tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post6295690550524163416..comments2024-03-28T06:28:49.282+00:00Comments on Picture Book Den: Getting to the heart of a picture book - Linda StrachanUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-40868293096052402502013-09-01T23:38:21.826+01:002013-09-01T23:38:21.826+01:00Very interesting.
I am a self-published author an...Very interesting.<br /><br />I am a self-published author and illustrator. So far I have written eight books, illustrated by myself, and illustrated four other books based on existing texts.<br /><br />My first book, "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Shark!" was in verse, and practically wrote (and illustrated) itself. No unnatural rhymes, other than "iguanas/pyjamas" and (borrowed from Ogden Nash) "toucan/you can". And every verse scanned perfectly.<br /><br />The next book, "Armadillo" was also in rhyme, based on the tune and rhyming scheme of the song "Clementine". In this case, there was one verse which I felt was slightly awkward, but I left it as I couldn't phrase it naturally without the use of the words "he" or "she", which I specifically wanted to avoid:<br /><br />"Armadillo, armadillo <br />On a giant ship will sail/<br />Armadillo, armadillo<br />Greets a dolphin and a whale"<br /><br />Nobody has taken me to task on this small matter, but all my subsequent writing has been in prose, while I have since illustrated two traditional rhymes ("The Twelve Days of Christmas" and "The House that Jack Built"), Edward Lear's "The Owl and the Pussy-Cat", which is out of copyright, and Leiber and Stoller's song lyric "Yakety Yak", for which I obtained permission from the song's publisher.Simon Beckhttp://www.twinkleshark.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-64288243441652978902013-09-01T17:41:54.646+01:002013-09-01T17:41:54.646+01:00I agree, rhyme is hard, like a lot of things that ...I agree, rhyme is hard, like a lot of things that look effortless. It still amazes me how often people think that 'simple' is easy. Maybe it's them that are simple ;-)<br />I think at least a rough thumbnail outline of the 12 spreads is essential, at quite an early stage in the writing, to assess the dynamics of the story. Then you can do the polishing. But then I am an illustrator who writes, so I think that way as a matter of course.Jon Burgess Designhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686489273842347796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-70688518664823946532013-09-01T09:55:29.172+01:002013-09-01T09:55:29.172+01:00Great post, Linda. I think I will print this one o...Great post, Linda. I think I will print this one out and hand it to everyone who comes to me with a picture book idea - It happens amazingly often because everybody thinks it's so easy, and that rhyme will solve everything. Moira Butterfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17355420549929911500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-79945493166879979882013-08-30T20:22:07.733+01:002013-08-30T20:22:07.733+01:00Hi Laura, yes, that is exactly what I meant, rhyme...Hi Laura, yes, that is exactly what I meant, rhyme if not done incredibly well can ruin a good picture book, and you are right if it great to find the main character growing from the experiences in a story and coming out in the end in some way altered by them, even if it is a very subtle change.Linda Strachanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04354324158228109351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-60116781632651861972013-08-30T20:17:20.304+01:002013-08-30T20:17:20.304+01:00Thanks, Madwippitt, interesting how if something l...Thanks, Madwippitt, interesting how if something looks easy it is often disguising quite how much work has gone into making it look that way!Linda Strachanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04354324158228109351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-54047474139189597812013-08-30T20:15:10.085+01:002013-08-30T20:15:10.085+01:00Thanks, Abie
Yes, reading aloud is so important an...Thanks, Abie<br />Yes, reading aloud is so important and it works for longer pieces of writing, tooLinda Strachanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04354324158228109351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-4575481396036433182013-08-30T13:15:54.909+01:002013-08-30T13:15:54.909+01:00What a very thoughtful post. I think another aspec...What a very thoughtful post. I think another aspect to consider, and this fits in with finding the story's heart, is how does the main character grow or change as a result of the events in the story. I also feel compelled to add that rhyming can really detract from a story, in my opinion, unless it's done very well. That being said, I LOVE picture books that rhyme (well) and that's what I write primarily, though not exclusively. I think I'll take a look at my current WIP's to see if I can detect that much needed heart beat. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-82867338377690536342013-08-30T12:45:29.087+01:002013-08-30T12:45:29.087+01:00Lovely post. The real art in picture books is gett...Lovely post. The real art in picture books is getting the message across in such few words. People are often surprised how long it can take to write just 800 words but, because space is so limited, crafting and re-crafting the text can take ages! Your point about reading the text aloud is so important - it's the best way to make sure the story flows. Abie Longstaffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14682225221860351795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-11038856920974023422013-08-29T21:37:59.723+01:002013-08-29T21:37:59.723+01:00Exactly, Penny. Each page has to move the story o...Exactly, Penny. Each page has to move the story on and give the illustrator an opportunity to create something new and exciting in the illustrations. It would be boring if you turned the page and there was almost a copy of the page before. <br />But there is also the opportunity for some of the story to appear only in the illustrations so that the children, who are looking so closely at the pictures, will pick up on something that might be completely the opposite to what is being said in the text. They will understand it and love that they are one step ahead of the characters in the story.Linda Strachanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04354324158228109351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-79772762835428713522013-08-29T21:08:50.717+01:002013-08-29T21:08:50.717+01:00Well explained - and one of the things I've be...Well explained - and one of the things I've been told is to think about what could be called the opportunity for illustration. Is there some interesting new aspect to each spread, even while the story may keep the same setting/s and main characters, ie a development of some kind, not more of the exactly the same sequence.Penny Dolanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16386668303428008498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-18552710911581802072013-08-29T20:09:34.401+01:002013-08-29T20:09:34.401+01:00Great post! Writing these books is an amazing skil...Great post! Writing these books is an amazing skill - fewer words doesn't mean easy: if anything each has to be more carefully chosen and polished, as you point out.<br />madwippitthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02595748471651052552noreply@blogger.com