Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Writing Wednesday - Special Stories for Special People

I've been working on picture books!

I took the challenge to come up with 30 picture book ideas in 30 days.
I am half way there - as of today, I have come up with 15 ideas.

I think a few of them are really good. I have already written a draft for two of the ideas. The one I have been working on today is about a ghost named Danny and a witch named Wendola! I know that is truly an awful name for the witch, but it will probably be different by the time I am finished with the story. I have a lot of editing to do to it and it needs to be seen by more eyes before it is ready to be sent out to a publisher.

I have come to the conclusion that sometimes I try too hard with my picture books.  If you have noticed some of the popular ones out there, a lot of them are very simple and very few words.

They may be simple and of few words, but they need to sparkle, they need to grab your attention and they need to be special.

Special stories for special people.

I end my post with a quote I found on the internet today. This quote is true whether you write for children or adults.

"Ideas are the cheapest part of the writing. They are free! The hard part is what you do with the ideas you've gathered."   Jane Yolen



 

10 comments:

  1. Janet, could I refer you to my daughter's blog, www.musingreader.blogspot.com. She is having trouble finding an agent for her book. I think you would find today's post interesting.

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  2. I think the simple books often work wonderfully because they leave so much room for the reader's imagination, rather than spelling out every detail. Happy writing!

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  3. Great quote. Thanks for sharing. Good luck rounding up the rest of your ideas!

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  4. Hi Janet,
    I agree with you about simple books being among the best. I also agree with Carol about the quote.
    Gee. I'm very agreeable today.
    Donna

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  5. Yes, simple books are the best. I like vivid illustrations and less words. Wow! you are amazing.

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  6. Hi Janet, I do that too. I think every time I begin writing something, I make it too complicated at first. I over think things and have to go back and simplify. That is probably the biggest part of my editing process. I love the quote, so true! Delisa :)

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  7. I love the quote! Good luck with the flurry of writing!

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  8. Good luck Janet, like Delisa I do that to and over think things when it's there for the taking..

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  9. Word count seems to get more and more brief for picture books. I was heartened to read an article by Anita Silvey in SLJ, an article that thought it was time to get back to real storytelling and words. I stood and applauded. How much of a reading/sharing experience can there be between a parent and child if the story is only 25 words? There are exceptions, of course, but think of how much children lose, how small their exposure becomes to language if all their books are blurts.

    Best wishes with your projects, Janet! You know that I'm always cheering for you.

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