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Spotlight Course: Writing a Children's Picture Book      

In this issue:
Article: 5 Tips for Writing a Picture Book Page-Turner
Spotlight Course: How to Write Children's Picture Books and Get Published
Advanced Course: 5 Picture Books in 5 Weeks
Instructors' Posts @ The Muffin
Upcoming Classes & Workshops
Greetings!

I am sure that reading picture books with my daughters led to their love of reading today. We owned some great ones, including classics like Goodnight Moon, Green Eggs and Ham, and Madeline; and more modern stories like No, David! and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Those books, and so many others, provided fond memories for both parent and child.

Would you like to have your own picture book published--one that many children could enjoy with their families? Now is a great time to give it a try because published author Lynne Garner is available to show you the ropes. She has provided one-on-one support to WOW! students for several years, and is back this May with picture book courses for both beginner and advanced students.

How to Write Children's Picture Books and Get Published starts Saturday, May 5, 2012, and is limited to 15 students. You'll learn what makes a successful picture book and how to use literary devices in the writing of a picture book, as well as how to best present your work. By the end of the class, you'll be encouraged to submit your work to a relevant publisher.

Past students of the course, or those that have completed a similar course, may sign up for Five Picture Books in Five Weeks (Advanced Course). You'll find out how the five senses can be used to enhance storytelling skills, and will create a new story each week! In both of Lynne's courses you will receive instructor critique on all of your work.

In the article below, Lynne shares five tips for writing a page-turner. These ideas are easy to incorporate into your story and may win the heart of an acquiring editor!

Also, be sure to check out all of our upcoming classes in the section below. We have several starting soon, including Advanced Social Networking for Writers: Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn! (April 13), Diving Into the Ordinary: Poetry Workshop (April 13), Literary Devices Workshop & Literary Devices Workshop II (April 16), as well as many more.

Happy writing! 

 

Marcia & Angela 

 

Classroom Managers: Marcia & Angela
Marcia & Angela
Classroom Managers
WOW! Classes & Workshops

[email protected] 

Mom and Child Reading Picture Book

 

5 Tips for Writing a Picture Book Page-Turner   

     

By Lynne Garner

 

 

We all want to write a book that is reviewed as a page-turner. But how do you achieve this with a picture book? Well, here are five tips that may help you achieve just this.

1. Make your reader fall in love with your character or at least care for them, even if they don't like them. If they don't care what happens then they'll not want to read to the end of the story. 

  

2. End your page with a cliffhanger. This is a device used time and again in television programs. The writers know when the commercial breaks are coming so they time cliffhangers to happen just before a break. This ensures the viewer comes back. If it works for them it'll work for you.

 

3. Don't complete your sentence but end with three dots (ellipsis) then finish the sentence on the next page. To increase the desire to turn the page you could finish the page with such words as "and . . . " "then . . . " or "but . . . " This will create urgency in your reader to discover what happens next.

 

4. Another way to encourage your reader to want to turn the page is to pose questions that can only be answered by continuing to read.  

 

5. Make sure something happens on every page; ensure each page moves the story forward. This could be answering a question, solving the cliffhanger set on the previous page or it could be setting up the next cliffhanger. Give the reader a good reason to want to turn the page.

 

Hopefully by using these tips your next picture book story will be one an editor will love and want to publish.

 


Lynne GarnerHow to Write Children's Picture Books and Get Published       

Instructor: Lynne Garner

Workshop Length
: 6 Weeks
Price: $175
Start Date: May 5, 2012 
Limit
15 Students

Course Description: During this 6-week course students will learn what makes a successful picture book by studying titles already published. They will be introduced to devices used in the writing of a picture book, how to present their work, and research whom to send their work to. By the end of the course each student will hopefully have completed a picture book manuscript and a cover letter, which they will be encouraged to send to a publisher.

Course Objectives:

  1. To understand what makes a good picture book
  2. To hone writing skills and build confidence
  3. To find the right publisher/packager
  4. To complete one story plus write an accompanying  query/cover letter 

 

Visit the Classroom Page for a complete listing and what you'll be learning week by week.   

 

Register  

 

 

   

About the InstructorLynne Garner has been a freelance writer and author since 1998. Since that time she has written for a large number of magazines both in the UK and the US. She has 21 books published; this includes three picture books, with a fourth to follow shortly. Her first title 'The Best Jumper' was recorded for the CBeeBies children's radio channel (part of the BBC) whilst 'A Book For Bramble' has been translated into five languages including Korean and Indonesian.  

 

Advanced Workshop: Five Picture Books in Five Weeks     

Instructor: Lynne Garner

Workshop Length
: 5 Weeks
Price: $175
Start Date: May 5, 2012 
Limit
15 Students

Course Description: This course is designed for students who have already completed the How to Write a Picture Book course or a similar course, and are familiar with the basics of writing picture books. Each week the notes provided will discuss how one of the five senses can be used to enhance storytelling skills. Each student will be required to complete a story per week. Feedback will be given on all stories submitted during the duration of the course. At the end of the course students will be encouraged to submit their stories to a relevant publisher.

 

Visit the Classroom Page for a complete listing and what you'll be learning week by week.   

 

Register  

 

 

    



The MuffinInstructors' Posts @ The Muffin

Have you checked out what's cookin' at The Muffin? Our instructors are stopping by and sharing their words of wisdom!

If you're too busy to stop by but don't want to miss out, you can always sign up to get blog posts via e-mail here.



Perspective Pick Me, You, Her or Him! Personal Pronouns and Point of View in Poetry

By Melanie Faith

It's so easy to slap a subject down and jump ahead to the snazzier adjectives and dynamic verbs. Yet, point of view can make an enormous difference in a poem's development and also impact the way readers approach your work. Let's look at three points of view--1st, 2nd, and 3rd--and how each pronoun choice molds your poem...MORE




Upcoming Classes & Workshops
WOW! Classes
Below are some classes and workshops that are starting soon. Click on the links to be taken to a full listing that includes a week-by-week curriculum, testimonials, instructor bio, and more. Keep in mind that most class sizes are limited, so the earlier you register the better.

All the classes operate online--whether through email, website, chat room, or group listserv, depending on the instructor's preferences--so you do not need to be present at any particular time (unless a phone chat is scheduled and arranged with your instructor). You can work at your own pace in the comfort of your own home. If you have any questions, please reply to this email or email us at: [email protected] Enjoy!


Starts Every Friday (Self-Study Course) by Deana Riddle:
Independent Publishing: How to Start Your Own Self-Publishing Business | $99 or $150 with 1 Hour Phone Consultation

Starts the First Tuesday of Every Month: (Next class: May 1)
Introduction to the Craft of Screenwriting
| 6 Weeks | $150 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Christina Hamlett 

Introduction to Playwriting | 6 Weeks | $175 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Christina Hamlett

How to Write a TV Pilot | 4 Weeks | $150 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Christina Hamlett

Starts the Third Friday of Every Month: (Next class: April 20)
Get Paid to Write! Become a Freelance Writer | 8 Weeks | $150 | Limit: 15 Students | Instructor: Nicky LaMarco 


Published in 90 Days New!
| 12 Weeks | $299 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Deana Riddle

April 13
Advanced Social Networking for Writers New! | 8 Weeks | $150 | Limit: 15 Students | Instructor: Margo L. Dill

Diving into the Ordinary: Poetry Workshop New! | 5 Weeks | $170 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Melanie Faith

April 16
Digital Revolution: How to Publish Your Book as an E-Book | 4 Weeks | $249 (Spring Sale! Regular price: $299) | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Annette Fix

Literary Devices Writing Workshop | 8 Weeks | $175 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Gila Green

Literary Devices Writing Workshop II New! | 8 Weeks | $175 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Gila Green      


May 5

How to Write Children's Picture Books and Get Published | 6 Weeks | $175 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Lynne Garner

5 Picture Books in 5 Weeks (Advanced Course) New! | 5 Weeks | $175 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Lynne Garner

How to Write a Craft Book | 5 Weeks | $175 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Lynne Garner

May 7
How to Get the Right Agent for Your Manuscript | 4 Weeks | $249 (Spring Sale! Regular price: $299) | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Annette Fix

May 14
Write from Your Soul: Memoir Workshop | 6 Weeks | $249 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Annette Fix

June 1
Spark & Sizzle: Crafting Flash Fiction | 5 Weeks | $170 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Melanie Faith

June 4
Empower Your Muse, Empower Your Writing Self | 4 Weeks | $75 (Summer Sale! Regular price: $125) | Limit: 25 Students | Instructor: Kelly L. Stone

Freelance Writing: Querying and Writing Non-fiction Articles | 5 Weeks | $125 | Limit: 20 Students | Instructor: Margo L. Dill

June 15
Blogging 101 | 5 Weeks | $125 | Limit: 20 Students | Instructor: Margo L. Dill



Click here to see all of our upcoming workshops 

 

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