – thanks

     By Author Ashley Howland on November 11, 2014 at 11:08 pm

522. Thank you so so much Sudipta. This was such an excellent post. Too often we get hung up on a pun or a punch line or a quirky plot twist and forget the importance of our characters. This was an excellent reminder. Thank you!

     By Lisa on November 12, 2014 at 10:58 am

523. The layer cake principle is so important, even at the idea stage. Thanks for the reminder.

     By Christine Kornylak on November 12, 2014 at 5:16 pm

524. Such a great post, Sudipta, and I LOVE the graph!!! Thank you 🙂

     By writersideup on November 13, 2014 at 1:52 am

525. Thank you for a great post. I love the examples you gave to make it clear that we need a layered cake not a cupcake.

     By Gloria Amescua on November 13, 2014 at 3:07 am

526. Thank you for the graphic. It’s interesting to see so many different approaches to story and character development.

     By Jennifer Ali on November 13, 2014 at 10:40 am

527. Another excellent post and advice from Sudipta, as usual 🙂 Thanks!

     By Rosie Pova on November 13, 2014 at 1:52 pm

528. Oh wow! This post was so helpful I feel like I just took a class. And it comes with a free giveaway that I’m about to put to good use. Thanks for your words and your generosity

     By elle kwan on November 14, 2014 at 8:14 am

529. Great post. So many times I think “oh great idea for a character” then think “well shoot, now what do I do with them”. Those fine details are always so tricky.

     By Kelly Parker on November 14, 2014 at 11:20 am

530. The graphic and layering suggestions are great. Thanks for sharing!

     By McCourt on November 14, 2014 at 11:29 am

531. I greatly appreciate your character focus and cooking/cake analogy really hit the mark for me. Thanks!

     By QuinnC on November 14, 2014 at 1:27 pm

532. Thanks for the great post! When I worked as a teen librarian and had a teen writers’ group, I always started the teens on character for all the reasons you mentioned above. Readers want a character(s) they can love and identify with.
     Susan Swan

     By writingcygnet on November 14, 2014 at 6:04 pm

533. Great post, Sudipta! Thank you for the writing tips and chart. I can’t wait to read Rutabaga Boo!

     By donnacangelosi on November 14, 2014 at 8:56 pm

534. OMG, I want this prize! I loved your post but I WANT THIS PRIZE! Can’t wait to read more from you, Sudipta. You were so inspiring in the other CBA course I took.

     By RaChelle Lisiecki on November 16, 2014 at 2:36 am

535. Thanks for the graphic organizer and the challenge to create compelling characters every day this month! Yay!

     By bucherwurm65 on November 16, 2014 at 4:28 pm

536. Great advice!

     By Franziska on November 16, 2014 at 5:11 pm

537. Can’t wait to start using the graph and I look forward to seeing your newest book Rutabaga Boo. Sounds wonderful!

     By Dianne Burch on November 16, 2014 at 6:41 pm

538. I love the graphic organizer. I love the ideas for creating compelling characters.

     By Mary Zychowicz on November 16, 2014 at 9:14 pm

539. Very helpful post. Thank you Sudipta!

     By Anna Levin on November 16, 2014 at 11:01 pm

540. What a great graphic character organizer…thanks. What great books you have….It’s an explosion of ideas…

     By Jay Polowski on November 17, 2014 at 6:55 am

541. Oh man, when it came to pets and clean up we had a house full of Cindy’s! That should be in a dictionary.
     Seriously though, thanks for the chart. For me it extremely timely. This year I’m concentrating on characters more than on story lines.
     Again, thanks.
     Lynn

     By zebrakitchens on November 17, 2014 at 1:59 pm

542. Lots useful information here. Thanks so much!

     By Michelle Heidenrich Barnes on November 18, 2014 at 10:27 am

543. “Some meals use a lot of salt. Others, just a sprinkling. But salt is essential. The same holds true for character.” — Love this line.

     By teresa m.i. schaefer (@TMISchaefer) on November 18, 2014 at 1:39 pm

544. Thank you, Sudipta. Your tips on character development helped me this very morning. Cheers to you and your success!

     By goodfish78 on November 21, 2014 at 8:43 am

545. As always, your advice rocks. Thank you, Sudipta!!

     By Betsy Devany on November 22, 2014 at 10:15 am

546. Thanks for Sharing 🙂

     By Victoria Thomas on November 24, 2014 at 9:43 pm

547. Sometimes I think we get so into the action, we forget to build the character. Thanks for your post.

     By Rick Starkey on November 24, 2014 at 11:01 pm

548. Very helpful! Thanks, Sudipta! 🙂

     By Sheri Dillard on November 25, 2014 at 11:30 am

549. Thank you, Sudipta! I came back to reread your post. Now I see why I’ve been craving cake all month!

     By lisakwillard on November 25, 2014 at 3:05 pm

550. I loved the suggestions for different ways to expand — or layer — an idea…so helpful.

     By Jessica @ Play Trains! on November 26, 2014 at 3:23 am

551. The layering idea was very helpful. Thank you!

     By KASteed on November 28, 2014 at 2:43 pm

552. I always thought cupcakes were great, but the wedding cake concept is awesome! Love, love, love it!!

     By gksipps on November 28, 2014 at 10:01 pm

553. We teach the kids to use the graphic organizers, it only makes sense that the authors use them too. You are a force to be reckoned with! 40+ books and a blog that makes sense. Thanks for being available to the newbies!

     By LL on November 28, 2014 at 10:17 pm

554. Lots of ideas from your post. thank you !

     By Patricia Saunders on November 29, 2014 at 9:28 pm

555. Thank you for all the tips on developing characters.

     By majanecka on November 30, 2014 at 12:12 am

556. Thanks Sudipta! As always, wonderful ideas for character development out of simple ideas!

     By Brook Gideon on November 30, 2014 at 10:39 am

557. Some great tips to remember. Thanks!

     By Nancy Kotkin on November 30, 2014 at 8:30 pm

558. Great post! Love the graphic!

     By anniebailey7 on November 30, 2014 at 10:41 pm

559. Great advice!!! Thanks for sharing!

     By John Strong on November 30, 2014 at 10:42 pm

560. Thanks for the visuals, especially the idea of layering. That was so helpful to have an image to anchor the idea.

     By Colleen Kelley on November 30, 2014 at 11:57 pm

561. All I kept thinking was about Shrek and how Ogres have layers lol Great chart I plan on using it when I flesh out some of these ideas.

     By Jason Perkins on December 1, 2014 at 12:54 am

562. Love the idea of thinking of the story as a layer cake! Thanks.

     By Andrea J Loney on December 1, 2014 at 5:42 am

563. Thank you for the wonderful description on how to build a character that will stand out and appeal to our reader’s ‘taste.’

     By angelcat2014 on December 2, 2014 at 4:53 am

564. […] and protocols (you can find some examples of my tendency to go all science nerd on my literature here and here). So when it came to writing this post about plotting, I found myself thinking about a […]

     By Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen: Recipe for a Nerdy Chick Plot Pie and GIVEAWAY « Nerdy Chicks Write on July 21, 2015 at 7:58 am

565. […] Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen on developing your character. […]

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