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I love reading a great rhyming picture book. They are what is really attractive to me but alas, I am not a rhymer. Just ask some of my fellow critique members. I can handle a line or two but that is it. This is an excerpt of a great article on rhyming. To read the rest of the article go to

http://www.smartwriters.com.

by Dori Chaconas
“Please, no rhyming stories.”

I heard it at conferences.  I read it in the market guides. What?  No rhyme!  But I love to write in rhyme!  What about all those beloved nursery rhymes?   Surely they had laid the foundation for rhyming picture books.

I put the ideas for rhyming stories on my I’d-Better-Not-Do-It list, and there they stayed until I became involved in a good critique group. The writers in that group started to sell their stories, and those stories were written in rhyme.   And it wasn’t just an occasional rhyming story that sold.  They sold consistently.  Like magic, within three years, members of the group sold a total of thirty-six books.  Twenty-seven of those were written in rhyme. Then I sold three picture book manuscripts—all written in rhyme.

Even the most prolific of writers occasionally have difficulty coming up with an idea for a pb. I have found that sometimes the ideas come from the least expected source. With an open mind and a little imagination, the writer’s world is full of inspirations for ideas.

Yesterday, as I helped my eight and eleven year old nephews clean up their bedrooms, my youngest nephew had to have his snake on his bed. He told me all about Snake and their history. He created an elaborate timeline with a multitude of details.  For me, it sparked an idea for a pb.

As we picked up their old and broken toys and placed them in a box, another idea came to me out of the blue. By combining some of the broken pieces together, a character came into being.

Sometimes it is look that they give me. Other times it is what they say.  For those writers who have kids in their lives, like myself, I have learned to expect the unexpected.

l’d love to hear what pb writers feel about a backstory in the pbs that they write. Attended a recent SCBWI conference with one in a pb they talked about. I loved the idea. Make a great pb…  even greater. Let me know what you think.

Editors on the Move. @ CBI Clubhouse.com.  This is just one of the many helpful articles, interviews, videos, etc, that can be found there. Be sure to check it out and become a fighting bookworm. It is well worth the small monetary investment you make.  Follow this husband and wife team, Jon Bard and Laura Backles, on Twitter.com as well. A special thanks to them for all they do.

Editors on the Move: Latest Children’s Publishing News (Updated for November)

Nov 13th, 2009 | By Laura Backes | Category: Market & Submission Updates

            When writing for children, it never hurts a writer to go back and revisit your childhood memories. You never know what ideas can come from those memories. Think back, do you have a time in your childhood that always bring a smile to your face when you think about it? You know the kind of smile that starts small and just grows and grows. If it made you smile, it just might make others smile, too. As you are thinking about that memory, think about the smells, sights, touches, sounds and tastes you had with that memory. Then, use those senses to put your story into words.

It is no secret that a newbie writer has to make some decision about what resource books they buy. Money is often limited. That is why this find was such an unexpected pleasure. I got it this last year for a $1.00 at my local library. While this edition  of Simon and Schuster’s Handbook for Writers CD Rom-Interactive by Lynn Quitman Troyka is from 1999, the content is still quite relevant.

When reading about writing, one tip was offered that I felt was particularly important for a writer to know. Simon and Schuster’s book offers this checklist: (Paraphrased by me.)

Know who your audience is.

Know their ages and genders. Know what ethnic backgrounds. Know their hobbies and interests. Know what they want to read. Then, target your book toward these factors. 

Ten years later, this checklist is just as pertinent to a book’s success.

Steven Meltzer, Associate Publisher/Executive Managing Editor of Dutton and Dial covered it in his Iowa SCBWI conference presentation during “the first sentence” exercise. He asked conference writers to first write down a first sentence that would hook the reader. Then he asked various participants  to tell him what makes their book appealing to their readers. He asked them to tell a little about why a reader would want to read their book.

He was talking about marketing specifically but in truth marketing starts as soon  as an idea is written down. A pb writers knows that there is a difference between what a three-year old likes and what a seven-year old does and takes those factors into consideration when they develop their book’s plot. A mg writer knows what kids that age are interested in reading.

The take-away from this is that while some books might not have been published recently, the value they offer a new writer is very relevant to developing a great career. Being a succesful writer means doing one’s research.

Sometimes, a writer’s life can be challenging. Trying to sandwich writing time in between  all the things that life brings, takes time and effort. A writer has to deal with all the normal “mom” or “dad ” things. They may work part or full time. They may go to school. They are obligated to do other things, like their children’s school activities. Not to mention things like an older parent who needed their assistance.

It might mean that they have to take what small sections of time come up to do their writing. Whether it is late at night or early in the morning or while waiting for a sporting event to start, the writer does what they can.

Somehow . . . a writer find the way to write.