Writing can be like navigating a maze. Â There are so many choices and so many roadblocks. Â It’s easy to fall into the notion that you’ve got a wonderful idea and so therefore the story will just write itself. Â Wrong! Â Along the path from beginning to end, you have to make good choices. Â Characters, Setting, Problems, Solution…
November is PiBoIdMo. Â And as writers and authors of picture books, we are being challenged to come up with 30 ideas in 30 days. Â This, in and of itself is a lofty goal and to be taken lightly. Â But I’d like to talk about what happens afterwards. Â Â Eventually we will work on developing these ideas into one or more manuscripts. Â This might be an easier task if we ask ourselves a few questions along the way, maybe start adding more notes to our idea pages. Â I don’t mean write the whole first draft, but maybe just let the editor take a peek at the idea. Â I think our PiBoIdMo work will be stronger for it.
Should my main character be male or female? Â Is my main character a person or an animal? Â What makes him/her lovable, or at least likable? Â How old is my character? Â What unique attributes does my main character have? Â And how will these help him/her?
How will the setting influence the character’s journey? Â Is the setting helpful or a hinderance? Â Can or should the main character alter the setting? Â Where will the character be at the end of the story? Â Is the setting an actual place or a state of being?
How many problems will the character encounter along the journey? Â Will he/she be able to overcome the obstacles? Â Can the main character solve his/her own problem, or will they need help? Â How is the character changed by facing these problems?
Solutions too, can be particularly difficult. Â A solution can’t be so easy as to make the reader wonder why this character was so stumped to begin with. Â And it can’t very well come out of left field. Â So how will I lead the reader toward the solution from the beginning? Â Or should it be a surprise ending?
Isn’t it amazing! Â (pun intended) Â And writing for children makes every one of these choices all the more challenging. Â We must keep the story moving forward and wrap everything up in less than a thousand words!