Picture Book University: Week 3

Week 3 Day 1: holiday memories

So, you’re back from the holidays.  You had a great time, shared stories, watched the kids play. And of course there were a few surprises. Like your uncle who knocked over the Christmas tree while playing blind man’s bluff.  Or the live zebra waiting for you wrapped in a bow on Christmas morning.  (Isn’t ambiguity fun?  Was it the zebra or you wrapped in a bow?)

I’m sure you wrote all these down.  What?  You didn’t?

Assignment 3:1

Write down everything you remember about the holidays, especially the surprising or emotional or funny events.

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Week 3 Day 2: Pick an idea.  Any idea.

Okay.  You did your assignments last week and now you have a garage full of good ideas.  What do you do now?

You pick one to start with.

Which one do you pick?  Anything that strikes your fancy.  That suggests images.  That seems like it could be funny.  (Okay, so I like sentence fragments.) Anything that screams out to you, “write about me!”

Assignment 3:2

Go through your lists of emotional memories and your list of holiday memories.  Pick an idea you would like to write about.

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Week 3 Day 3: the first question.

Okay, you have an idea, a trigger, a seed.  Where do you go from here?

You start asking questions about your trigger.

For example: you brainstormed your fears.  One of my fears is walking alone at night in the dark. During the daytime you can see what’s around you, and see that it is safe and familiar. At night, though, every shadow might hide a monster.  Or it might even be a monster!

So I decided to write a book about walking home alone at night in the dark.

And I began to ask questions.  My first question was… well, it could have been a lot of things.  Giving yourself several options means that you’ll have a better chance of getting headed in the right direction.  Some first questions I could ask myself were–Is there a special reason it’s dark?  Is there really something out there in the dark?  Where does the story take place?  Who is walking home alone at night in the dark?  Is there something else interesting going on at the same time?  Is there a zebra in the story?

Since the idea for this story came about by brainstorming from your life, be careful not to get caught up in insisting on reality.  This is going to be a story.  Not an autobiography.  You can veer as far away from the truth is you want, as long as it makes the story better.

Assignment 3:3

Brainstorm several first questions that you could ask yourself.  Pick one that you like the most.

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Week 3 Day 4: the first answer

The first question I picked was “Who is walking home alone at night in the dark?” And like the first question, I didn’t want the first answer to be the first thing that popped into my mind.  I wanted to come up with the best answer possible.  So I brainstormed  a lot of possibilities.  A kitten, a mouse, me, a president, a mother, a young girl…

I picked a young girl.

Assignment 3:4

Brainstorm several possible answers to your first question.  Pick one that you like the most.

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Week 3 Day 5: more questions, more answers.

Now repeat, repeat, repeat.  Let each answer lead to the next question, each question lead you to the next answer.  For example: why was the young girl walking home alone at night in the dark? Because she was playing at her friend’s and lost track of the time. Why didn’t she call for a ride?  Because then she might get in trouble.  She wanted to sneak into the house and not get caught.  More questions– What frightening things does she see on the way home?  How does she respond?  How does the story end?  To find out how I answered these questions, read the book: A Very Hairy Scary Story, from Putnam.  Illustrated by David Clark.

Assignment 3:5

Ask yourself more questions and come up with the answers.  There are no right or wrong answers, but there are better and worse answers.  Don’t rely on the first answer to be the one you go with.  Brainstorm several possibilities.  If you get to a place where you cannot think of anything interesting to happen next, go back to a previous question and answer it differently.  Keep asking yourself questions and answering them until you have asked every question that you can think of, and your story feels complete. If you can’t think of a question, ask yourself this question: “What is my story still missing?”

Next week–rules to help you flesh out your story and make it better.

To learn more about Rick, check out his web site at www.rickwalton.com