Picture Book Writing Tips

Writing picture books is similar to that of poetry. Employ an economy of words and lots of rhythm. There are differences, too. In poetry, visual and musical images are vivid, but in picture books, writers should think visually but write musically with a cadence and rhythm so the words leap and dance across the page. Leave the visual images for the illustrator to depict. Write each sentence with the idea that it can be illustrated.

Voice (word choice + rhythm) is necessary for picture books because they are written to be read aloud. Write in a word pattern that sometimes surprises the reader. If readers can anticipate the next line, there’s no surprise, no thrill, no excitement to the word choice.

Humor is universal. Kids of all ages respond positively to funny situations, actions, and words. Hard consonants add tickle appeal. B, C, D, G, P, K, T, blast off the tongue as they are read aloud. Pickle is funny. Underwear is not as funny as underpants. The “P” sound is comical. Try saying these aloud: Pollygoster. Filibuster.

           In my next blog, I’ll continue with tips for writing picture books.

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:

New Moon Girls. Ideas, Articles, Inventions, Fiction, Gardens, Poetry, Music, Opinions, Apps, Global Villages, Recipes, Plays, Buildings, Puzzles, Projects, Jokes, Speeches, Games, Screenplays, Sports, Emotions, Equations, Painting, Art, Experiments, Costumes, Activism, Photos, Rockets, Crafts, Designs, Gadgets, Dances, Solutions, Hats and Everything Else You Imagine and Make.

Submission guidelines: https://newmoongirls.com/girls-get-published/#more-4731 

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

Short Edition. ·  Submissions must be short stories and poems of maximum 8,000 characters, spaces included or children's stories of maximum 7,000 characters, spaces included.

·  Works must be previously unpublished in print or online, including on personal blogs.

Submission guidelines: https://short-edition.com/en/contest/general-submissions-rendez-vous-july-2019-issue/guidelines

Nancy Kelly Allen has written 40+ children’s books and a cookbook, SPIRIT OF KENTUCKY: BOURBON COOKBOOK. Check out her blog at www.nancykellyallen.com

Writing Picture Books: The Format/Contests

Today, let’s take a close look at the format of a picture books. Most are 32 pages and are designed for ages three to eight. Lots of picture books break this rule. Some are 40+ pages; others are geared for children who are eight and older. However, if you’re an aspiring writer with no books published, your best bet for getting a manuscript accepted is to write for the format that is most popular. Of the 32 pages, 3-4 pages are delegated for front matter, such as the title page, copyright, and dedication. That leaves about 28-29 pages for text and illustrations. Some books have illustrations on all 28 pages; others have illustrations on every other page. Both of these formats work well in picture books.

The text of picture books is getting shorter. When I first began writing professionally 22 years ago, 1000 words were common for picture books. Today, the maximum word count for most is 650. The sweet spot is 350-500 words. The text must have a balance of words and action from page to page so the illustrations can tell part of the story.

Within the short text a story with a beginning, middle, and end should be revealed. Usually, this is done in about 15 scenes or pieces of action.

Next week, I’ll discuss the picture book cumulative story.

Contest for young writers:
Hummingbird Poetry Contest. Hey Kids!....We are excited to host our second kids hummingbird poetry contest to give you a chance to write a poem and maybe you'll win a prize! When you submit a poem you will have your own web page!

Tip: You can visit some other pages on our site and learn more about hummingbirds to help write your poem.

Each of the Top 3 Favorites will win everything you need (except your recycled bottle) to make your own "Recycler" Hummingbird Feeder".

Submit original work written by you.
Contest open to ages 6 to 12.
Fill out the "Your Name" box and be sure to include your age.
Winners will be selected based on visitor comments and our judge.
Deadline: September 30, 2012. Winners announced October 31, 2012.

Details at http://www.hummingbird-guide.com/kids ... gbird-poetry-contest.html

Contest for adult writers:
FAMILY CIRCLE FICTION CONTEST
Limit 2,500 words of short fiction.
Must be unpublished and never have won a prize. Limit two entries per person.
Must be 21 or older and a legal resident of the US. Grand prize may be published in Family Circle.
One (1) Grand Prize winner will receive a prize package including $750, a gift certificate to one (1) mediabistro.com course of his or her choice, one (1) year mediabistro.com AvantGuild membership valued at $55, and a one (1) year mediabistro.com How-to Video membership valued at $99.
One (1) Second Place winner will receive $250, a one (1) year mediabistro.com AvantGuild membership, and a one (1) year mediabistro.com How-to Video membership.
One (1) Third Place winner will receive $250 and a one (1) year mediabistro.com AvantGuild membership.
Deadline September 7, 2012
Details at http://www.familycircle.com/family-fun/fiction/fiction-contest-rules-2012/

Check out more contests on my blog: http://nancykellyallen.blogspot.com/

Writing Quotes/Calls for Submissions

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

A friend sent me this photo of a Christmas tree made of books. How appropriate for writers.

Here’s a gift for my Followers: May each of you find writing inspiration in the new year. To help you along I’ve listed some of my favorite writing quotes. Enjoy.

A writer is someone who can make a riddle out of an answer." - Karl Krauss

"The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say." ~Anaïs Nin

"Write about what you know and care deeply about. When one puts one's self on paper — that is what is called good writing." ~Joel Chandler Harris

"We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospection." ~Anaïs Nin

"Anyone can become a writer. The trick is staying a writer." ~Harlan Ellison

“To write is to practice, with particular intensity and attentiveness, the art of reading.” –Susan Sontag

You must keep sending work out; you must never let a
manuscript do nothing but eat its head off in a drawer.
You send that work out again and again, while you're
working on another one. If you have talent, you will
receive some measure of success - but only if you persist.
~Isaac Asimov (1920 - 1992)

“Writing for children means thinking about your own past, while staying in touch with young people now."-- Michael Rosen, UK Children's Laureate

"Omit needless words. Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.
(William Strunk, Jr.)

"To me the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it's about, but the music the words make." Truman Capote

"Rejection is actually an opportunity to find the right editor and the right publishing company." - Jane Yolen.

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:
Electric Dragon Cafe Science Fiction and Fantasy Quarterly Short Story Contest
Entry Fee: None
Prize: 1st place: $25 Barnes and Nobel gift certificate 2nd place: $10 certificate
Seeking short fiction contest entries. Must be science fiction, fantasy or horror with fantastic elements and adhere to a theme which we will provide.
Please visit the website for full contest details and guidelines.
E-mail: contest@electricdragoncafe.com
Deadline: MONTHLY
Details at http://www.electricdragoncafe.com


Call for Submissions for Student Writers:

Hazard Community & Technical College is hosting their annual Young Appalachian Poets Award. Any poet, high school aged or younger, may submit their original poetry. First prize includes $100 and publication in Kudzu; Second Place is $50 and publication in Kudzu. Makalani Bandele will serve as this year’s judge. He has been a member of the Affrilachian Poets since 2008. His poetry has been anthologized in My Brother’s Keeper and The Storytellers, and has been picked for upcoming issues of the African-American Review and Mythium Literary Magazine. He is a winner of the Ernest Sandeen Prize for Poetry. His most recent book—hellfightin’—is out now. You can contact Scott Lucero the contest’s coordinator at Scott.Lucero@kctcs.edu. With all correspondence, please put YAPA in the subject line. You can submit your work at their new submittable account-- http://kudzu.submishmash.com/categories. The deadline is January 30th.

Check out more contests on my blog: http://nancykellyallen.blogspot.com/