icon caret-left icon caret-right instagram pinterest linkedin facebook twitter goodreads question-circle facebook circle twitter circle linkedin circle instagram circle goodreads circle pinterest circle

True Story Blog

Making a list and checking it twice . . .

December 4, 2017
Tags: Tara Lazar, Tracy Marchini, Marie Lamba, Rebecca Grabill, Josh Funk, Sylvia Liu, Chana Stiefel, Lauri Fortino, Jami Gigot, Deborah Freedman, Katey Howes
Santa’s not the only one who likes a good list. Below are links to lists from 11 picture-book authors—from “500 Things That Kids Like” and “7 Steps to Writing Success” to “18 Ideas for a Successful Book Launch” and “10 Reason’s I’m Thankful for Children’s Books”. I’m grateful that these writers have contributed to my Q&A blog (click on author’s name above to read their #firstpicturebook interview) and that the KidLit community is so generous with their advice and support. Happy Writing and Happy Holidays! See you in 2018!

Tara Lazar’s List of 500 Things That Kids Like

Tracy Marchini’s How Can You Tell If You’re Using Picture-Book Language

Marie Lamba’s 7 Steps to Writing Success

Rebecca Grabill’s How to Promote Your First Picture Book

Josh Funk’s Marketing Strategies

Sylvia Liu’s 18 Ideas for a Successful Book Launch

Chana Steifel’s 5 Writing Lessons I Learned from an Ironwoman

Lauri Fortino’s Tending Your Story Garden

Jami Gigot’s Creating Picture Books As An Author/Illustrator

Deborah Freedman’s Resources for Writers and Illustrators of Picture Books

Katey Howes’ 10 Reason’s I’m Thankful for Children’s Books:

 Read More 
1 Comments
Post a comment

10 More Tips for Writing Picture Books

August 1, 2016
Tags: Laban Carrick Hill, Abraham Schroeder, Maria Gianferrari, Megan Wagner Lloyd, Sylvia Liu, Susan Hood, Emma Bland Smith, Penny Parker Klostermann, Karlin Gray, Donna Mae
Here is a list of tips pulled from previous posts. Click on the quote to read the writer's entire Q&A.

Laban Carrick Hill: "A picture book is not a word book. The words in a picture book need to serve the illustrations, not the other way around, even though the illustrations would not exist if not the words had been written first. What I tried to do was provide artfully descriptive language that would be a springboard for the illustrator to do their thing."

Abraham Schroeder: "If you can't stop thinking about even the faintest notion of an idea, a character, a little phrase, write it down and see what it turns into. Many times I've jotted down an idea that I think is totally silly, but after considering it objectively, sometimes months or years later, I realize there might be a whole a lot more to it."

Maria Gianferrari: "Don’t give up! Even though picture books are short, they’re not easy to write. They often undergo multiple revisions and entirely change shape. It takes time to improve your craft. Keep reading; keep writing and join a critique group for feedback."

Megan Wagner Lloyd: "Find your unique voice and trust the illustrator (aka keep your art notes to a minimum!)"

Sylvia Liu: "I had known about the award for over a decade. After I started writing picture books, I kept the award in the back of my mind each year, but it wasn’t until I wrote A MORNING WITH GRANDPA that I felt I had a story that was suitable for the contest."

Susan Hood: "An interesting exercise is to type out the text of a favorite picture book and then compare it to the finished book. It will help you see how the text works hand in hand with the art to create something new."

Emma Bland Smith: "My process is always something like this: I write something. I think it’s great. I send it to my critique partners. They tell me everything that’s wrong with it and how to fix it. I lick my wounds for a few hours or days. Then I take their advice and revise it. Repeat several times."

Penny Parker Klostermann: "I took pictures of clouds that took on familiar shapes. One evening I photographed one that looked just like a dragon and I thought what a great main character a dragon would make if I could just find a story for him."

Karlin Gray: "I thought back to my six-year-old self and wondered, who would I have wanted to see in a picture book?"

Donna Mae: "I took on self-publishing as a personal challenge. I had an overwhelming feeling of Do This Book By Yourself."
 Read More 
Be the first to comment

A MORNING WITH GRANDPA

May 6, 2016
Tags: A MORNING WITH GRANDPA, Sylvia Liu, Christina Forshay, Lee & Low, first picture book
A MORNING WITH GRANDPA by Sylvia Liu and illustrated by Christina Forshay (Lee & Low, 2016)
Environmental lawyer turned children’s author and illustrator, Sylvia Liu was lucky to do what she loved, protecting the oceans and the environment at the U.S. Department of Justice and the nonprofit group Oceana. Her good fortune continued when she won Lee & Low's 2013 New Voices Award. Today she shares the story behind all the work that went into the winning manuscript and her debut picture book, A MORNING WITH GRANDPA, illustrated by Christina Forshay. Read More 
5 Comments
Post a comment
Loading…}