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by Audrey Perrott
If you’ve ever been on my Instagram feed, you already know I cry easily, just like Milton in my debut picture book MOO HOO. But I also love to laugh, just like Babette in the upcoming companion book BAA HAA. And House, well, his snarky anxious self in A HAT FOR HOUSE is me in all the ways.
What I’m trying to say is…
I’m an author shamelessly plugging my books.
I kid, I kid. (Not really, not really.)
Actually, what I’m trying to say is my anxiety makes me a deeply feeling person, which is mostly great when it comes to writing books for kids.
My husband uses the word “intense.” I prefer the word “passionate.”
Tomato, tomato sauce.
This passion usually translates to books with humor and heart, but I’m not always feeling particularly jovial especially when the world feels dark. That’s when I need a little help finding the light—inspiration that brings me joy, makes me laugh, and validates all of my feelings. So where do I turn?
Stand-up comedy.
Seriously.
Hear me out: While the content of most stand-up comedians is NSFPBs (Not Safe For Picture Books), there is a huge bucket of inspiration and knowledge you can gleam.
Stand-up comedy is so much more than jokes. It’s carefully crafted storytelling with perfected word choice, pacing, tone, voice, themes, and a pay-off in punchlines. Sound familiar?
Comedians tell a story that connects with their audience that makes them laugh, hopefully over and over and over again. That’s what we want for the readers of our funny picture books. We are writing to surprise our readers with joy, preferably in the form of a belly-aching snort-laugh so they read our books over and over and over again.
Study the way comedians weave together everyday situations in unique ways. Watch how they lean into the awkward, the embarrassing, the obvious, and the preposterous. Take notes on their timing. Think of their dramatic pauses as page turns. Pay attention to the running gags and where they’re placed in the set.
Laugh—and then analyze why you’re laughing.
I’m not joking.
Humor is a serious business. So is writing funny picture books.
This is why a few years ago, I made a writing challenge I called Eat Your Words to brainstorm silly picture book ideas. You can find all of the posts on my blog, starting here. I printed out lots and lots—and LOTS—of teeny tiny bits of paper with words. Every week I challenged myself to pick three and use them to come up with story ideas. I encouraged people to join me!
They did not.
It’s okay. It was fun! It also helped me get out of my rut and led to some funny story ideas.
You could easily use an online random word generator, such as, Random Word Generator, or you can download the ones I made.
One last idea for ideas: I’ve been a huge Tara Lazar and Storystorm fan for years, even fangirling big time at the SCBWI Florida Regional Conference in 2020 before the world (almost) ended.
But this is my first time as a guest blogger! It’s a very surreal and exciting checkmark on my proverbial author BINGO card. So, I thought it would be fun to make a real 2025 Book-Maker BINGO card for you to download as a way to keep your sights on your dreams beyond January.
After all, one of my main mantras is to dream big, work hard, and be grateful.
On that note, I hope you dream up dozens of big story ideas this January.
I hope you work hard to turn some of the into full drafts.
And I am oh so grateful to Tara and all of you for inviting me into your inbox today.
Now go forth, be the light and find the funny!
Audrey’s sense of humor has helped her get through some really icky seasons in life. It’s also helped her write and publish a few books, including her debut picture book MOO HOO, illustrated by Ross Burach, A HAT FOR HOUSE, illustrated by Druscilla Santiago, and the upcoming companion to MOO HOO titled BAA HAA, launching on March 4, 2025. Audrey believes funny books are just as important as serious books and writes both in her North Carolina home. You can find more about her at AudreyPerrott.com, on Instagram at @audreysbooksandbakes or BlueSky at audreysbooks.bsky.social.
Audrey Perrott is offering a picture book critique [non-rhyming, up to 600 words] OR one copy of one of her books [MOO HOO, A HAT FOR HOUSE, or BAA HAA (March 2025)], to one lucky winner, their pick.
You’re eligible to win if you’re a registered Storystorm 2025 participant and you have commented only once below.
Prizes will be distributed at the conclusion of Storystorm.
by Tammi Sauer
What is my favorite part about January?
The cold? Nope.
The snow? Nope.
A month-long storm?! ABSOLUTELY.
Storystorm is just the push I need to generate a pile of picture book ideas. Most of my ideas will be terrible, but THAT’S OKAY. If I manage to come up with even one Really Good Idea, I call that a success.
One way to come up with a potentially Really Good Idea is to start with a character.
A character can be just about anything. A child. A toaster. A yeti named Bob.
Once you have a character in mind, gently ask that character The Question:
“Hey, pal. What’s bothering you?”
Many of my books star characters who are bothered by something. I think kids like these books and the characters in them because being bothered by something is a pretty relatable experience.
In KNOCK KNOCK, illustrated by Guy Francis, a bear named Harry is bothered by the fact his friends keep interrupting his attempt at hibernation.
In NO BUNNIES HERE!, illustrated by Ross Burach, the main bunny is bothered by the worry a wolf wants to gobble him and his bunny friends all up.
In MAKING A FRIEND, illustrated by Alison Friend, Beaver is bothered by the fact he has difficulty making a friend.
In NOT NOW, COW, illustrated by Troy Cummings, Rooster is bothered by the fact Cow cannot get on board with the seasons.
***Keep in mind that not all main characters will have a problem or a want, but many do.***
Now, since January and Storystorm are coming to a close, you might already have a ridiculously big pile of ideas. Gold star for you! Even so, I want to challenge you to add just a few more to the mix. Maybe one of these will end up being a Really Good Idea.
Homework:
- Jot down a list of three characters.
- Ask each of these characters The Question.
Extra Credit:
Grab a fresh batch of books from the bookstore or library. Pay attention to the main character. Are any of these main characters dealing with a problem or wanting something? Jot down that problem or want. Maybe someone wants a pet squash. Maybe someone is a zombie who’s looking for love. Maybe someone is an avocado having an existential crisis. Keep in mind that reading—and analyzing!—other people’s books are two great ways to inspire you to write books of your own.
Tammi Sauer, a former teacher and library media specialist, is a full-time children’s book author who presents at schools and conferences across the country. She has 35 published picture books, including her two latest, MARY HAD A LITTLE PLAN and THE UNDERPANTS. Tammi’s books have received awards, earned starred reviews, made lists, been developed into musicals, and been translated into many different languages. Most importantly, kids really like her books! To learn more about Tammi and her books, please visit TammiSauer.com and follow her on Twitter at @SauerTammi and Instagram at @tammisauer.
Tammi is offering THREE things! She’s so nice!
- Thing 1: a copy of THE UNDERPANTS (Scholastic Press), illustrated by Joren Cull
- Thing 2: a copy of MARY HAD A LITTLE PLAN (Union Square Kids), illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
- Thing 3: a picture book critique
You’re eligible to win if you’re a registered Storystorm 2023 participant and you have commented only once on today’s blog post. ↓
Prizes will be distributed at the conclusion of Storystorm.
BONUS! READ TAMMI’S STORYSTORM TIPS FROM YEARS PAST!
- PiBoIdMo 2011
- PiBoIdMo 2012
- PiBoIdMo 2013
- PiBoIdMo 2014
- PiBoIdMo 2015
- Storystorm 2017
- Storystorm 2018
- Storystorm 2020
- Storystorm 2022
* Tara has invited Tammi to post every year because Tammi was the first author to say “yes” to guest posting when PiBoIdMo/Storystorm began a dozen years ago (when Tara was unpublished and many people did not return her emails then). Tara owes Tammi BIG TIME.
Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) 