IN A WORD . . . OR THREE
Want
to know what separates a story from a picture book? Three words—hook, heart, and action.
HOOK—A picture book must capture
attention immediately. The first page, first image, and first words have to do the
work of an entire first chapter in a novel. The reader (be it an editor, agent, book
buyer, or child) must be immediately engaged, inspired, interested, and/or inquisitive.
Get straight to the hook—avoid back story, the overuse of description, and
unneeded characters.
HEART—The main character of your picture
book has to have heart. That comes from being relatable, intriguing, funny, childlike,
engaging, multi-layered, and someone a kid wants to spend time with again and
again. To have heart, the main character has to have a wanna-be-likeable quality. In other words, a character
with heart is one that the child would like to be.
ACTION—A picture book has to be
action-packed. When editors say a story is “too quiet” they usually mean
nothing seems to be happening, or that the story is lacking action. Action doesn’t
mean exploding chickens on every page, but that a character
has to be engaged in solving a problem, the action has to rise and fall, the
story has to move from one place to another, and the action has to keep the
reader interested and engaged.
There
you have it! Plot in three words. Go forth and conquer!
