Hi. I've just completed an Undergraduate degree and then a Masters degree in Creative Writing and whilst I was given a lot of teaching in a variety of areas such as writing for children, writing for young adults, script etc.. We never received any teaching on writing picture books. I have completed a number of picture books for an education company and got to grips with the relationship between text and pictures, the tiny word count etc.. Which was a great training ground, however these books had very minimal plot and were more about vocabulary and sentence structure. I've now been working on my own idea for a picture book but am finding it so hard to squash the ideas into so few words and to know what is the most effective way of telling the story. Particularly struggling with things like double page spreads which are one of the most preferred layouts for a picture book but then its so hard to squash the story into just 32 pages! I'm a bit lost and think I could do with some real guidance either through mentorship or from doing a masterclass or short course. Does anyone know where I could get this kind of support? Thanks
Congratulations on completing your degree. Have you looked around for any writing groups in your area or online writing groups specialising in children's books? These are both places where you will have lots of support.
If you have problems keeping the stories short enough for a picture book - around 500 words I believe - write a much longer one - you may find that it naturally falls into different 'scenes' which you could then break down into separate stories.
Good luck.
If you are based around North Wales, Wirral or Liverpool, there are children's writers and lots of workshops.
Hi Hannah.
I think your problem is to many ideas instead of one. Pick one idea and go with it. A simple right of passage, or a new experience.
A funeral, wedding, christening, holiday, fishing trip, first day at school, a visit to the zoo, circus, fairground. I could go on.
Another tip is to read as many picture books you can - and deconstruct them.
I hope that helps.
Good luck
Just to add I'm based in the Newcastle upon Tyne area