Writer Unboxed

Note: Today’s guest blogger is children’s book author Ann Whitford Paul, whose works have appeared on The New York Times Notable Books List, and won awards such as the Carl Sandburg Award for Children’s Literature, and the National Parenting Centers “Seal of Approval.” Welcome, Ann!

Every Word Counts

One often hears this phrase “every word counts” in relation to picture books, but without an explanation as to why.

First of all picture books are short and a jarring word stands out like a tomato plant in a rose garden. It calls attention to itself like a baby’s screams. While a wrong word in a novel is buried under an avalanche of words and is barely noticed, a wrong word in GOOD NIGHT MOON with its total of 130 words has nowhere to hide.

Secondly picture books are for children who are new to story. Stories must be simple enough for them to follow. That’s why our stories are focused. Instead of writing about winter, we write about one aspect of winter . . . making a snowman, or ice skating, or a blizzard, or snowflakes, etc.

That’s also why we delete anything that doesn’t relate to the story problem. If we’re writing about a girl walking to the store for the first time all by herself, it’s irrelevant for her to remember the chocolate cake she wants for her next birthday.

In addition we keep the number of characters to a minimum. If a character doesn’t participate in the story, we delete her–or as a former teacher Terry Dunahoo advised, “Kill her!”

Another point is that our child audience is only developing its attention skills. Anyone who has ever read to a pre-school girl or boy knows this. Obviously we want our children to hear the entire book. That’s why we introduce them first to simple board books with just a word or a sentence per page. As they grow, our books for them grow.

And what child doesn’t want to hear a book read over and over and over again? Be kind to the adult reader and keep your book tight so the second and third times will still be enjoyable.

Speaking of the adult reader and the child listener, this double audience is a unique characteristic of picture books. Writers must capture the interest of both or their books will sit unread on the shelf. There were often books my children loved and I hated, or vice versa. Some I even stooped to hiding under my bed so I wouldn’t have to share them ever again. No writer wants that to happen to her book.

How can it be avoided?

Make sure your story is not just an incident, but that it does double duty by either exploring an issue or adding more depth or information.

Let me give you an example from my own writing. Recently I published a book titled TORTUGA IN TROUBLE which is part of a series of books that introduce a few Spanish words to children. A fine goal, I think, but one could write a simple dictionary and accomplish that goal.

However, I wanted to do something more. I wanted to tell a story that will pull them in and introduce the Spanish words in a way that doesn’t feel educational. So I took the story of Little Red Riding Hood and rewrote it in a desert setting. The story itself explores the question of should one be wary of strangers?

Now both adults and children will enjoy a variation on an old classic AND learn a few Spanish words in the process. What I’ve done is added something extra—something that will appeal to both. Perhaps the adults will be more interested in the Spanish element, perhaps the children in the story, but they will come away with something.

Anyone who wants to write picture books will have more chance of success if their text is brief and appeals to readers from age one to one hundred. Unfortunately we don’t have the space to explore these issues here more. I hope you’ll check out my new book, WRITING PICTURE BOOKS: A Hands-On Guide from Story Creation to Publication, where you’ll find lots of information on how to do both.

Have you ever considered writing a book for children?

Thanks so much for the post, Ann! Readers, you can find Ann’s book, WRITING PICTURE BOOKS: A Hands-On Guide from Story Creation to Publication, at online sites and brick-and-mortar bookshops nationwide.

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