Write Picture Books Like the PROs – Create a Rock-Solid PREMISE first! • by Natascha Biebow

The art of writing a picture book is deceptively difficult. (It can be tempting to take a good long nap when you're stuck or in need of inspiration and fortitude when submitting . . .)

Summed up perfectly in this cartoon by Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Waterson

Here's why:

Most picture books start with an idea.

IDEA – the initial inspiration for the story. The reason why the book is being written.

Yay! An idea is top-notch. Now, you can dive right in and write your picture book. You've made a good start, you might argue . But wait . . . there's a catch – picture books written in this way often lack both emotional resonance and cohesive narrative flow. 

This is because many ideas have been done as books before. This is also why you might be getting rejection letters that say your book 'feels too familiar' and 'doesn't stand out in the competitive marketplace'.

More experienced creators will write out an outline and figure out key elements in the PLOT.

PLOT – is just what happens in the story.

This is a great start too, however it still often leads to books that aren't compelling enough. Why? Because the author hasn't addressed a key factor - WHY should anyone care about this story?

Waiting to plot out the book until after you've figured out what makes the book tick can save you a lot of time!

So how do you develop that initial idea into something that will make editors, agents, and most importantly, young readers take notice?

You need a Rock-Solid Premise!

 

 

If you figure out your rock-solid premise first, you'll stay on course and not go walkabout as you figure out
how to fix your picture book that just isn't resonating or selling. As inspired by Calvin and Hobbes (by Bill Waterson),
artfully balancing their way to the other side of the stream. Don't make the mistake of falling in or getting lost in the woods!

PREMISE — The unique way YOU are going to develop that idea into a compelling, marketable picture book with resonance and impact.

This is a KEY step that many picture book creators miss when developing their idea. By taking the time to work out a solid premise, you can take your picture book to the next level by making it unique, memorable and powerful.

To give you an idea of how this can work, let's look at a bestselling picture book that is celebrating 20 years:

DON'T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS by Mo Willems

Premise: a child-like pigeon wants to drive the bus, but the driver has left the reader with strict instructions to mind the bus and not let the pigeon drive it. The pigeon begs, wheedles and negotiates, trying all the tactics that young readers might recognize from when they are trying to get grown-ups to do what they want. The pigeon gets increasingly frustrated and angry, but the readers keep on telling him "NO!" 

From Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

 

When the driver returns and thanks them at the end of the story, the pigeon is sad, but still hopeful. Now, he's dreaming bigger with his sights set on driving . . . a truck!

 

From Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

In an interview on CBS Mornings, Mo Willems said, "I think of my audience, but I never think for my audience."

In the first book of his bestselling series, the author places the child firmly in the driver's seat. The interactive dialogue format itself encourages creativity and imagination. The book is something kids can play with. It is also a springboard for imagining new adventures for the pigeon character.

The reason this premise is so strong is that the role-reversal resonates with both children and adults alike. Willem's child-centred plot, character motivation and humour are seamlessly interwoven to create a very simple, but unique and compelling story that resonates. 

 

Crafting a strong PREMISE is a powerful (and often missed) pro skill. It is the core concept that gives your book a reason to exist. It's what takes an idea that many other writers may have had, and makes it uniquely yours. It takes craft and skill – and sometimes 'cooking time' – to develop a solid premise that will make your book stand out in the competitive marketplace. It's well worth spending some time to consider your premise before you start writing.

_________________________________________________________________

Natascha Biebow, MBE, Author, Editor and Mentor

 

Want to know more? Take a deep-dive and learn how to develop a rock-solid premise and how it can empower you to create the perfect hook for your pitch and query letter here.

Natascha is the author of the award-winning The Crayon Man: The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons, illustrated by Steven Salerno, winner of the Irma Black Award for Excellence in Children's Books, and selected as a best STEM Book 2020. Editor of numerous prize-winning books, she runs Blue Elephant Storyshaping, an editing, coaching and mentoring service aimed at empowering writers and illustrators to fine-tune their work pre-submission, and is the Editorial Director for Five Quills. Find out about her new picture book webinar courses! She is Co-Regional Advisor (Co-Chair) of SCBWI British Isles. Find her at www.nataschabiebow.com

 

What's It All About? By Pippa Goodhart

What comes first; the story or the title?  In my experience each book's writing process tends to be as individual as the book it results in.  Sometimes a title is just there for the picking, seemingly obvious.  I have a picture book called Chapatti Moon that’s being illustrated at the moment.  I couldn’t have been called anything else.  It's right for the story, and I love the sound of it.  But on other occasions I have tied brain into knots, trying different word combinations to come up with a title I like. 

Titles are important because, along with cover artwork, they act as the lure to the story waiting inside a book.  They give the reader clues as to what kind of story it will be, and they must tempt the reader inside so that the story itself gets a chance to grab them.  A book cover is, almost literally, a door.  We want people to open those doors.  So, what few words writ bold on the front cover will make them do that? 

A title might challenge us -

-

There’s a lovely threat of mayhem in the just the idea of a pigeon driving a bus.  How will it work out?

They might be an instruction as to how you should use the book –

Simple, but hopefully tempting?  What will there be to choose from?

They might boggle us with intriguing unknown words -


Now, of course, 'gruffalo' is a very well known word, but it was Julia Donaldson’s invention, designed, I gather, to offer lots of rhyming potential!

They can puzzle with something too obscure to let you guess what might be inside –


Why make a statement about a hat NOT being yours?

They might offer something tempting, but not give much away - 


What IS the surprise?

Or they can be very straightforward –

That’s a clear label, but far from dull because we have the intriguing combination of an elephant with a 'bad' baby.  In what way is the baby 'bad'?
 

This title is a very straightforward summary of the story.  Boring?  No, because we immediately think, but surely a tiger would already be wild?  What’s going on here? 

            I think that the key to a good title is making the reader question.  They know that if they open the book and read, they will find the answer.    And the title must give something of the flavour of the story to come; perhaps to set its tone.

Long titles usually mean that the words are there in a smaller font, perhaps even running into two or more lines, taking centre stage away from illustration. 

 On the other hand, a single word can be bold -

            Familiar words can trigger particular expectations.  Many years ago when I was a bookseller, a publisher told me that some market research had been done into titles, and it was found that certain words would make book sales spike noticably.  What were the magic words?  Well, she said that the absolute optimum possible title for a children’s book (because it contained so many of the magic words) was The Little Lost Christmas Kitten.  Guess what?  There is no book of that title listed on Amazon.  I offer it to you as a gift!

            What I don’t offer you is a picture book that I want to write.  I don’t know what the story is yet.  But I want the title to be Mr Dull.  My hope is that nobody would believe it.  They’d instantly suppose that actually Mr Dull isn't dull, and they’d want to know how and why!  Am I right?  Is that how people would react, or would they be literal in their thinking and so pass that book over without a glance? 

            What are your favourite picture book titles, and why?