***I have a number of writing
deadlines coming up over the next couple of months so I have decided
instead of stepping away from my blog completely to concentrate solely
on my writing, I will bring back an encore performance of my WRITERLY
WISDOM series from three years ago. WW is 52 glorious posts by authors,
agents, and editors from around the country providing writerly wisdom in
categories from why even become a writer all the way to how to publish
and market your books.
There
will be two posts loaded per week...Mondays & Wednesdays...so be
sure to stop by and check out all the encouraging information given by
my lovely writerly friends! I hope you enjoy the encore presentation of
my WRITERLY WISDOM series and I will return with shiny, new posts in the
fall!***
Weathering the Brainstorm: Tips for Creating a List of
Picture Book Concepts
By: Alison Hertz
First of all, Donna, thank you for having me on your blog.
For those who don’t know me, I write and illustrate books for children. While I dabble in chapter books and mid grade novels, I write mostly picture books – a lot of them. I am often asked by writer friends and non writer friends how I come up with soo many different ideas for picture books and my answer is simple. Brainstorm.
For those who don’t know me, I write and illustrate books for children. While I dabble in chapter books and mid grade novels, I write mostly picture books – a lot of them. I am often asked by writer friends and non writer friends how I come up with soo many different ideas for picture books and my answer is simple. Brainstorm.
Okay, I know that brainstorming can even be intimidating for
some. You may be thinking, brainstorm what?
People tell me that they enjoy writing for kids but they simply don’t know what
to write about when starting to work on a new manuscript. Now, don’t worry, I’m
not going to ask you to sit down and come up with a list of 25 picture book
story concepts off the top of your head. Here are my tips:
1. Go to a playground or Chuck E Cheese or the play area at
McDonalds and other places that children like to hang out. Go sit in the
waiting area of a children’s dentist or pediatrician. Go to a children’s museum,
an aquarium, or a planetarium. Watch how children behave, listen to what they
are interested in or worried about. Just don’t take pictures of anyone or they
might think you are some kind of creep. Take your own kids with you or your
nieces or nephews or grandchildren – watch and listen.
2. Now that you are thinking about those places that children
go (they don’t have to like all of these places), make a list of as many as you
can think of. Here, I’ll start it for you:
- Playground
- Restaurant
- Doctor
- A friend’s house
- Grandma’s house
- Their own backyard
- (Now you add at least ten more places.)
3. Now make a separate list of events in a child’s life.
Think about the age you want to write for 0-3, 3-5, 5-8 and what events are
specific to that age. Write down as many events as you can. I’ll start it for
you:
- Losing a tooth
- Getting a pet
- First sleep over
- Birthday parties
- Taking the bus to school for the first time
- Making his or her own breakfast or lunch
- (Now you add at least ten more events.)
4. Here comes the fun part, combine your lists. Take an event
from list 2 and have it occur at a place on list 1. There are no wrong answers
here. Kids can have nearly anything happen anywhere. Make a list of
combinations. For this step, I’m going to add “What If” to the beginning. Here
are a few to start you off:
- What if a child lost his/her tooth at a museum?
- What if a child has his/her birthday party at Grandma’s house?
- What if a child has a play date at the beach?
5. You might think that you have a list of picture book
concepts and we are done. You have weathered the brainstorm. Sorry but, right
now, your list of story ideas are not yet picture book worthy. To turn this list
into fun, page turners, we need to throw a wrench in the machine (so to speak).
Next to your list of ideas, write something devastating or amazing that could
happen during that event. Remember to think of what would be great or horrible
for a child (not an adult). For example:
- What if a child lost his/her a tooth at a museum – and the tooth dropped into an exhibit?
- What if a child had his/her birthday party at Grandma’s house and Grandma drops the cake?
- What if a child has a play date at the beach and they find a hermit crab together – who will get to bring it home?
These additions to your events and locations turn your idea
into a story. Now, go weather the brainstorm and have fun coming up with ideas.
(Weaving Dreams Publishing 2012)
When Max and Katie decide to teach their little sister to fly, they quickly learn that telling her to flap, just isn't enough.
Page by page, the siblings get more and more inventive in an effort to help their little sister soar through the air.
Alison
Hertz is a writer, illustrator, teacher, toy designer, juggler, and
former summer camp director. Her picture book, FLAP, released in
November of 2012 and is available in stores and online at Amazon, Barnes
and Noble, Indiebound, and her website.
To learn more about Alison Hertz:
Website: www.AlisonHertz.com
Twitter: @AlisonHertz
Facebook: www.facebook.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment