TIP SHEET FOR WRITING YOUR PICTURE BOOK
Before you write…
Read!
Before writing your text, go to the library or your own bookshelf and read several books aloud to yourself and analyze what works in terms of language/word choice; pacing – don’t skip this step!
Think!
Most of the work of writing happens before you put pen to paper. Really think it through, envision your story, get into its world. Give yourself a chunk of time to sit and do nothing except imagine your story. Daydream about it – have fun with it in your mind.
What your story needs
A protagonist
…who is relatable. Your protagonist should be like a friend or sibling – a full, rounded creature with strengths and flaws and quirks.
…who has agency. In other words: they act. They do things, they effect change – and they are at the center of the narrative tension. Don’t put a character at the center of your story to whom things just happen – they need to be involved in the trouble AND the resolution.
Emotion
The most memorable stories are the ones that make us feel something at the same time that they are giving us a new perspective on our world. Your story should evoke emotions in the reader – joy, sadness, hilarity, embarrassment, triumph, worry… But no matter what, a picture book that addresses a difficult issue should end with hope.
Meaning, not moral
Kids can tell if a story is preaching to them – if it’s a “good for you” kind of story – and they will turn on it. Let’s face it, no one likes to be preached to. Your story should have meaning and relevance to a child and her world, it should make inspire him to think and feel and discuss – but leave the morals to Aesop. Nuance is your friend.
Complementary, not repetitive
Your art should be doing something very different from the text, not just repeating it. The best kind of picture-book texts that I see often don’t make a ton of sense on their own – they leave a lot of room for the artist to interpret and add to the story.
Show, don’t tell
This is the mantra for every kind of writing, really. Let your text and art show what you mean, but don’t be tempted to lay it all out for the reader. Give the reader something to discover in the process of reading – maybe there is a visual narrative in the art that adds to our understanding of the main story but isn’t mentioned in the art. Let the characters reveal themselves through action and dialogue. The best books offer the reader something new to discover with every reading.
Picture books are readalouds
Like poetry, picture books are not meant to be consumed in silence, alone – they are designed to be shared with readers who are often preliterate. So the way your book sounds when read aloud is of paramount importance. Read yours aloud many times and think about choice of every word. What sounds good? What sounds clunky? Cut, cut, cut! Short is good. Challenge yourself to see how much you can do in as few words as possible.
Bookmaking tips
Some lingo
Spread: Two pages across from each other in a picture book. The verso page is the left-hand page (even-numbered); the recto is the right hand page (odd-numbered). Text always begins on the recto, although the visual story can begin on the title page or copyright/dedication pages, if you want.
Gutter: the space between two pages of a spread where the book is bound. When illustrating, make sure no important images/visual information falls into the gutter.
Vignette: small illustration surrounded by white space
Full bleed: illustration that goes all the way to all four edges of a single page or spread.
Form
Most picture books are 32 pages long – yours should be, too. Take 8 sheets of blank paper, fold it in half, and voila – a picture book dummy. Now take your text and cut it up and paste it onto the pages as you’d like it to appear in the final book. NOW read it out aloud, with page turns. You may want to make some adjustments at this stage to make sure that the pacing of the text and art reflect the arc of the story and evoke the kind of emotional response you want.
Sample pagination #1: p. 1: title page; p. 2: copyright; p. 3: dedication; pp. 4-5: first spread– text should start on p. 5; pp. 6-32: rest of the story
Sample pagination #2 (if you need a few more pages for your story): p. 1: title page; pp. 2-3: first spread – text should appear on p. 3; pp. 4-31: rest of the story; p. 32: copyright and dedication
Final words
Be experimental.
Be honest.
Revise, revise, revise.
Have fun!
- Created and presented by Donna Bray from Harper Collins Publishers
Before you write…
Read!
Before writing your text, go to the library or your own bookshelf and read several books aloud to yourself and analyze what works in terms of language/word choice; pacing – don’t skip this step!
Think!
Most of the work of writing happens before you put pen to paper. Really think it through, envision your story, get into its world. Give yourself a chunk of time to sit and do nothing except imagine your story. Daydream about it – have fun with it in your mind.
What your story needs
A protagonist
…who is relatable. Your protagonist should be like a friend or sibling – a full, rounded creature with strengths and flaws and quirks.
…who has agency. In other words: they act. They do things, they effect change – and they are at the center of the narrative tension. Don’t put a character at the center of your story to whom things just happen – they need to be involved in the trouble AND the resolution.
Emotion
The most memorable stories are the ones that make us feel something at the same time that they are giving us a new perspective on our world. Your story should evoke emotions in the reader – joy, sadness, hilarity, embarrassment, triumph, worry… But no matter what, a picture book that addresses a difficult issue should end with hope.
Meaning, not moral
Kids can tell if a story is preaching to them – if it’s a “good for you” kind of story – and they will turn on it. Let’s face it, no one likes to be preached to. Your story should have meaning and relevance to a child and her world, it should make inspire him to think and feel and discuss – but leave the morals to Aesop. Nuance is your friend.
Complementary, not repetitive
Your art should be doing something very different from the text, not just repeating it. The best kind of picture-book texts that I see often don’t make a ton of sense on their own – they leave a lot of room for the artist to interpret and add to the story.
Show, don’t tell
This is the mantra for every kind of writing, really. Let your text and art show what you mean, but don’t be tempted to lay it all out for the reader. Give the reader something to discover in the process of reading – maybe there is a visual narrative in the art that adds to our understanding of the main story but isn’t mentioned in the art. Let the characters reveal themselves through action and dialogue. The best books offer the reader something new to discover with every reading.
Picture books are readalouds
Like poetry, picture books are not meant to be consumed in silence, alone – they are designed to be shared with readers who are often preliterate. So the way your book sounds when read aloud is of paramount importance. Read yours aloud many times and think about choice of every word. What sounds good? What sounds clunky? Cut, cut, cut! Short is good. Challenge yourself to see how much you can do in as few words as possible.
Bookmaking tips
Some lingo
Spread: Two pages across from each other in a picture book. The verso page is the left-hand page (even-numbered); the recto is the right hand page (odd-numbered). Text always begins on the recto, although the visual story can begin on the title page or copyright/dedication pages, if you want.
Gutter: the space between two pages of a spread where the book is bound. When illustrating, make sure no important images/visual information falls into the gutter.
Vignette: small illustration surrounded by white space
Full bleed: illustration that goes all the way to all four edges of a single page or spread.
Form
Most picture books are 32 pages long – yours should be, too. Take 8 sheets of blank paper, fold it in half, and voila – a picture book dummy. Now take your text and cut it up and paste it onto the pages as you’d like it to appear in the final book. NOW read it out aloud, with page turns. You may want to make some adjustments at this stage to make sure that the pacing of the text and art reflect the arc of the story and evoke the kind of emotional response you want.
Sample pagination #1: p. 1: title page; p. 2: copyright; p. 3: dedication; pp. 4-5: first spread– text should start on p. 5; pp. 6-32: rest of the story
Sample pagination #2 (if you need a few more pages for your story): p. 1: title page; pp. 2-3: first spread – text should appear on p. 3; pp. 4-31: rest of the story; p. 32: copyright and dedication
Final words
Be experimental.
Be honest.
Revise, revise, revise.
Have fun!
- Created and presented by Donna Bray from Harper Collins Publishers
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