Q: I want to write a children's book about my ______(dog, cat, grandmother…) I figure they're really short, so it shouldn't take me long. How hard can it be?

A: Pause, take a breath. Count to ten. Alrighty then! Okay, nobody really said it out loud to me exactly like that, though a friend of mine, who, incidentally, I do still count as a friend, did tell me once that it can't be all that hard. It's just a few words and it's for kids. Easy, right? Wrong.

Don't underestimate kids and their ability to process sophisticated concepts. They probably understand a whole lot more than you think they do. You absolutely can not “write down” to kids. They will toss you like a bad tomato. Children don't give you 30 pages or so before they decide to put your story away, more like three seconds. If you want kids to read your book, you have to make it memorable from the first word, the first picture. Thank goodness for talented illustrators! By the way, if you're thinking about having your neighbor or your best friend illustrate your picture book because “they're really pretty good at drawing,” then think again. Illustrating picture books isn't like drawing a landscape or a portrait. Yes, it takes unbelievable artistic talent, but it's also about finding the humor and meaning between the words and creatively adding illustrations that complete the text and provide wonderful surprises at just the right times. For these and other reasons, publishers like to match writers with illustrators that they know will be perfect for the story. Just send in the manuscript. Let them worry about the artwork.

You've heard the expression, “less is more.” Well, whoever penned that one must have been a children's writer. In picture books, every word has to count. You can't go on and on about the beautiful dress Cinderella was wearing or how strange the weather was without losing your young audience. I'm a storyteller as well as a writer. In storytelling, you have your voice, facial expressions, and hand motions to make the story sing. On paper you have only your words and the illustrations. Every word must be vitally important to the story and the words you use have to sing for themselves.

Don't assume that because the text is brief and the audience is young, that you can write whatever you want and they'll love it. Your own kids will love it because they love you, but you've got to work for the rest of them.


If you're still not satisfied, drop a line to writers@melindalongbooks.com. Due to the volume of inquiries I receive, I cannot respond to each question, but do get to as many as is possible in a timely manner. And, of course, thanks for your interest!