Peek into my Writing Batcave!

I want to share with you my writing process when it comes to non-fiction picture books. You get a rare peek into my writing batcave!

I begin by taking a ton of notes in a notebook on books I have collected on my biographical subject. I also do interviews (if the subject or relatives or expert historians are alive). I research magazine articles, newspaper clippings, online resources. Once I've done a TON of research, I figure out what the BEGINNING scene is and what the ENDING will be.

 

Then I write a rough outline - or beat sheet - of the main story points/scenes I want to tell this story: Then I do this little sketch of 32 pages of a dummy book and figure out how these beats fit into the 32-page format (because picture books are 32 pages, PERIOD). (See above pics.)

 

This helps me figure out the pacing and rhythm of the story - does the story start with a compelling interesting conflict, does the character's journey smoothly sail through a three-act structure with climactic "plot points" at the ends of Acts 1 and 2?

 

Then the hardest part - writing that first sentence. But I’ll save that part for a future article. Stay tuned!