When a Dragon Moves In Again Written by Jodi Moore Illustrated by Howard McWilliam Flashlight Press 9/01/2015 978-1-936261-35-2 32 pages Age 4—8 “If you build a perfect castle, a dragon will move in, followed by. . . a baby?! Preparations are in fll swing o welcome a new family …
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By: Tara,
on 11/18/2011
Blog: Tara Lazar (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Picture Books, Flashlight Press, Sand Castles, When a Dragon Moves In, Jodi Moore, PiBoIdMo 2011, Good News Nelson, Add a tag
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By: Sue Morris @ KidLitReviews,
on 9/21/2015
Blog: Kid Lit Reviews (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: babies, Books for Boys, pregnant, sibling rivalry, Flashlight Press, When a Dragon Moves In, Jodi Moore, 5stars, Howard McWilliam, Library Donated Books, When a Dragon Moves In Again, Children's Books, Picture Book, imagination, relationships, humor, Favorites, dragons, Series, Add a tag
Blog: Kid Lit Reviews (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: babies, Books for Boys, pregnant, sibling rivalry, Flashlight Press, When a Dragon Moves In, Jodi Moore, 5stars, Howard McWilliam, Library Donated Books, When a Dragon Moves In Again, Children's Books, Picture Book, imagination, relationships, humor, Favorites, dragons, Series, Add a tag
By: Tara,
on 11/18/2011
Blog: Tara Lazar (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Picture Books, Flashlight Press, Sand Castles, When a Dragon Moves In, Jodi Moore, PiBoIdMo 2011, Good News Nelson, Add a tag
by Jodi Moore
It’s okay to write a 2,000+ word picture book.
*braces self for screams of disbelief, coffee cups dropped, any chance of securing another book deal/agent/critique opening vanish, my own editors paling in shock, possible angry mobs at my doorstep and Tara questioning why-oh-why did she ever ask me to guest blog for PiBoIdMo?*
Now, hold up. I didn’t say it would be publishable. I just said it’s OKAY to write one. In fact, sometimes it may be necessary.
As picture book writers, we are challenged to deliver big ideas in as few words as possible. We are expected to fully develop our story, our characters, our plotline; captivate our audience; fashion a fabulous first sentence and create a satisfying end.
All while leaving room—and extending faith—for the illustrations.
It’s no easy task. So I ask…why would you limit yourself in the beginning with a word count?
Perhaps it may help to look at this in a different way. Let’s say I want to build a perfect sandcastle. If I only look at a finished product, say, one of my husband’s illustrious creations, and size up the amount of sand comprising the castle itself, I may decide I only need a few large buckets of sand to complete the task.
But that’s not what he starts with. Larry begins with an entire sandy beach. Using a large shovel, he piles on tons of sand. He sifts through bucket after bucket of the grainy particles. He packs it high as a mountain, scraping up more sand than he could possibly need.
That proud hill is his main idea. It’s the structure. The mass from which he will carve out his masterpiece. It’s his 2000+ words.
And then, he sculpts. He edits. He revises until he can see the more subtle nuances of the castle. Sometimes, a wall will cave or a doorway will be in the wrong place. But that’s okay, because he still has plenty of sand left. He can add. He can rebuild. My husband hasn’t limited himself to a few buckets of sand.
Why should you?
From your comments and posts on both this forum and Facebook, I know that you’re all busy creating your own pile of ideas. Embrace them…and write what’s in your heart. Use every word that’s necessary and a few that – you may find out later – are not. Restricting your words too early on may constrict your idea, choking the very life out of it. Let it breathe; let it swell. Let those words FLOW.
There will be plenty of time to revise—and reshape!—later.
Writing picture books can be a DAY at the beach. Shed those limitations and dig in!
Jodi Moore is the author of WHEN A DRAGON MOVES IN (May 2011, Flashlight Press) and the soon-to-be-published GOOD NEWS NELSON (Story Pie Press). She writes both picture books and young adult novels, hoping to challenge, nourish and inspire her readers by opening up brand new worlds and encouraging unique ways of thinking. You can visit he
18 Comments on PiBoIdMo Day 18: Jodi Moore Says Take a Day at the Beach, last added: 11/18/2011
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Fun post! And I love the cover of “When A Dragon Moves In”! Looks like a great book.
Ditto Tabatha’s comment – and look at the joy on the faces of the dragon and the boy!
Loved this post. I have to read When a Dragon Moves In. It looks great. And I did write a 2000 word picture book. I changed it to a chapter book. Ha!
Love the perfect analogy of the sand castle! My first working draft of LIBRARIAN ON THE ROOF, (Albert Whitman & Company, 2010) had 1800 words. I trimmed it down considerably before submission, but through various rounds of edits with the editor we decided we needed a scene that would add visual variety to the story. One of my cut scenes ended up being the perfect addition.
Thanks, Tabatha! I was blessed with an amazing editor and illustrator!
Thank you Jodi! Love the analogy and When a Dragon moves in. Looking forward to Good News Nelson!
Robyn – HA! Love it!
Thanks, Cathy! Expanding on my comment from Tabatha…Howard McWilliam (brilliant illustrator) and Shari Dash Greenspan (awesome editor) were somehow able to crawl into my brain and put to paper what was in my heart. <3!!!
You all need to buy her book immediately. Beautiful art and beautifully written.
I also agree wholeheartedly with this post. The advice applies to novel writing too. Or at least it does for those of us that are allergic to outlines.
- Paul L.
That was well illustrated. It’s all about removing barriers and self imposed structures and obstacles, isn’t it? Once those are gone, the sky is the limit.\
Thanks for this.
Great post! Loved the analogy!
Thanks for your post and advice–”let it breathe; let it swell. Let those words
flow”. That is one of the reasons I love to write. You are so right in not getting so hung up on the word count early on.
This is so true, Jodi!
It’s amazing how much a manuscript changes through revision. Wish I had saved all of my originals. Hah!
Yes! We need to liberate the ideas before they can be honed. Thanks for giving us the much-needed permission.
LOVE When A Dragon Moved In by the way. Now I know where the sandcastle inspiration comes from!
Jodi, I believe you just creaked open the door to my imagination a little wider. As I was reading your post I was thinking … just write it ALL down, prune out what is not needed but keep it for later editing in case it fits better than what I kept in. Once I’ve captured them I hate throwing any ideas away.
Thanks for this. And I love dragons, yours looks like a fun story. (I submitted my dragon story to a contest, still waiting and hopeful for when winners are chosen.)
I discovered your delightful dragon book at Barnes and Noble last month! What a perfect post. I will keep the sand castle image in my mind as I expand on my PiBoIdMo ideas. Thanks so much. You made me smile
My first story was 2,300 words. (I know, right?) I’ve had revisions that got it down to about 600, but am thinking it may end up as a chapter book. Can’t wait to read When a Dragon Moves In!
What an awesome metaphor! I’ll have to remember that for my next picture book – start with the idea, and prune the words after.