How to Start A Career in Kidlit?
A picture book I wrote when I was in 4th grade. Note the “Hammer pants”. It was the 90’s!
I get this question from so many people and I have to preface my answer by saying: I am not an expert. In fact, I don’t think there is any way someone could duplicate my path to publication. It was pretty circuitous. But I think I can distill down some of the major things that helped me along the way. I’m going to put these in list format because lists are the best.
- I draw a lot. I started drawing early and never stopped. Drawing is the engine to creativity for me. Most of my ideas come from doodles. There have been times in my life when I didn’t feel creative but I kept doodling. Sometimes a doodle strikes me as funny and I tuck it away for later. Sometimes those doodles become books.
- I’m not afraid of bad ideas. Sometimes I even try to make the worst ideas possible. I will try to posit the worst ending to a story I’m working on. Once you’ve done the worst it can only get better!
- I work well with others. You might think writing and illustrating is a solitary endeavor and we need to hoard our ideas like dragons. I’ve found the opposite to be true. My ideas blossom when I share them with my crit group. Of course you have to find people you trust (who preferably aren’t your family). I can’t stress enough how much community has helped me along the way.
- The rule of threes. I write things in my books in threes. And then I break the rule, like in this post. Thinking about patterns when I write really does help me develop ideas.
I hope these thoughts are helpful if you are pursing writing/illustrating!