Conference Round-Up: Carolyn Crimi on the Ingredients of a Picture Book

by Martina Boone

Carolyn Crimi is the author of many successful picture books. She has a gift for honing in on what appeals to young children (one look at her portrait demonstrates this clearly). From WHERE’S MY MUMMY? to HENRY & THE BUCCANEER BUNNIES, her titles make it plain to see why children love her stories.

I was fortunate enough to attend a presentation by Carolyn. Her sense of humor was witty and engaging. But more than that, her tips for creating a picture book that works were awesome.

First, some encouragement. Carolyn revealed that she has many manuscripts on her computer that have never seen the light of day. She explained that it takes about ten drafts before her stories are publishable. Those that don’t make their way to bookshelves are seen as practice.

Now for those tasty ingredients…

Characters

She encourages writers to limit characters to one main character, and three to four supporting characters.
Carolyn says to take out physical descriptions of characters.
She emphatically said that picture book characters are flat because of the economy of words in this genre. Her advice is to choose a trait and exaggerate it.

Plot

She wants writers to look at the question raised in their first paragraph, and make sure it’s been answered by the last paragraph.
The setting needs changing to allow for diverse illustrations according to Carolyn. She says to avoid long blocks of dialogue for the same reason.
Writers should ensure their stories are child-centered. Adults can’t swoop in and solve the problem or take over the story.
Just as in novels, picture book characters should have a goal that they struggle to reach.
Carolyn says your story should stand free of illustrations, which are designed to enhance the text.

Dialogue and Text

Carolyn says dialogue should be short and be used to tell the story.
She encouraged writers to use senses other than sight.
Without hesitation, Carolyn tells writers don’t try to rhyme unless you’ve read many, MANY rhyming books and know what you’re doing. She reminds writers that you don’t need actual rhyme to make a story rhythmic (think alliteration and onomatopoeia instead). These devices make the story fun to read aloud.
She tells writers to avoid being preachy, or didactic.

Self-editing

A trick Carolyn relies on is reading a story aloud to catch flaws.
She reminds us that picture books should tell a story in 1,000 words or less, preferably LESS.
Writers should focus and stay tuned in on one true thing.
Carolyn says beware of clichés, like Sammy the Squirrel.

Some final tips

Typing out your favorite picture books can lead to revelations about length, language, rhythm, and more.
Consider your favorite books and look for commonalities.
Stay focused on your story’s main question as you write.
Make a dummy to ensure there are 28-29 pages of text and enough possibilities for illustrations. If you aren’t sure about making a dummy, you can find out more here.

Carolyn promised to give attendees all the ingredients they needed to make their picture books delicious. Without a doubt, she delivered the goods. Thanks, Carolyn!

Happy writing!

Marissa

Martina Boone

Martina Boone is the award-winning author of the romantic southern gothic Heirs of Watson Island series, starting with COMPULSION from Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse and the Celtic Legends Collection of novels set in Scotland, Cornwall, and Ireland beginning with LAKE OF DESTINY. She’s passionate about improving lives through literacy and the love of books, and she runs the Compulsion For Reading program to distribute books to underserved schools and libraries.

She lives with her husband, children, Shetland Sheepdog Phinney, and Zoey the lopsided cat, and she enjoys writing contemporary romantic fiction with a hint of magic set in small towns and beautiful places. When she isn’t writing, she’s addicted to travel, horses, skiing, chocolate flavored tea, and anything with Nutella on it.

Post © Martina Boone and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.

Posted: Oct 19, 2010

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: Craft of Writing | Picture Books | SCBWI Conferences | Writing for Children

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The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p>
<p>Your main character needs to be:<br />
• Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br />
• Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br />
• Active enough to drive the story<br />
• Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p>
<p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />

The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p>
<p>But your theme needs to be:<br />
• Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br />
• Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br />
• Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br />
• Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p>
<p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />

The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p>
<p>In general, your plot should:<br />
• Hook readers fast<br />
• Build tension that a child can follow<br />
• Create page turns that feel natural<br />
• Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p>
<p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.

The Arms of your story are the side characters.

The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p>
<p>Your setting should:<br />
• Make your character's world feel real<br />
• Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br />
• Connect different scenes and moments organically<br />
• Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p>
<p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black.

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