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by I’ve always loved picture books. I love those oh-so-perfect opening lines, the breathtaking art, and those endings that you don’t expect, but that make you say “Of course!” I also love the giggle-worthy characters, the “ahhhhh…” of the perfectly plotted story, and of course, the “I can’t wait to read that again,” feeling.
I knew without a doubt that I wanted to write picture books, but when I first began writing for children, my first publications came in children’s magazines. I thought magazine writing would be a way to help me learn and explore and gain confidence. And it was. I had a nice amount of success writing for magazines. But my heart was still with picture books—that’s where I always wanted to end up. So even as I wrote rebus stories for Highlights and inspirational middle-grade short stories for Clubhouse, Jr., I always had a few picture book manuscripts in the works.
That effort eventually led to the publication of my first picture book, FARMER MCPEEPERS AND HIS MISSING MILK COWS (illus. Steve Gray) in 2003.
After Farmer McP sold, I thought I’d done it. I thought I had it figured out. I thought I had an ‘in’ to the picture book publishing world. But it wasn’t… quite… that… easy. I kept writing and submitting picture books, but had no luck regarding acceptances. I received some personal replies from editors. I got invitations to submit more work—but no sales.
During that time, I also kept hearing all these negatives about the picture book market—“the market is soft.” “the economy is awful.” “No one’s buying picture books.” “It’s harder than ever to get a picture book published.” All of these “no’s” kept bombarding me. All of these negatives kept running over and over again in my mind. I really began to internalize these things. And that made me begin telling myself that I would be lucky if I ever got another picture book published. So, even with my overwhelming desire to write picture books, I decided if I wanted to write for publication, I would need to move in a different direction.
I’ve always loved research, and I’ve always loved reading about weird, quirky topics so it made sense that I’d begin exploring nonfiction writing. Nonfiction wasn’t, of course, fictional picture book writing, the thing I most wanted to write, but it did involve something I enjoyed, and it would be a new adventure for me.
Over several years, I ended up writing a BUNCH of nonfiction books. I absolutely enjoyed writing nonfiction (and I still do!), but my love for writing picture books never strayed too far from my consciousness. Actually, my love for picture books felt almost like an obsession. I just could not shake it. It felt as if there was a hole inside of me that could only be filled with picture book writing. So, I began to think: Wait a minute. I want to write picture books more than ANYTHING. Am I going to give up on writing picture books without truly trying? Am I going to allow other people to tell me I can’t, without even giving it a shot? Shouldn’t I trust myself? Shouldn’t I believe in myself?
So I decided to rededicate myself to my true writing love—picture books. I couldn’t NOT let myself go for something that meant so much to me.
And I’m happy to say that dedication has yielded results. My second picture book LOUD LULA (illus Mike Boldt) was released in late October. And another picture book, ALIENS GET THE SNIFFLES, TOO (illus K.G. Campbell) is forthcoming from Candlewick Press.
Soooo, you had to endure that entire story, simply so I could tell you—
“Don’t give up!”
“Believe in yourselves!”
“If picture books are your passion—write them!”
And NEVER let anyone tell you: “You can’t.”
Katy Duffield LOVES picture books—reading them and writing them. And she has a newfound reason (as if she needs another reason) to overstuff her picture book shelves—her first grandbaby!
Katy is the award winning author of more than twenty children’s books including the picture books Farmer McPeepers and His Missing Milk Cows, illustrated by Steve Gray (Rising Moon Children’s Books), Loud Lula, illustrated by Mike Boldt (Two Lions, 2015), and the forthcoming Aliens Get the Sniffles, Too, illustrated by K.G. Campbell (Candlewick Press, tba).
Katy has also written many nonfiction books for older readers, both fiction and nonfiction for many children’s magazines, and for several educational publishers.
You can connect with her at KatyDuffield.com or on Twitter @KatyDuffield.
Katy is giving away a copy of LOUD LULA!
Leave a comment below to enter. One comment per person, please.
This prize will be given away at the conclusion of PiBoIdMo. You are eligible for this prize if:
- You have registered for PiBoIdMo.
- You have commented ONCE ONLY on today’s post.
- You have completed the PiBoIdMo challenge. (You will have to sign the PiBoIdMo Pledge at the end of the event.)
Good luck, everyone!
by I’m sure you don’t have this problem, but I’m not exactly smooth in social situations. Not too long ago, for example, I complimented a friend by telling her that her hair looked like a tornado. For some reason she wasn’t terribly flattered. I’m certainly better on paper than I am in person–that might be the definition of being a writer, right?–but sometimes my tendency to say strange things is actually useful. In fact, two of my picture books came about that way.
Way back in 2010, Tara was nice enough to let me share the story of how I got the inspiration for my first picture book. The short version: I was getting ready to take the dog for our morning jaunt. (The word “walk” can no longer be uttered in our house.) As she whimpered in impatience, I told her, “Hold on, Dogosaurus Rex! We’re going!” During our stroll, my brain started churning. What would a Dogosaurus Rex be? A dino/dog hybrid? A dog that acts like a dinosaur? A dinosaur that acts like a dog? Whatever it was, I knew I had to write about it. And thus Dogosaurus Rex, my forthcoming picture book with Henry Holt, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes, was born.
Fast forward a couple years. This time, as I was going to sleep, I turned to my husband and said in my best robot voice, “Dream sequence initiated.” My husband, who’s used to the oddities of being married to a writer, gave me a “yes, dear” look and started snoring. But my brain was churning again. Was there a Goodnight Moon about robots? When I looked it up, the type of story I was imagining didn’t exist. I knew I had to write it, and this past March, Power Down, Little Robot, illustrated by Tim Zeltner, was published by Henry Holt.
I have a theory about those moments when we do/say things that other people think are odd. I suspect our imaginations are to blame. While we’re trying to go along in our everyday lives, pretending that we’re just like everyone else, our imaginations don’t shut off. And sometimes the things that our imaginations concoct can’t help but burst out of our mouths. When this happens, you might wind up offending a friend when you’re trying to pay her a compliment, but it might also mean stumbling upon the kernel of a story idea.
So don’t be embarrassed next time you do or say something that makes others scratch their heads. Grab a pencil and write it down! You never know where that bit of strangeness will lead you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to brainstorm a story about a girl whose hair turns into a tornado. And if it ever gets published, I know exactly which friend I’ll dedicate it to.
Anna Staniszewski is the author of the My Very UnFairy Tale Life series, the Dirt Diary series, and the Switched at First Kiss series, as well as the picture books Power Down, Little Robot and the forthcoming Dogosaurus Rex. When she’s not writing, Anna spends her time teaching, reading, and eating far too much chocolate. Visit her at AnnaStan.com.
Anna is giving away a copy of Power Down, Little Robot.
Leave a comment below to enter. One comment per person, please.
This prize will be given away at the conclusion of PiBoIdMo. You are eligible for this prize if:
- You have registered for PiBoIdMo.
- You have commented ONCE ONLY on today’s post.
- You have completed the PiBoIdMo challenge. (You will have to sign the PiBoIdMo Pledge at the end of the event.)
Good luck, everyone!
Photo: Stacy Murphy Photography
Inspiration. Oh inspiration. Wherefore art thou?
It is Day 21, for goodness’ sake. Are we all here? Have we lost anyone? I hope your well hasn’t run dry. Not yet, at least. If you’re like me, you have visions of cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie dancing around in the back of your head. Still, Thanksgiving must wait for now. We’re busy serving up some PiBoIdMo on our festive plates.
I cannot tell you how grateful I was for my notebook of ideas from last year’s PiBoIdMo adventure. In my household, there’s no such thing as a long stretch of time to write (maybe this is why I’m a poet). If I’ve stocked up on the “Idea Shelf” however, I’m golden. It’s like finding a collection of chocolate bars hidden inside the piano bench (hey, it’s possible) long after Halloween has flickered away. This way when the opportunity to write arrives at my doorstep, I can go for it, even if it’s for a half hour at a time.
Ah, but I digress. Onto inspiration!
I often mention the art of observation to students when I visit schools. I love what Mary Oliver has to say on this topic. “To Pay Attention, this is Our Endless and Proper Work.” My inspiration for my first picture book, My Sister, Alicia May, happened through observation.
During the summer of 2006, I visited a childhood friend and her family. As we walked down a long country road, Cheri and I began to talk about her middle child, Alicia, who has Down syndrome. Ideas began to percolate and I jotted them down, but the heart of the story came from my observations of the two older sisters, Rachel and Alicia, and their everyday interactions with one another.
My second book, Double Happiness, began as a poem.
Ironically, that poem never made it into the book so I’m going to share now. That way it will see the light of day (ha!).
Rain
All day,
rain.
Yesterday, too.
It’s glassy and light,
like bean thread
noodles, sloshing
the window panes.
We’ve done everything,
Jake and I.
We rolled our bodies
inside rugs, tight
like spring rolls.
We ate Mr. Lee’s cherries;
our lips and fingers
turned purpley-red.
We colored napkins
with the pits—see,
my cherry tree?
See, Jake’s scribble?
When we were done,
we watched more rain.
Really, we knew,
there was nothing left to do.
After much revision, the story came to have a dragon, a move, and lots of snow. There’s no rain or cherries or Mr. Lee, but the initial poem got my imagination going. When people ask me for advice on writing, I always say “write anything and everything.” Don’t limit yourself to one genre. Becoming a better poet helped me to become a better children’s author (note, still a Work In Progress).
Oddly enough, my fresh-off-the-press book, The Story I’ll Tell, was inspired by a day dream.
As I was driving down the highway one day, an image came to me—a baby on the doorstep of a home in the mountains. I began to ask myself questions. Who will open the door to the child? And how did this child end up there? And what kind of stories would the parent tell her child about that journey to their doorstep? I found these questions to be helpful for inspiration, as I thought of more and more fantastical ways that the baby came to his new home.
Still, there was one line that pivoted the story, and that’s my favorite line in the book today: “. . . there are times when I think I will tell you the truth, for the truth is a beautiful story too.” With that line I came to a realization. There would be a nugget of truth in each of the fantastical stories that the parent would tell her child, and this patchwork of truths would be stitched together to reveal the most beautiful story in the end—a story of adoption.
So here’s to your 21 ideas, and to this observation-making, poem-tackling, dream-weaving journey. Looks like you’re on the way to your next story!
Nancy Tupper Ling is the winner of the prestigious Writer’s Digest Grand Prize and the Pat Parnell Poetry Award. She draws her inspiration from the multicultural background of her family and the interwoven fabric of familial culture which is, on the surface, seemingly every day. She is the author of My Sister, Alicia May (Pleasant Street Press), Double Happiness (Chronicle Books), The Story I’ll Tell (Lee & Low Books) and the founder of Fine Line Poets. Currently she resides in Walpole, Massachusetts with her husband, Vincent, their two girls, two fish and a parakeet named Nimbus.
You can learn more about Nancy at NancyTupperLing.com, Facebook and Twitter @BlushingFawn.
Nancy is giving away a copy of Double Happiness.
Leave a comment below to enter. One comment per person, please.
This prize will be given away at the conclusion of PiBoIdMo. You are eligible for this prize if:
- You have registered for PiBoIdMo.
- You have commented ONCE ONLY on today’s post.
- You have completed the PiBoIdMo challenge. (You will have to sign the PiBoIdMo Pledge at the end of the event.)
Good luck, everyone!
As you can see from the above, making a book is simple. I NEVER get stuck, beat-up or depressed!
But if I DID happen to get off track, I would switch hats. Draw for a while instead of writing. Write for a while instead of drawing. Change locations from my studio to a coffeeshop.
Just in case you’re having an off day, I have 3.5 suggestions:
1. Keep a sketchbook or notebook stuffed with people, places, or things.
Just for fun, pick a page at random to use as a story starter. Or pick two pages.
2. Use thumbnail sketches
Draw quick, small sketches to generate ideas when you’re brainstorming. Test variations of your ideas. Ask: what if?
3.0 Throw away your eraser.
The eraser makes you uptight. You don’t need the negative energy emanating from its pink pearly heart.
3.5 Draw or write in drafts.
Often I will start a drawing with a light color for a first draft. For the second draft, I draw in a darker color right on top, fixing problems and testing variations along the way. I’ll repeat this with successively darker pencils or pens…and I won’t erase any of the mess. I like the story that my quavery searching lines tell about how my idea took shape.
My writing heroes are relentless revisers…they will rework their stories fifty seven times, just to try them out in different ways! No exaggeration. So don’t be afraid to draw or write something twice. Or more!
]
Artist-author Carolyn Fisher switches hats in Calgary, Canada, where she lives with her husband and son. She has illustrated six books, two of which she also wrote. Her most recent book, Weeds Find a Way, earned a Notable title from the American Library Association, as well as garnering notice from the Society of Illustrators LA, Bank Street College, the California Reading Association, the National Council of Teachers for English and more. In addition to teaching at the Alberta College of Art and Design for seven years, Carolyn has talked to thousands of kids in scores of libraries and schools about writing and art.
Visit Carolyn Fisher online:
Blog at CarolynFisher.com or follow her on Twitter: @carolynnfisher.
Carolyn is giving away a free 15-minute Skype session for a classroom or group. She is happy to talk to adults or kids. The prize can be regifted to your favorite school, library or class.
Leave a comment below to enter. One comment per person, please.
This prize will be given away at the conclusion of PiBoIdMo. You are eligible for this prize if:
- You have registered for PiBoIdMo.
- You have commented ONCE ONLY on today’s post.
- You have completed the PiBoIdMo challenge. (You will have to sign the PiBoIdMo Pledge at the end of the event.)
Good luck, everyone!
by Adam Lehrhaupt & Ame Dyckman
Remember snarfing Cookie Crisp with your favorite stuffie and watching this guy—um, THESE guys on Sesame Street?
Yeah, our Moms wouldn’t let us have Cookie Crisp either—STILL bummed! But back to our point! These guys—
ADAM: “We have a point?”
AME: “’Course we have a point, Fuzzy! Now, pipe down! We’re in Narrative Mode!”
THESE GUYS were able to tackle ANY challenge!
Driving a car!
Spelling “CHEESE.”
Even PiBoIdMo.
ADAM: “The 2-Headed Monster did PiBoIdMo?”
AME: “TOTALLY! Under a PSEUDONYM.”
ADAM: “What pseudonym?”
AME: *whispers*
ADAM: “NO WAY!”
AME: “WAY!”
So now, on PiBoIdMo Day 19, when your lone little head’s probably feeling pretty crunchy—
AME (wistfully): “Like Cookie Crisp!”
ADAM: “AME! Who’s interrupting now?”
AME: “Um, wasn’t me! That was a typo.”
SO NOW, ON DAY 19, how do you make like our co-cranium Henson hero?
You just need an extra head!
Luckily, heads are everywhere! That friend you made at the SCBWI event has a head. Your kidlit pal on social media?
ADAM: “They MIGHT have a head.”
AME: “Yeah. Avatars can be confusing like that.”
And if your writer buddy’s a fellow PiBoIdMo-er, it’s quite likely their lone little head could use a bit of help by now, too.
So why not put your heads TOGETHER? Approach—
ADAM: “I’ll get the pointy scissors and the sewing kit!”
AME: “IDIOM! And you’re not allowed to use the pointy scissors! And you still owe my cat an apology.”
ADAM: “Who you callin’ an idiom?!”
APPROACH your prospective extra head carefully. We suggest this unique technique:
Ask them.
AME: “Just… ‘Wanna be my extra head?’”
ADAM: “Worked on you.”
AME: “So THAT’s how we happened! Always thought it was voodoo…”
ADAM (hides pins): “Don’t be silly.”
Once you’ve obtained your extra head—
ADAM: “Play Pok-A-Tok! Like the Mayans!”
AME: “Pok-A-Wha?”
ADAM: “Ancient Mesoamerican ball game. Occasionally played with heads.”
AME: “Surrender the keyboard. NOW!”
DO NOT remove your extra head from the body where it lives.
DO NOT bounce your extra head through a small stone hoop as ceremonial sport.
ADAM: “AW!”
DO use BOTH your heads to come up with new picture book ideas. How does a 2-Headed Monster do this? You can:
- hang out.
- call or Skype to chat.
- text. (We do this every 17 minutes.)
- use Google Docs. (This, too.)
- e-mail.
- practice your awesome psychic ability.
AME: “OW! Turn your psychic ability down! You’re LOUD!”
ADAM: “Sorry! I was excited. This is the good stuff.”
And what do you DO during these social interactions? Besides share festive beverages? You can:
- brainstorm ideas together. (They ARE your Brainstorm Buddy.)
- bounce those ideas off each other. (Gently.)
- laugh at the funny stuff.
- amp up the not-funny-yet stuff.
- layer ideas to strengthen them.
- share festive beverages.
ADAM: “We already said that.”
AME: “So nice, we said it twice. Like Duran Duran!”
Then, you simply write the idea into a story, edit a thousand times, get agent approval, survive Acquisitions and Contracts, edit another thousand times, get published, and promote like HECK! EASY PEASY!
And if you’re lucky, like we are, your extra head is right there for all of it, shouting in your ear (and to the masses): “Hey, YOU! Check out how RAD my extra head’s story is! And… STUFF!”
AME: “You’re THE BEST, Fuzzy!”
ADAM: “I know. Look! I even got you a present.”
AME: “COOKIE CRISP!” *NOM NOM NOM*
ADAM: “Uh, the cereal. NOT the fingers, please.”
AME: “Sorry. The SUGAR! It’s WORKING!”
ADAM: “QUICK! To the Writing Cave!”
AME: “And then, maybe a game of Pok-A-Tok. For you.”
BYE, EVERYBODY! HAPPY WRITING! And please let us know how your extra head search goes in the Comments below!
Adam Lehrhaupt (TOTALLY the right head!) is the award-winning author of WARNING: DO NOT OPEN THIS BOOK! and PLEASE, OPEN THIS BOOK! His next book, CHICKEN IN SPACE (illustrated by Shahar Kober; HarperCollins), blasts off May 17, 2016. Follow Adam: @Lehrhaupt.
Ame Dyckman (TOTALLY the left head!) is the award-winning author of BOY + BOT, TEA PARTY RULES, and WOLFIE THE BUNNY. Her next book, HORRIBLE BEAR! (illustrated by Zachariah OHora; Little, Brown), wakes from hibernation April 5, 2016. Follow Ame: @AmeDyckman.
PRIZES! Adam and Ame are donating a signed copy of PLEASE, OPEN THIS BOOK!, a signed copy of WOLFIE THE BUNNY… AND a picture book manuscript co-critique! Lunch and festive beverages—if you’re so inclined—included if you live near ’em! (They said they’ll even TRY not to squabble and throw lunch—THIS time.)
Leave a comment below to enter. One comment per person, please.
These prizes will be given away at the conclusion of PiBoIdMo. You are eligible for these prizes if:
- You have registered for PiBoIdMo.
- You have commented ONCE ONLY on today’s post.
- You have completed the PiBoIdMo challenge. (You will have to sign the PiBoIdMo Pledge at the end of the event.)
Good luck, everyone!
I am currently waiting for the final printing of my first author-illustrator project, EMERSON BARKS, which is due out in August of 2016. What sparked the idea for my story? PiBoIdMo.
I am always looking for fun story ideas and ideas for new illustration samples. So, when I first heard of PiBoIdMo in 2011, I signed right up. Until that point, I had considered myself an illustrator only. I had been working for years making art for stories written by other people, and had only dreamed of writing something myself. I do love bringing other people’s ideas to life visually, and would wait eagerly for stories that I connected with. The stronger that connection, the more enjoyable and effortless the process was and the more successful the final art. What better way, I thought, to connect with a story than to write it myself?
So, I embarked on a month of writing down picture book ideas to get my creative juices flowing. Looking back through old notebooks I see the same thing has happened each year. My ideas are all over the map. Some are boring, tired and overused, some are ridiculous, and some are terrible. Here is one of my “stinkers” as Denise Fleming calls them:
One other thing happens when I start writing down all of my ideas—I start thinking about picture books ALL THE TIME.
When this happens, I see potential everywhere and my brain starts to reframe everything as a story.
I see my kids and their friends do something interesting, or hear a funny snippet of their conversation. . . .
I watch my dogs’ reactions to one another. What are they thinking? . . .
I watch the newts that cross my walking path in the rain. Where are they going? . . .
I listen to the radio and hear a story or snippet of news that gets me thinking “What if?”. . .
Because my brain has been primed to look for ideas, each of these things can inspire a story, and occasionally one of these ideas shows some promise.
One November PiBoIdMo night (November 12th, 2012, to be exact) I was lying in bed getting ready to sleep when our dog Emerson started to bark. He barked and barked and barked, like he always does. As I lay there, hoping he’d stop a question entered my mind. What would happen if Emerson held in his barks? Was there a funny reason that he was barking? Would the barks fill him up like a balloon that would eventually burst?
I started to wonder, and I wrote all of my questions down. Because I kept thinking about Emerson and his barks, I knew this idea would be a good one to pursue when I sat down to write.
Of course, the journey didn’t end there. There were many drafts and sketches, much help from my critique partners and from my agent, several conferences attended and craft-of-writing books read, and the infinite patience of everyone in my family.
When a dummy was finally ready to share, it went out to multiple editors. Luckily, I found an editor who saw the same promise in the story that I did. Several years and many revisions later, here I am, waiting for the first copies of EMERSON BARKS to come off the press. Thank you, PiBoIdMo, for opening my eyes to inspiration. It was there all along but I just had to learn how to look for it.
Liza Woodruff is the illustrator of over twenty books for young readers, including If It’s Snowy and You Know It, Clap Your Paws by Kim Norman and The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Elizabeth Bennett. She lives in an old farmhouse in Vermont with her family and their two dogs. Emerson Barks is the first book that she has both written and illustrated and will be available in bookstores in August of 2016. To see more of her work, please visit: LizaWoodruff.com.
Liza is giving away a copy of THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS IN NEW ENGLAND, written by Toni Buzzeo, Sterling Publishers, October, 2015.
Leave a comment below to enter. One comment per person, please.
This prize will be given away at the conclusion of PiBoIdMo. You are eligible for this prize if:
- You have registered for PiBoIdMo.
- You have commented ONCE ONLY on today’s post.
- You have completed the PiBoIdMo challenge. (You will have to sign the PiBoIdMo Pledge at the end of the event.)
Good luck, everyone!
by Ryan Hipp
When I was very young, I fell in love with the Smurfs—it was when the English-translated European film The Smurfs and the Magic Flute debuted on a weeknight and then heralded in the new Smurfs cartoon on ABC Saturday Morning Cartoons every week thereafter.
Around the same time, I discovered Richard Scarry’s books, and the Mr. Men/Little Miss series by Roger Hargreaves. As long as I can remember, I have found that my passion to write and draw came from the things that I loved.
I have always gravitated towards creating work that will homage the things I love. I will either hide little nods to my past in my writing or art, or in some cases I am completely literal. I refer to the work I do as Nerdcore artwork. Nerdcore is a term derived by a movement in hiphop to use dorky subjects like comic books and video games as references and subject matter in the lyrics or as samples – I apply that same concept to the artwork I do to stay fresh and relevant.
I find inspiration in everything I love, and naturally, as an artist I want to honor and showcase what I love to tell the world more about me. Once a week, I try to illustrate a new piece. Something either current or nostalgic. Its my way of showing my fanbase topics they may not even be aware of and giving these genres a new voice.
As writers and artists, it is important to take what we love—to take what inspires us—and let it reflect back to our audiences.
Ryan Hipp is a published author-illustrator of books for kids from Grand Rapids, MI., honored by the MRA as recipient of the Gwen Frostic Award for work greatly impacting literacy. Ryan is the leading expert in Michigan on fostering visual literacy and creative thought; with 10 years experience and research in the field. He actively gives presentations to aid educators to inspire and motivate young people. Ryan is dedicated to helping kids achieve their goals and overcome life’s obstacles as depicted in his newest book LITTLE STEPS. Visit him at RyanHipp.com.
Ryan is giving away an original sketch on bristol board.
Leave a comment below to enter. One comment per person, please.
This prize will be given away at the conclusion of PiBoIdMo. You are eligible for this prize if:
- You have registered for PiBoIdMo.
- You have commented ONCE ONLY on today’s post.
- You have completed the PiBoIdMo challenge. (You will have to sign the PiBoIdMo Pledge at the end of the event.)
Good luck, everyone!
by Dear Reader,
About this time you should feel a strong connection with the characters you created. It’s natural for writers to think of their characters as their own children and even scold them sometimes. “Don’t act like this!” “Don’t do that!” Admit it, we’ve all at one time yelled at our characters. And that’s just what we’re talking about today. The bonds we form with our characters.
How to Bring Your Characters to Life
As a creative person your characters can be inspired from any part of your life. A cookie monster living in a cookie jar, a little boy who likes to play dress up and go on adventures with his imaginary friends, maybe even a gorilla who can’t stand the taste of bananas! But you need to think about what makes these characters stand out from the crowd. Be original. Today I’ll give you a few writing prompts that always work for me when creating my characters.
Living in Your Character’s Shoes
Do you remember playing pretend when you were young? When those monkey bars were a castle for the queen and king guinea pigs? When you’re a kid the world is your canvas. You can be anything and anyone you want to be! But as we grow older we tend to forget how “playing pretend” can actually help our creative minds grow.
So the first thing I want you to do is get into the mind of your characters and for a day solve your problems like your character would. Jump into their shoes and become them for one whole day. Once you do that you’ll see how attached you truly are with your characters. So put on those princess or prince crowns, get that magical wand and start your adventures!
Crafting Your Characters
Animators and illustrators tend to have an advantage when it comes to the craft of characters. Why? It’s because they know how to draw and get their characters out of their heads and onto paper. But who says a writer can’t delve into the doodling world ever so often?
Take a piece of paper, a pencil and scribble what you think your character looks like. This doodle doesn’t have to be perfect. Honestly, a quick sketch is all you need. You can also mold your characters out of clay and make them 3D to get a feel of what they would look like if they were standing next to you, or at least in the palm of your hand.
Once you get your characters out of your head your bond will surely become much stronger.
Short Back-Stories
This section isn’t about the regular short story that ranges from 500-1,000 words; it’s about your characters back-stories. Every character has a back-story, from the main characters to the minor, supportive cast. Back-stories help your characters develop overtime. It doesn’t have to be dramatic or comical, it can be as simple as why your character prefers cats to dogs (even though that may be an unsettled argument).
All you need to do is ask yourself this, “My character is this way because…?” and it will surely take you on an adventure.
So remember, playing pretend, crafting your characters and writing back-stories isn’t a crime. It’s a gift you can give to your characters. Once you do that you’ll discover a way to click with your readers and make your characters extremely relatable. You can do this! Just take your time, breath and walk in your characters shoes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9In5Wqqz8A
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Katya is a KidLit TV producer, writer, and editor and is also the host of KidLit TV’s original shows Field Trip! and Inside Scoop. You can find her on location hosting Field Trip!, interviewing authors, illustrators and industry experts. For Inside Scoop Katya shares the latest and greatest news in the children’s literary world straight from the authors and illustrators themselves. Katya will soon be heard on, KidLit Radio, as the host where she talks with parents, teachers and librarians about the importance of literacy. She also has a YouTube Channel, KidlitKat, that teaches kids, teens and adults about the kid lit world and other forms of literature. In addition, Katya is currently working on two middle grade novels, a picture book and a graphic novel all of which she will be illustrating. Be on the look out for cat ears!
Find Katya online at KatyaSzewczuk.org, on Facebook, Twitter @Katyaszew and Instagram @KatyaShoveChuck.
Katya is giving away this cute kitty mug and spoon!
Leave a comment below to enter. One comment per person, please.
This prize will be given away at the conclusion of PiBoIdMo. You are eligible for this prize if:
- You have registered for PiBoIdMo.
- You have commented ONCE ONLY on today’s post.
- You have completed the PiBoIdMo challenge. (You will have to sign the PiBoIdMo Pledge at the end of the event.)
Good luck, everyone!
by Carter Higgins
Looks like we’ve all made it to the hump day of PiBoIdMo! Congratulations! Turn to your neighbor and give out some high-fives. Your notebook might be empty or busting at the seams, and it really doesn’t matter, because you are doing it. So here’s to the back half of this month being as successful as the front, and here’s to more furious scribbling in those notebooks.
But with all of that forward motion, let’s rewind a little. Have you ever reverse engineered your process to chase an idea? This is a big experiment for me, because it’s a new trick in my trusty old bag, but it’s one that makes a lot of deep, true, heart-of-the-thing sense.
Just this month I’ve been talking with my agent about a new manuscript, one that makes us both a little goosebumpy and hopeful. But, true to what I’m learning is my signature maneuver, it’s a teensy bit abstract. Sure, the plot makes sense if you dig around in the dirt a little. And yeah, the characters have a heck of a journey when you squint and look real hard. But what’s there, the obvious thing that makes those goosebumps and hope, is the feeling of it. And I’m okay with that.
So as we wrap our brains around this text and sprinkle it with wishes as it blows out into the world, here’s what’s stuck with me—it’s a question my agent asks me nearly every single time we’re close to sending something out on submission, and it’s only now, years later, that I see its beginning-of-the-process, idea-making potential.
It’s this:
“I’d like to hear from you what YOU feel this story is about. You know, not a synopsis, but an about about.”
An about about.
In theory, that’s a simple question, right? But picture books are big, rich beasts, bigger than plot and arc and character development and the rules.
Here’s what I wrote back, about what it’s about about:
“This is a look at the risky business of breaking a routine, and what might happen when missed connections get bumped out of whack by just a hair. These two just do what they do, day after day, and are unaware of the friendship that is just a few blocks out of their routine. It’s about the magic of everyday things shaken out differently enough to make something wonderful, only if you look.”
That’s what it’s about about.
This book is about routine. It’s about friendship. It’s about everyday magic and the unexpected.
But that doesn’t tell YOU, PiBoIdMo-er, what it’s about, only what it’s about about. And that’s because what picture books are really, truly about about are big, huge things. The other things? Your brilliant characters and arcs and the nitty gritty? I might even say they aren’t as essential or important or heart-making as the about about.
Can you make some room in your notebook for this kind of reverse engineering? What’s the about about of your idea? Maybe it’s about about the loneliness of waiting. Your details of plot and character could be endlessly different from a fellow PiBoIdMoer’s—maybe there’s a kid who’s always picked last for the kickball team, or the excruciating watch of a favorite stuffed animal swirling around in the wash. Maybe it’s Santa himself on December 26th, beginning the countdown of days one more time. Those three stories would have entirely unique feelings and execution, but their about about is mostly the same.
And the about is certainly one beautiful, well-crafted thing, but the about about is what matters the most. What’s yours?
Carter is a librarian at an independent school in Los Angeles. She is the author of A Rambler Steals Home (HMH, 2016) and two forthcoming picture books from Chronicle Books. Everything You Need for a Treehouse is about about creating a place that becomes a home. And This Is Not a Valentine is about about the ickiness and confusion of first love. She is an Emmy-winning visual effects and motion graphics artist whose career has covered all the nooks and crannies of visual storytelling. She writes about picture books and graphic design at her blog, Design of the Picture Book and is a contributor of bookish love at All the Wonders. You can also find her on Twitter @carterhiggins.
Carter is giving away a picture book critique (for a fiction manuscript 1000 words or less).
Leave a comment below to enter. One comment per person, please.
This prize will be given away at the conclusion of PiBoIdMo. You are eligible for this prize if:
- You have registered for PiBoIdMo.
- You have commented ONCE ONLY on today’s post.
- You have completed the PiBoIdMo challenge. (You will have to sign the PiBoIdMo Pledge at the end of the event.)
Good luck, everyone!
by I write picture books. That means that my readers are very short. I remember what it was like to be a kid, but it’s not as easy to remember what it feels like to be little in a world of big people. What do kids notice at that height? And more importantly, what am I missing? It was time for a change of perspective.
On my way to the New York Public Library, I stopped by Bryant Park to find out what a walk through the park would look like through the eyes of my readers. I held the camera at about 33” from the ground, and here’s what I saw…
The first thing I notice is legs. And butts. And the ground is much closer. Then I notice a little bird preening under a cafe table. Then a white wall—and I had to see what was on the other side of it. But first I had to chase a pigeon—I just HAD to.
I took a peek over the wall, and I saw one little fellow ice skating with a penguin. Then I’m drawn to the lights and sounds of the carousel with it’s toads, rabbits and horses flying through the air, and notice one unusual rider, as well.
A vine running up the side of a building is tempting to climb. I watch friendly jugglers and dream about joining the circus. And at the end of the day, I meet a friend and we play. Which is what our readers love to do most of all.
I hope this helps you come up with even more ideas this month. Our little ones are counting on you!
Julie Gribble creates and produces works for children and the children’s literature community in both the United States and Great Britain. She founded KidLit TV to help connect children’s book creators to their readers. She’s been nominated for two Emmy Awards and is a multi award-winning writer, screenwriter, filmmaker, and producer. Her charming picture book, Bubblegum Princess, is based on a true story about Kate Middleton and was released on the day Prince George was born.
Julie sits on the Children’s Committee of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts: BAFTA-NY. Find her on Facebook and Twitter @JulieGribbleNYC.
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Julie is giving away a Kidlit TV prize pack of a book bag, pencils, stickers, magnets, temporary tattoos, earbuds, pins, and a party hat just like the KidLit TV kitty’s!
Leave a comment below to enter. One comment per person, please.
This prize will be given away at the conclusion of PiBoIdMo. You are eligible for this prize if:
- You have registered for PiBoIdMo.
- You have commented ONCE ONLY on today’s post.
- You have completed the PiBoIdMo challenge. (You will have to sign the PiBoIdMo Pledge at the end of the event.)
Good luck, everyone!
Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) 