 A picture book needs to use concise yet enticing language that lends itself well to being read aloud. The challenge? Doing all that in less than a thousand words, in fact, as close to 500 words as possible. First drafts are often too long since all you are doing is capturing your ideas and putting them on the page. Then it is time to revise, trim the fat, slice and dice...whatever you like to call it. A picture book manuscript is already fairly short, so what exactly can you cut? Here are five tricks to trim down those words: Shorten Sentences This is the first place to start. Take a close look at your sentence structures. Do you have sentences with several clauses strung together? Long compound sentences? Search your manuscript for lengthy sentences and see where you can chop. Become a hound on the hunt for any extra words. Look for adverbs and adjectives and determine if they are truly necessary. The word “that” is often a filler word when not specifying an object. (If you are looking for more tips at the sentence level, see Tighten Up! Seven Tips for Decluttering Your Sentences, an article I wrote for the Florida Writers Association.) Cut Out Visual Description Visual description, such as describing the setting or what the character looks like, is usually left out of picture books. Most obviously because the pictures show the visuals and it would be superfluous. The second reason is that illustrators do not want to be told how things look. There needs to be room for creative interpretation. (More on this in another post.) So look through your story and see if there are any lines that tell what something looks like and ask yourself if they are really necessary or if the pictures will show it. Simplify Action A common mistake is to assume kids need tons of action in a picture book in order to keep their interest, making it more like a TV show. Characters are here then there then up then down then karate chop! Big action isn’t a bad thing, but too much action is. The first problem is that it’s hard for children to follow. Adults, too. Second, an illustrator doesn’t create an individual scene for every single little action in the book. (Think about transitions like opening doors and entering rooms.) So if you have too much action, an illustrator won’t be able to draw it all anyway. Limit your action to what is essential to your plot. Ask yourself what *must* the character do and limit the number of obstacles to what will fit within the word count. Which leads to the next tip… Reduce the Number of Events Oftentimes writers get excited about the idea behind a picture book and add in too many events. My very first picture book attempt involved a tough-guy Easter bunny and his peppy sidekick. While I was developing the story, I planned a kooky system for how they traveled around the world. The first few events in the book where all about glitches in the system before they got to where the story actually started. It was exciting and fun and I loved it. It was also totally unnecessary. My word count was a shocking 2,000 words. It broke my heart but those events had to be cut. A good trick to help focus your events is to write your logline: one sentence saying what your book is about. Events need to be directly related to the direction of the book. How many events should there be for a picture book? It depends on the structure of the book. I tend to use a simplified version of the three act structure, so three events or event groups. Examine the structure of your book and determine if there are any events that can be left out and the end result would be the same. That may be an indicator they can be cut. Limit Settings It’s not always necessary to show every setting in a book. A character may come home from school and have to walk through the foyer, then the living room, then the hallway before getting to her bedroom. Save yourself some words and jump straight to where she needs to be. Limiting settings also goes hand-in-hand with simplifying action. If you stick to only the necessary scenes that involve the obstacles and the character’s goal, then you will see which settings are integral and which can be cut. Once again, the structure of the book will determine the number of settings. Keep Working On It It takes me several months to work over a manuscript and get it where it’s ready to publish. I revise over and over and over, getting lots of feedback from other picture book authors. Keep coming back to your manuscript and asking yourself what is essential to your story. With time and effort, you’ll be able to cut out the excess and highlight what is truly important.
Happy writing!
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 Reading time with my boys Getting the word count correct is a very important skill for anyone looking to publish picture books. Agents and publishers won’t accept manuscripts with high words counts. Distributors won’t select them for sales representation either. Why? Long picture books don’t sell very well anymore. Why Long Picture Book Manuscripts Don’t Work Small Press United, an indie book distributor, has this in their Reasons for Declining information: “a children's picture book with pages that have large amounts of text no longer works as a picture book.” Recent market surveys show that children age out of picture books at six, earlier than previous generations. Kids are moving up to early readers and chapter books younger than before. This in and of itself is a great thing. We have better readers! But it does raise a problem for picture book authors and publishers. We need to adjust our standards to match what children need and ultimately, what sells. Authors also need to keep in mind the dual audience of picture books: the children hearing the story and the parent who reads it. Parents are the ones purchasing the books and reading them aloud until the child is old enough to read on their own. If there is one thing that drives me crazy during story time at night, it is a picture book that goes on and on and on. Those books often mysteriously disappear under the bed or at the very bottom of the book bin. As a parent, I won’t buy a picture book with a lot of text. Picture Book Word Count: Here’s the Magic Number For fiction or creative nonfiction picture books (not informational), the current word count goal is 500 words. Yup, that’s it. If you are planning to traditionally publish, it is significantly more likely you will be successful if you stick to this word count. Yes, you can go to Barnes and Noble and likely find a longer picture book on the shelf. This book is probably either a classic or written by an established author. Stick to 500 words to increase your chances of acceptance. If you are self-publishing, you do have some leeway but remember that you want to be competitive in the market with all the other picture books. You also don’t want your adorable-but-wiggly audience getting bored. Keep it under 1,000 but try to get closer to 500. A Quick Way to Practice If you write adult fiction, one of the best activities you can do to get comfortable with the 500 word format is to practice flash fiction. It teaches you to squeeze your entire story in a low word count and helps you focus on every single word, cutting anything extra.
If you are new to writing or are only interested in writing picture books, look for my next blog post: Five Tricks for Trimming Word Count in Picture Book Manuscripts. Happy writing!
Leo the cat likes his happy place at home, no matter how much Daisy the dog pesters him to go on adventures. But when a mischievous cricket hops in his path, Leo can’t resist the urge to chase, even if it takes him on a terrifying journey with Daisy. When Leo confronts something he detests more than adventures, he must choose whether he wants to stay miserable or try and find happiness where he is. Joyride is a story of taking risks and learning how to find happiness wherever you are.
I am thrilled to share our second picture book, Joyride, will be out November 1, 2019. The picture above is the inspiration image from the illustrator, Becky McKinness, at FayBecca Designs. We loved the fun and excitement of the ride but changed one of the characters to a grouchy cat named Leo. Becky was thrilled to recently have her work featured on the cover of The New Barker. She has a full article in the magazine on how she became an artist here. Daisy the dog is based off her real pup, Daisy, who is also a fun-loving adventurer. We are excited about collaborating on this project and bringing the story to life. Stay tuned for more updates about Joyride!  I’m so excited to share the cover of How I Met My Other: True Stories, True Love with everyone. Red Raven Book Design did a wonderful job interpreting the theme of the book and turning it into a beautiful “love is in the air” visual. From the Back Cover: Learn about all the twists, turns, and fun of falling in love with this unforgettable true story anthology. People find the warmth of love in Antarctica. An obsession with blondes lands the big one. Squashing a guitar case leads to a blanket fort date. A soldier works to snag a sassy WWII nurse. Spaghetti reels someone in and they never go home again. A revenge date gets serious. And much, much more! Love can come at the most surprising times and in the most unexpected places. In this short story collection, fifteen authors share their incredible, heart-warming, and often hilarious true tales of how they met their other. Featuring Stories By: Melody Groves • Paige Lavoie • Robert Bellam • Michelle Tweed • Racquel Henry • Chelsea Fuchs • Cheryl Dougherty • Tim Haughee • Greg Hill • Kerry Evelyn • Fern Goodman • Valerie Willis • John Hope • Jasmine Tritton • Arielle Haughee I can’t wait to share this book with you all on February 1, 2019! Stay tuned!   Let’s start with the truth. Are you ready? It’s going to take time, dedication, and a lot of hard work. A LOT of hard work.
Still reading? Great. If you are willing to put in the effort then let’s dive in! Learning how to write fiction professionally is like learning an instrument or a sport. You don't just pick up a basketball and are instantly Kobe Bryant. Everyone starts out as a beginner and works to get better. (So don't put too much pressure on your work when you are at the beginning of your journey.) And like learning how to play the piano or flute, the more practice you do, the better you get. So writing often, as much as you can, will get some real momentum for your journey. That being said, writing professionally takes dedication and time, as well as some money to learn the craft. If you treat it like a light hobby, it will stay a light hobby. If you want to be a serious author, you have to take it seriously. So what does that mean? (1) Write regularly. Every day if you can. Set a manageable word count goal for writing sessions. Start with something you can achieve like 300 words. Don't wait for an idea to hit you. Creativity is a flow, like getting hot water out of a faucet. The ideas will come after you've sat down and started writing. You need to turn the water on first. Also, silence your inner editor when you write. (You know, that voice that tells you your sentences are all wrong.) It won't be perfect when you write but just get it on the page. Focus on progress. You can fix your writing later but you can't fix a blank page. (2) READ! Read lots of books in your genre, particularly recently published books as well as the classics. Read outside of your genre to keep yourself fresh and think of new ideas to bring into your writing. But read, read, read. This is essential for learning how to write. Take note of what works and what doesn’t. (3) Learn craft. This is key. You can write forever but if you don't take the time to learn the skills, your writing won't get better. Watch webinars, read blogs, listen to podcasts...just immerse yourself in learning craft. Read craft books; there are a TON of them. For picture books, I recommend Ann Whitford Paul's Writing Picture Books. A fun, energizing one for beginning authors interested in novels is Nathan Bransford’s How to Write a Novel. There are books on specific topics like dialogue, plotting, character...try and always have one that you are reading. Join professional organizations, specifically SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) if you are interesting in children’s writing. You can find local organizations such as FWA (Florida Writers Association) as well as national ones like IBPA (Independent Book Publishers Association). Find your local chapter and go to their events. Which leads me to... (4) Connect with other writers/authors. This was the best thing I did. I joined several local groups and started going to events even though I didn't know anyone. I made friends with authors, editors, publishers...it’s a whole community out there. A fun one. They answer all my questions and we support each other. You can also do this online. There are lots of groups on Facebook for writers. Just make sure the group is nice. Some people make themselves feel better by cutting others down and this is unfortunately true in the writing world, too. (5) Get feedback. Join a critique group, in person is best but online works, too. Make sure the members know what they are talking about and are experienced writers. Enter contests and submit short stories. Sometimes you get critiques through those but the best feedback is when something gets published, then you know you're on the right track. (6) Monitor your zen. Writing is a very emotional business and rejection hurts. Having a support system is key. Don't be too hard on yourself or your writing. Remember you shouldn't say anything to yourself that you wouldn't say to a fellow writer. So things like "this sucks/you suck" shouldn't be floating around in your head. Negativity can have a big impact on your writing so mind who you have around you and what you are telling yourself. Remember this is a continual journey so have patience with yourself and with the process. “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” -Richard Bach Lastly, one of the first decisions you will need to make is how you want to be published: traditionally or indie/self-published. There are benefits and drawbacks to both. Do some research and see which is right for you. This will guide your track forward. Happy writing!
It's giveaway time! We are excited to launch our first book giveaway. THREE lucky winners will be chosen to get their pick of either Lost Dreams or The Hunted: Welcome to Whitebridge paperback to be mailed directly to them. Both books feature short stories by Orange Blossom Publishing owner, Arielle Haughee. How do you get into the drawing? Sign up for our newsletter by Mother's Day, Sunday, May 13, 2018. There is a sign up button at the bottom of this post to make it easy. (Reading this after the giveaway is over? Sign up to learn about our next giveaway!) A little about each book up for grabs... Lost Dreams, a collection of firsthand stories, depicts a wide variety of lost dreams. Twenty-three authors reveal their pain confusion, and anger when the path they followed came to an unexpected end. For some contributors, the dream shattered instantly; for others the dream crumbled over decades. Through real-life stories you will see how others have endured their tribulations. The outcomes are as individual as each person and each experience. Some authors settled into acceptance, while others realized a new life purpose, yet all benefited from introspection that emerged only as a result of a loss. These stories acknowledge that we all suffer hurt and loss in our lives. "LOST DREAMS is a short story collection about life after loss. From parents of the murdered to murderers themselves, these tales cover both sides of the cruel coin flip of life’s sudden and unexpected changes that will never be totally reversed." -IndieReader The Hunted: Welcome to Whitebridge: Hundreds of years ago in the town of Whitebridge, Native and European alike fought evil and won. The result, a town disconnected from our reality except for one day a year, the longest day, the day of the summer solstice. Unfortunately the evil they thought beaten has just been biding its time. As generations have worked toward reconnecting with our world, some are content with the evil that surfaces once a year. With disappearances and random deaths of both residents and outsiders increasing, factions fight to either free the town or condemn it for all eternity. Join the TOTH authors as they tell the story of Whitebridge, from Dani Lyons the current town Sheriff who begins to discover the truth of what has been going on, to Ariane Nantuck, one of the towns oldest residents who holds more secrets than anyone knows, to Billy Bane, who always appears crazy as a fox or is he just crazy. No one person knows the truth, will you? Which book would you choose? Enter below for a chance to win!  Whenever I meet a new couple, my favorite question to ask them is how they met. People's faces light up as they tell their stories and I hear some of the funniest, craziest tales. This is what inspired How I Met My Other: True Stories, True Love. I want to collect the most interesting, heart-warming, and unbelievable stories.
So what exactly am I looking for with this anthology? First, I want the story to be as close to the truth as possible. It doesn't have to be the author's own love story, it can be an entertaining anecdote from someone else in his/her family. For example, I will be contributing the tale of how my maternal grandparents came to be together. Obviously, I wasn't there and will have to imagine the dialogue that was said and how the settings appeared, but I will be sticking to the events and how they actually happened as close as I can. The most important thing to me is that the stories read as a narrative. I want to BE THERE with this person, experiencing every moment as he/she did. Often people slip into telling their love story instead of showing, so it comes across as a sports replay. This is why the word count is 3,000 - 5,000 words. I want to become attached to the people falling in love. Which brings me to my next point... As with any good story, emotion should play a key role. This is especially true for real life love stories! I want to be excited when the couple finally gets together, laugh at the humorous parts, and wipe away a tear or two if there is something sad. Last, as I said earlier, I am looking for stories that have something that is interesting or unique or unbelievable. So many times I've heard of tales where things seem to strangely align...the timing was uncanny, a different person showed up when it was always another, the couple were in the same location many times before and never knew it. Or other stories where people met each other in the most unusual circumstances. What I really want is something that makes the reader say, "Wow! I can't believe that happened!" I am excited to see all the different submissions and learn about real couples and how they got together. These stories are my favorite after all! **For full submission guidelines, click HERE. When a stray tuna can accidentally brings Grumbler a new friend and this strange thing love, he must get rid of the tingly, terrible thing. But Grumbler soon finds out that trying to give away love comes with unexpected results. I am thrilled to announce our first picture book, Grumbler, will be out in May of 2019. This manuscript has been months and months in the making and finally came to one of the most exciting stages...contracting an illustrator. We are excited to announce that Marina Veselinovic will bring Grumbler to life on the page! Marina uses a combination of digital media and watercolor to create a unique look to her art. What caught my attention in her portfolio was the humor in her work combined with a style that is fun and eye catching for children. Here are some images I nabbed (with permission) from her portfolio:   Those peas crack me up. The two images above are from What If Vegetables Were People? Here is another one that got my attention...  Now that is just gorgeous. Doesn't it make you cold just looking at it?  This one is called "You're Toast." Poor little guy. He looks so concerned. I can't blame him, I would be, too. Needless to say, I fell in love with Marina's portfolio and was ecstatic when she agreed to illustrate Grumbler. Here are some of her other books: Asher and Watson Set Sail: A Pirate's Book for Children The Ladybug Princess: A Princess Picture Book The Lost Mariachis You're Toast The Happy Teapot I can't wait to see what Marina comes up with for Grumbler! |
AuthorArielle Haughee is the owner and founder of Orange Blossom Publishing. Categories
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