What I Learned at the NJ SCBWI Conference-Picture Books

Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen led a wonderful lecture on picture books. (www.sudipta.com) One of the things she mentioned about writing picture books is keeping the text at 650 words or less. Not an easy feat, by any means. So I’d like to explain how editing makes a much tighter, stronger story.

When you write an introductory sentence for a picture book story, keep in mind a few things. First of all (and every editor, agent and author stressed this at the conference), voice is paramount! Before you even place one word on the paper, know her your protagonist is, inside and out. This will help create a unique voice that belongs to your character alone.

My example: a five year old boy. Likes spiders and frogs. Dark hair and eyes. Has a habit of rubbing his nose with the back of his hand instead of using a tissue during allergy season. Finds things amusing and funny, even when an adult doesn’t, such as another person tripping over his feet. Or missing his mouth when eating, the food therefore landing in the person’s lap. He has an older brother who is good at sports. My character is not good at sports. In fact, he’s the worst batter on his T-ball team. But he finds it more amusing to watch other players mess up anyway. His name is Gordon.

There’s a lot I can do with this. But most of it won’t be in the story at all. However, I know Gordon pretty well, I believe. And I’m confident I know him well enough to understand how he’ll talk, react to situations, and feel about things. In essence, I believe when I write about him, I’ll be able to capture his voice.

Returning to the introductory sentence…I can do one of two things: Introduce the character through action, or  narration.  You see narration all the time. “I am Gordon. I am on the Red Glory Hawks T-Ball team, and I’m really, really good. Except, of course, at hitting or catching. No, I’m actually much better at watching the game.”

What’s the problem with this sentence? Anyone want to take a guess? Okay, there are several. First of all, it’s much too long. I’ve already used up 33 of my 650 words, and I haven’t said much at all! Second, although it hints at a problem, we aren’t sure if there really is a problem because Gordon doesn’t seem to mind not being good at hitting or catching.

So I need a beginning sentence that shows character and delivers a unique voice, is short in text, and gives us the character’s problem.

Easy, right?

Gordon gripped the bat. The pitcher threw the ball and Gordon swung. And missed. “Strike three!” the umpired called. Gordon burst into tears.

Okay. What’s wrong here? I’ve introduced a character, a problem, and his reaction. But do I need so much text? Nope. The illustrator will show Gordon gripping the bat. I can leave that sentence out. And Gordon bursting into tears is a bit too much. First of all, the reader isn’t likely to identify with him. We don’t understand why he’s crying, since we don’t know enough about him yet. (Did he always miss the ball? Was the team depending on him? Did a bee sting him at the last second?) Second, remember my character description? He finds things amusing, right? This doesn’t come across in his tear-soaked emotional display.

Picture book writing is about defining character through action and reaction. It also means leaving much of the description up to the illustrator and knowing your character well enough to have him make natural reactions that are organic to character and plot. The plot must not be forced. Children are smart. They know if something sounds fishy.

Last but not least, there must be a sub-text to the story. A message that isn’t “in your face.” What has the character learned? How has he or she grown?

Picture book writing is, in my opinion, some of the most difficult writing there is. (Besides poetry. But that’s a post for a different day.) If you intend to do it right, study other authors. Look for sites like Sudipta’s to gain an understanding from people who know the genre well. Attend conferences and workshops so you can study the craft. Then write, write, write. Edit and trim, and write some more.

Picture book writing is at the core of storytelling.  By writing picture books you learn how to craft a story start to finish in the most direct way possible. And I admire writers like Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen who do it successfully.

This entry was posted on 12. June 2010 at 21:13 and is filed under Writing Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.