Friday, November 23, 2012

Tips for Picture Book Writers: Stuck for Ideas?

I'm doing pretty well in collecting picture book ideas for PiBoIdMo, but now that it's geting closer to the end of the month, there's a little pressure to get that notebook filled. In case you're struggling too, I have a great resource to help you out.

Rick Walton, author of the new picture book I Need My Own Country!, has an amazing online picture book course with lots of tips and strategies for picture book writing. I love this quote:

"The farther you go, the deeper you dig, the more creative the ideas get." 
Rick Walton, Step 4: Brainstorm Story Ideas


Rick's website includes a fantastic compliation of places to get more ideas. Some suggestions from Rick's list:


  • Adapt a Folktale, Fairytale or Fable
  • Answer a Question
  • Start wth Random Characters, Conflicts, Locations (this one is so much fun)
 
For the full list, check out Step 7: Find More Ideas for Stories.

What resources do you turn to when you're stuck for ideas?

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