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It doesn’t matter if you're writing a 70,000-word novel or a 600-word picture book creating an interesting story is simply a task of asking yourself questions. Perhaps the most helpful source for what to ask yourself was penned by Rudyard Kipling (30th December 1865 – 18th January 1936),
“I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.”
The four lines above have helped me on many an occasion. What follows is how I use the above to help me construct a picture book story.
Who?
The 'who' is obviously your main character or characters. As a picture book writer this can be animal, human, robot, alien, fairy, wizard, monster, I could go on. Basically almost anything you like. However many an editor will tell you to keep away from talking inanimate objects. Yet Disney still manage to create characters from cars, toys, garden gnomes etc. that children love, so perhaps you can to.
What?
The 'what' can be what happens in your story or it can be what your theme is. For example the theme for my picture book A Book For Bramble is loneliness, missing a friend and how my character Teasel deals with this loneliness. Although it didn't start out as that. It started with me wondering what hedgehogs dream about when they hibernate. But many authors will tell you the first idea they have will evolve and change as they work on the story.
Why?
'Why' is linked into the 'what.' So ask yourself what happens and why. For example in my book The Best Jumper the 'what' is Spindle the mouse has a jumper that appears to be shrinking. However the 'why' it is shrinking is because he is growing.
When?
In picture books this is perhaps one of the less important questions. Many of the picture books I've read can be set in any time period. A book about fairies inhabiting a different world could be now or 100 years ago, there is no real relation to ‘our’ time.
Where?
Many picture books are set within their own world. For example my book Dog Did It is a mythical world populated by trolls. My book A Book For Bramble could be almost anywhere in the world where a mouse lives in a hole under a hedge. As the author I saw Teasel and his family living in the English countryside. However he would be just at home in any European country or even in some parts of the US.
How?
This is quite a big question. However I normally use it to answer the question of how my character overcomes the problem/issue I've given them. If you're a reader of picture books you'll notice the how to overcome the problem doesn't always work first time. Often the character has to have three attempts to resolve the problem/issue before they succeed.
So what ever you're writing if you're stuck for an idea (plot or character) then why not give the 5 W's and H a go. It works for me, it may work for you.
Lynne Garner
Whilst in our local book shop purchasing a few Christmas presents last year I decided to treat myself to a book on the craft of writing. The book I chose was Your Creative Writing Masterclass by Jurgen Wolff.
Now for me the sign on a good non-fiction book is the number of pieces of paper slipped between the pages. By the time I'd finished reading this book it had a large number. One highlights Chapter 24; It's in the details. Two of the questions posed in this section resonated with me:
- Have you appealed to a variety of senses, described not only what things look like but also how they sound, smell and taste?
- Have you selected details beyond the obvious?
These two questions urged me into action. I decided to use one of the many diaries I'd received as a gift as an observation diary. Basically my aim is to observe something 'beyond the obvious' every day for the next year and record it. So far I've managed to achieve this goal. Here are just a few of my observations:
Now the snow has fully melted the mud is back. Listening to the squash, squelch, slurp of the mud I have to decide. Do I let the inner child enjoy the sensation and the sounds? Or do I let the inner adult force me to walk along the very edges where the ground is drier and safer?
Piles of brown leaves, huddled around a tree trunk still lie in the shade. Most of the hard frost from the night before has gone but it still outlines their veins.
A large flock of pigeons cover a field, all busy scratching for food. I'm reminded, for some reason of a dot-to-dot page. I wondered what picture would emerge if I joined those dots.
The above isn't fantastically written. However if I'd not forced myself to notice and write them down, they'd be forgotten and I'd never have the chance to include in future stories.
Another plus is that in the short time I've been keeping this diary it's already given me two new ideas for picture book stories.
To finish this post I'd like to offer the above as a tip. So if you have a diary hidden away unloved, dust it off and create your own observation diary.
Lynne Garner
Recently I treated myself to 'Your Creative Writing Masterclass' by Jurgen Wolff. A section of the book discusses what drives a person and makes them act as they do, important when trying to create believable characters.
As part of this discussion the author discusses Abraham Maslow (1st April 1908 - 8th June 1970)and his hierarchy of needs. This is often shown as a pyramid made up of five sections. Each of these sections link to the stages of growth in a human and what they seek/need at each level. Maslow believed that the lower levels must be fulfilled for a person to be able to concern themselves with the higher levels. These five levels are:
Level one:
This consists of the basic needs to survive including: food, water, shelter, sex and sleep.
Level two:
This is the security of the individual, the family and the home. In today's modern world this could include: a safe home and environment, the need for a secure job and the knowledge that close family will be 'looked after' should something happen to us (life insurance).
Level three:
Covers the need and desire for love and belonging. This includes the love of a spouse/partner and family plus good relationships with friends and perhaps even belonging to a group.
Level four:
Once a person feels the needs of the previous three levels have been fulfilled they can start to concern themselves with self-esteem: how others view them, they receive respect from others, they respect themselves and have a sense of worth.
Level five:
In this top layer a person can begin to express themselves creatively, consider their spiritual needs, focus on their morals beliefs and express them in what they say and how they act.
Being introduced to this theory has already helped me with a story I'm in the process of planning. I've placed my lead character in level one for the first chapter, so he has a longer climb to reach level five (where I need him to be by the middle of the story).
Now I'd like to ask: what have you learnt recently that has helped you with your writing?
Lynne Garner
by Lynne GarnerWhen teaching, I often tell students that I believe most people have a book hidden inside them. Most students are surprised to learn that I believe this book is more than likely nonfiction. When they look at me in disbelief, I often use family and friends as examples to demonstrate what I mean. At the moment these are my three favorite examples of friends (and they are real) that I use:
- Friend one owns three dogs. She enjoyed the training aspect of pet ownership so much she recently completed a professional dog-training course. I am confident she knows enough to be able to write an informative book about dogs from the owner and trainer's point of view.
- Friend two studied garden design and ran her own garden design business. She also volunteered to help at her children's school. During that time she designed a child-friendly garden and gardening projects. I'm sure she could produce a great book aimed at parents and teachers who want to encourage children to love all things that grow. I also believe she could write another aimed at adults who want to design their own dream garden.
- Friend three is extremely gifted when it comes to crafts. However, she has decided to specialize in working with porcelain. I have no doubt she could write an informative book covering porcelain techniques and designing porcelain projects readers can recreate.
I hope you can see how you can turn a hobby, knowledge you have gained from your job or lifestyle into a book others will want to read.
----- Would you like to discover your hidden book? Sign up now for Lynne Garner's class,
How to Write a Hobby Based How to Book, which starts on January 5, 2013.
By Lynne GarnerA few months ago the lovely ladies at WOW sent me a link for
PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month). Children's author
Tara Lazar devised the concept. The basic idea is to come up with 30 ideas for picture books over a 30-day period. Thankfully, you're not expected to complete 30 manuscripts in 30 days. Simply come up with at least one new idea per day. This could be a title, a character, an idea based on something you saw or perhaps overheard.
I'll admit the idea was a little scary. I debated for a week or so before I took the plunge and signed up. I've seldom had a problem coming up with ideas but I definitely felt out of my comfort zone during this challenge. Some days I struggled to come up with anything. Other days I had two, sometimes even three, ideas. For example, whilst driving home on day 12 I had three ideas. First, I spotted a For Sale sign that had a large black hen on it. A few days earlier I'd read
The Little Red Hen. I now had a friend for her, a big black hen. The story will focus on how these two friends use their size difference to help one another. Secondly, seeing a queue at a bus stop reminded me of a joke where people joined a queue but didn't know what they were queuing for. So this story will focus on what each character hopes is at the front of the queue. Finally, I was stuck behind a very slow moving tractor. Thankfully I had plenty of time, but this made me think about how life seems to put slow things in your way when you are running late. So this story will focus on how my character deals with slow things when he needs to be fast.
Taking part in Picture Book Ideas Month has reinforced my belief that ideas can be hidden around every corner. It has also highlighted to me that in order to improve your writing you have to set yourself the odd challenge or two. This challenge could be anything. Perhaps writing in a story format you've never used, crafting a story in rhyme or telling a story with a limited number of words. It could be joining a local writing group or a national group such as
SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writes & Illustrators), writing a story to enter into a competition or, as I did, signing up for Picture Book Ideas Month.
So, go on, give your writing a boost and set yourself a challenge.
-----Would you like to try writing a picture book? Sign up now for Lynne Garner's class,
How to Write Children’s Picture Books and Get Published, which starts on January 5, 2013.
If you've taken a picture book course before then you can enroll in Lynne's advanced course,
5 Picture Books in 5 Weeks (Advanced Course), which also starts on the same day.
I wanted to celebrate the release of two new picture eBooks:
The Perfect Christmas Tree (
UK download,
US download) and
Where It's Always Winter (
UK download,
US download) earlier this month. So on the 2nd I decided to give some of my other picture eBooks away for free.
Sadly you've missed one but you might still have time to download for FREE
The Best Rabbit (part of the Burdock the Rabbit series). If interested click on the relevant link:
UK Amazon store -
US Amazon store.
You definitely have time to download
Clever Rabbit (also part of the Burdock the Rabbit series) which will be FREE from tomorrow (15th December) to the 19th December. To enjoy this book download from the UK Amazon site
HERE or the US Amazon site
HERE.
Finally the third in the Burdock the Rabbit series
The Abacus will be available for FREE between the 20th December and the 24th December. UK readers can download by clicking
HERE or US readers can download by clicking
HERE.
And remember you don't have to have a Kindle to enjoy these books. Just follow this link to download a
FREE Kindle App so you can read on other devices.
I hope you enjoy sharing my books and I wish you the very best for this festive season.
Lynne Garner
P.S. If you do enjoy my books would you be kind enough to place a positive review on Amazon. Such reviews help boost sales. This enables me to write and publish more books, which means I can then release more free downloads as a thank you for supporting my work.
Each year I set myself a photography challenge. This year I decided my challenge would be to take photographs of a small strip of land (seen right).
Each day this is part of the walk to the local supermarket for many a shopper. It is the way to school for a large number of local children. I assume in their hurry to get to their destination many of them will simply see an untidy mess of weeds and nettles. I wanted to look beyond that and discover what was going on hidden in and under that mass of the green foliage.
So at least a couple of times a week when I took the dog for a walk I made sure I had my camera with me. Between ball throwing I spent time looking deeper. I soon discovered a hidden world of bugs living out their lives. What follows are just a few of the characters I discovered.
Quite a number of these
Loads of these
A number of these
Just one of these
Lots of these little chaps
And just one or two of these ...
Now you may be wondering what this has to do with writing and books. Well the more time I spent meeting my challenge the more I realised this is how I tend to view the world. I try look beyond the chaos of life and use things that interest me in my writing. I take one idea and let my subconscious bend and shape it to create a story. So if you're stuck for an idea try to look beyond the weeds and the nettles and find the creepy crawlies hidden beneath. Hopefully you'll discover something you can use as inspiration for your next piece of writing.
Lynne Garner
Follow me on Twitter @lynnegarner
I also teach and the following writing eCourses start on the 6th October 2012
Anyone who knows me will know I have a passion for British wildlife and one species in particular, the hedgehog. When I'm not teaching, writing, walking the dog, doing the housework etc. I work as part of a small voluntary group called
Herts Hogline. This group rescues sick, injured and orphaned hedgehogs. It also aims to educate anyone who wishes to help support their local hedgehog population.
One of my tasks is to use my writing skills to:
- Write up-dates for our Facebook page
- Create posts for our blog: The Hedgehog Shed
- Craft tweets for our twitter account: follow us @hertshogline
- Draft features for magazines and local parish newsletters
What do I get out of this?
Well I'll be honest I'm being very selfish.
Firstly it makes me feel good. I'm putting back; I'm taking part in the 'big community' and helping support a species that is very dear to me.
Secondly, like any athlete a writer has to practice, practice and practice a little more. Writers have to flex that writing muscle and hone their writing skills. So all this writing ensures my writing muscle gets lots of extra exercise.
I view this as a win-win situation. I help them by spreading the word about their work and in the process I'm hoping to become a better writer.
So if you have a passion why not help a small local voluntary organisation by using your writing skills. You never know it may just help you to become a better writer to.
Lynne Garner
Visit my blog:
Fuelled By Hot ChocolateInterested in all things picture book? Then visit
The Picture Book DenWant to discover great eBooks? Visit
Authors Electric
by Lynne GarnerAs a writer, there are many ways you can tell your story. One method that is often used in traditional stories is known as "repetition." This is where actions and words are repeated to create your story. However, there is also a variation known as the "cumulative" story structure or a "chain story." It is where the character repeats the same actions and/or words but with each repeat a little extra information is added.
This type of story not only uses repetition of words but is sometimes written using rhyme. To demonstrate this let's look at
The House That Jack Built. The rhyme starts with:
The is the house that Jack builtFollowed by:
This is the malt that lay in the house that Jack builtFollowed by:
This is the rat that ate the malt that lay in the house that Jack builtAs you can see more detail is added to the previous sentence, creating a story kids love.
Another equally famous cumulative story is
There Was an Old Woman. The story starts with the old woman swallowing a fly. She then swallows a spider to rid herself of the fly. She then swallows a bird to rid herself of the fly. As the story progresses the animals the old woman swallows get bigger. They include a cat, dog, goat, cow and finally a house. Which brings the story to an abrupt end because "she died of course!"
I'm hoping you can see the possibilities this type of story offers a picture book writer. If so and you'd like to give it a go then why not read a few books written using this structure for inspiration. The following link provides a great list of books you may wish to start with:
http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/cumulative-tales.
***
Lynne Garner has been a freelance writer and author since 1998. Since that time she has written for a large number of magazines both in the UK and the US. She has 21 books published; this includes three picture books, with a fourth to follow shortly. Her first title ‘The Best Jumper’ was recorded for the CBeeBies children’s radio channel (part of the BBC) whilst ‘A Book For Bramble’ has been translated into five languages including Korean and Indonesian.
***
Join one of Lynne's latest WOW! Women on Writing classes:
or
Both start on Saturday, August 4th. Classes are limited to 15 students.
by Lynne Garner
Often point-of-view (POV) is discussed when talking about writing fiction. However, writing nonfiction using first person POV can help you write a piece/blog that can help you connect to your reader, to become "one of them."
If you've not heard the term before, first person point-of-view is how you narrate your "story." You talk directly to the reader and use words such as "I" or "mine." Although most magazines prefer you to use second person point-of-view (you, yours, etc.), first person is ideal for writing your blog. It allows you to directly tell your reader what you did, how you overcame problems, and give helpful hints and tips you have discovered. For example, in the second person you would write:
"To make your necklace you will need to gather together the following materials..."
In the first person this becomes:
"To make my necklace I gathered together the following materials..."
Hopefully you can see how different the two sentences feel. How someone reading your blog will feel you are talking to them. They will feel they have some connection with you. In this way, they will hopefully feel they can trust the information you are giving because you are writing from your own experiences.
So, if you've never written using first person point-of-view, why not give it a go. You might just find a narration style that suits you, and you never know it might gain your blog additional followers.
***
Lynne Garner has been a freelance writer and author since 1998. Since that time she has written for a large number of magazines both in the UK and the US, having over 300 features printed. She has 21 books published; these include 10 craft-related how-to books, working with both publishers and packagers. Lynne designed, produced copy, and photographed many of the craft projects featured on The Craft Ark.Join Lynne in the WOW! Women On Writing Classroom and get crafty with her latest class, How to Write a Craft Book! The next session starts August 4th.***
I'll admit, when I first starting to write picture books I didn't approach it from the same angle as I did when writing my nonfiction books. That is to say, I didn't see my stories as a product that had to fit in a competitive market. However, when I finally experienced that light bulb moment I quickly placed my first picture book,
A Book For Bramble.
What changed?
I started to research the market. I visited the local library and spent hours looking at picture books. As I read, I took notes. I noted the names used, how sentences were constructed, what themes were covered, how humor was included, word count, etc. I then visited the local bookstore and repeated the exercise (slightly more discreetly) to discover if there were differences between what was being published and what had been published (the books in the library). Armed with these notes, I returned home and tried to discover if I could see patterns in subject matter, in the way subjects were covered, and in the way sentences were constructed.
I discovered:
- Humor appears to play an important part in many books.
- Tools such as repetition are used to help move the story along.
- The magic number three appears in many books (for example in The Gruffalo, you'll discover "'three" hidden all over the place).
I started to use the patterns I'd found in my own stories. Within months of changing the way I looked at my stories, I fulfilled one of my lifetime ambitions of becoming a published picture book author.
Today I still continue to research the market and read picture books as often as I can. The receptionists at my dentist, doctor, optician and vets are used to seeing me rummage in the stock of picture books they provide to keep kids entertained. The assistants in the library and bookstore now take no notice as I read their picture books. Family and friends watch in amusement as I encourage their children to show me the latest addition to their bookshelf. Without this research I'd not be able to keep up to date with a changing market. By keeping abreast of what the reading public wants, I'm able to write stories I can place with a publisher.
So if a new writer (of any genre) wants to become published, my advice is research, research, research.
***
Lynne Garner has been a freelance writer and author since 1998. Since that time she has written for a large number of magazines both in the UK and the US, having over 300 features printed. She has 21 books published; these include 10 craft-related how-to books, working with both publishers and packagers. Lynne designed, produced copy, and photographed many of the craft projects featured on The Craft Ark
.*****
Join Lynne's latest WOW! Women on Writing class:
0 Comments on Researching the Picture Book Market as of 1/1/1900
This is perhaps going to be the shortest blog I've ever written. But I wanted to share this with you.
Recently I visited friends who live in a small close-knit village. Last year one of my friends retired and has joined a number of local clubs. One of these clubs is the book club. They meet once a month, choose a book, everyone reads it and over tea and cake they discuss it.
Now last year BT decided the public phone, situated in the middle of the village was no longer viable so removed it. However they left the box, empty and uncared for. So the local book club came up with a wonderful idea. They have filled it with books looking for new homes. They have invited the entire village to take part and enjoy using the new local 'library.'
Basically if you take a book you replace with a book you enjoyed reading and want to share. So far the system is working well and as you can see this small library is quite well stocked.
Well stocked for its size!
I just love this idea. I'm hoping people think so to and perhaps create their own small libraries and soon they'll be popping up all over the place.
When I first started to write professionally I produced non-fiction how-to pieces for craft magazines, something until very recently I still did. However reluctantly and after much coercion from him-in-doors I took the words of Fagin to heart and "reviewed the situation." I carried out an analysis of how long it takes me to write a magazine feature compared to how much I was earning. This is what I discovered:
- In 1997 I was being paid £25 per page
- By 2000 this had gone up to £50 per page
- By 2007 I was earning on average £75 per page
- In 2011 I was earning on average £33 per page
I knew my income had been dwindling but I was shocked to discover I was earning less than I was eleven years ago. When I started in 1997 I had never written a published piece of work, so the rate of £25 reflected this. Since then I've had 21 books and over 200 features published worldwide. Yet this wealth of experience is obviously no longer reflected in the payments I'm receiving.
Also many magazine publishers have changed the way they work. I used to supply a feature on a first serial rights basis. This meant I could sell the feature to an overseas publisher and double my income from the same work. However today they want full rights, which takes away my ability to top up my income. Now I understand the magazine industry is having a tough time. I understand they have reduced budgets but it feels they want not only their piece cake but my piece as well. So I've decided to change the way I work. For the fist time since 1997 I have no features commissioned and am not actively seeking new clients. I've decided to step back from magazine features (unless they are worth my while) and concentrate on writing Kindle eBooks which I can sell via Amazon to a growing buying public.
I'll admit it's a scary situation to be in, turning down work and not looking for paying work. But the time feels right to find another way to make my writing earn me a living wage. If I don't I'm scared I'll be forced into finding myself a 'proper' job, one that pays a regular wage, sick pay and even holiday pay. Just the idea makes me shudder!
Lynne Garner
www.madmomentapps.com
www.lynnegarner.com
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on 6/12/2011
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by Lynne GarnerA friend recently asked me where I got my ideas. "Everywhere," was my reply. She looked a little confused so I explained about the three picture books I’ve had published. The first A Book For Bramble evolved from my work with a not-for-profit organization that rescues sick, injured and orphaned hedgehogs. I began to wonder what (if any) dreams hedgehogs have whilst they hibernate. Slowly the story of Bramble the hedgehog and his friend Teasel the mouse evolved.
My second book The Best Jumper grew from a conversation with a friend. We were discussing putting on weight and no longer being able to wear that favourite garment. We agreed at least we had the chance to lose the weight and squeeze back into that garment. Unlike a child who would never be able to squeeze back into their favourite piece of clothing because they’d grown out of it. From that conversation came Spindle and his shrinking jumper.
My last book Dog Did It came from owning a dog. Anyone who lives with a canine friend will know they can sometimes suffer from flatulence. This aromatic problem can sometimes result in a statement along the lines of “the dog did it!”So my three books have come from:· An idle question
· A conversation
· A life experience
Now, although I have taught myself to ask questions my secret tool as a writer is my notepad and a pen which I take everywhere with me. In this way, when I see, hear, read or am told something I feel I could use in a story I write it down. Now that small spark of possible inspiration is not lost. So, if you want to be a writer, arm yourself with that secret tool. Pop it into your bag and get into the habit of jottin
Although I've always written it was not until I was in my thirties that I fell into writing. Discovering I was even good enough to become published. As well as writing I have always had that teaching gene and I was lucky enough to fall into teaching when I graduated University. However it was not until a few months ago that I combined the two and started to teach creative writing. Concerned I didn't know enough I began to read and research all things creative writing related. During this time I've discovered so much. A great example of this is the skill of using repetition in my children's picture book stories. I never knew there are so many ways to repeat yourself and each one has it's own name. For example:
Anaphora where you simply use a word or collection of words at the beginning of a sentence several times to give emphasis for example:
“We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."
(Winston Churchill)
Or Epizeuxis:
The same word is repeated for emphasis, here is another example from Winston Churchill:
“Never, never, never quit.”
As well as Anadiplosis:
Where you take the last word of the previous sentence and start the next sentence with this word, for example:
"Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."
3 Comments on Teach To Become A Better Writer by Lynne Garner, last added: 6/13/2011
At a social gathering recently the host dragged me over to a group of friends because he was talking about my work.You see some years ago research for a non-fiction title (African Crafts) took a group of us to Ghana; he was part of that group. The photographs taken on the trip were to appear in the book. As a joke I told him he'd appear on one of the pages. I was as good as my word and when the book was released I gave him a copy, this he’d dragged out and was showing around.
During the conversation someone I’d briefly met before said something along the lines of “how exciting, I know a successful author.” I quickly responded “hardly successful.” I received a quick nudge in the ribs from my other half and a close friend asked, “well if over 20 published books is not success, what is?”
At the time my reply was, “to make a good living from writing.” This unfortunately (like many jobbing writers) I'm still trying to achieve and top up my income by teaching creative writing.
However this did get me wondering, what is success?
If you’d asked me this question when I first started to write the answer would have been getting a book published. Once I'd achieved this the answer would have become getting a second book published. As the years have passed I would have also included:
- Read a good review of one of my books – tick!
- Receive at least one piece of fan mail – tick!
- To be asked by a publisher to write for them – tick!
- See one of my books translated – tick!
Today my original reponce, to earn a good living from my writing is perhaps at the top of my list. However I also dream of:
- Seeing my book in one of those vending machines at an airport
- Having one of my books turned into
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I like this - very helpful!
Me too! ;)