No. 30

You Can Do This

Sep 12

When I wrote my first children’s book, it took me around nine months to finish it, which was embarrassing, considering it was a 32-page picture book. I am telling you this because when you finish your first children’s book in roughly seven days, you will likewise feel embarrassed that it took you this long to start writing. It’s just part of the process.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

Sep 19

You’ll see the book is divided into Days. I could have easily labeled these ‘steps,’ but odds are you’ve wanted to write a children’s book for a while. I thought labeling the steps this way would a) highlight that one can do this in seven days, and b) light a fire under your writing cushion to finally do the writing part.

Day One - Brainstorming

Sep 26

Brainstorm even if you think you already know what you’re going to write. For years, I walked around with “story ideas” in my head, but they never came out. I find this is true for most writers. We walk around with these funny and adventurous chil- dren’s stories in our heads, but we can’t seem to get them onto the page.

DAY TWO - MINING

Oct 3

MINING It’s time to dig into your brainstorm list using the mining technique to find stories. Now that you’ve gotten all of your story concepts onto the page, you’re going to read over your brainstorming list and look for details. Entire children’s books, novellas, and novels all come from little concepts like those you’ve written down. They have to be co…