<![CDATA[The Writer's Lytehouse | Teaching Young Writers

<![CDATA[The Writer's Lytehouse | Teaching Young Writers - Blog]]>Sun, 12 May 2024 13:08:06 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[post #20 how to make a PIcture Book Dummy]]>Sun, 06 Nov 2022 07:00:00 GMThttp://thewriterslytehouse.com/blog/november-06th-2022

From the desk of Phyllis
Picture Book Author

First things first: The word “dummy’ in picture book dummy does not mean ‘dumb’ or ‘stupid’.
Okay, now that we have that out of the way, you may be wondering what exactly then is a Picture Book Dummy? Great question! Let's find out.

What is a Picture Book Dummy? You, the writer, make a model (dummy) of what you want your book to look like. You begin by stacking then folding pieces of plain paper together to form the pages of a book. Then cut and paste your sentences (text) to these pages in the order and position you want.

What is the purpose of a Picture Book Dummy?
1: It allows you as the author to see how the sentences will be grouped together on each page. If things don’t look right or sound right when read aloud, then you can easily move them around.
2: It is an excellent way to show anyone, especially an illustrator or art director, how the story might look once published
Why not simply use a Book Grid or a Storyboard? These are terrific. However, they are two-dimensional. For some people, that works. But, for others having a picture book dummy gives a three-dimensional model which gives a visual of what the final book might look like.

Let’s get started 😊.
Items You’ll Need for a 32 Page Picture Book:
8 sheets of plain paper, letter size 8/12 x 11 inches
A single side printed copy of your pages (do not print back to back)
Scissors
Pencil
Double sided removable tape (Scotch or store brands work well)
1. Neatly pile together the 8 sheets of plain paper so the edges match. Fold this pile in half so it looks like a book. If you like, you can staple along the folded edge. This center fold would be the ‘gutter’ (see Posts 12 & 13 for names of book parts) of the book. And, you don’t want any illustrations nor text to go here. Because when a book goes to the printer, this area is covered up by the binding. So a good rule is not to place any illustrations and text ½ inch on either side of the gutter.
2. Numbering: Before numbering the pages, remember the inside cover and the endpapers (the ones facing the front inside cover and back inside cover, see Posts 12 & 13, Names of Book Parts) are not numbered.
Now start numbering the pages on the upper corners with your last name next to the number. For example: Lyte-1. Odd numbers fall on the right side of each double page spread. Not everyone uses their names when numbering. But, I do, in case a page falls out, then the agent or editor will know who it belongs to. Cut out your story sentences from your printed sheets.
3. Front Cover: Write the title, Author (Your Name), Illustrator (Name, if you have one).
4. On the inside cover, you can make a drawing or leave it blank.
5. On the first page print the Title and name of publisher (make one up, use your name if you like. For example: Lytehouse Publishers. And year you published this (for now the year you made this Dummy book).
6. Page 2 is called the Dedication Page. A dedication is where you can write the name(s) of the person (people) you want to thank for helping your or supporting you while writing your story.
7. Page 3 or 4 is considered the first page of the story. If your first page needs 2 pages, side-by-side (this is called a full-spread), then you begin on page 3. If your first page only needs one page, then you begin on page 4. If you begin on page 4,
Then you can use page 3 to spread out the publication information and dedication page or use it for an illustration like a map.
8. Using the double sided removable tape, stick your sentences on the pages as you want them to look when the book is done.
9. To get a better visual of numbering, see my Post #18: Picture Book Grid.
10.. Once all of your pages are filled with your story text, go back and read through your story. Do you like it as is? Great! If not, here’s what to do:
Ask yourself the following questions and then make the changes by carefully and slowly lifting the taped on sentences to where you now think they belong:
Are my page turns where they need to be? (see Post 13 # Page turn is where the reader is wondering what happens next and is excited to turn the page to find out!).
Is the flow of the story organized well so the pacing flows. One trick I like to do, is to read my manuscript aloud. If I trip up on a word, then I know I need to make a change so it flows.
Are there too many words on one page and not enough on another? Is there a good balance?
Is there too much dialog on one page and not on the others? Again, look for a balance.
Is there more than one action taking place on one page? If so, consider breaking this up into vignettes (separate scenes or cameos).
Ask yourself, is my story too long or too short? If it is too long (more than 32 pages), then go back and see if you can cut words or rearrange the sentences again. If it is too short, consider adding more or adding back matter (fun information relevant to the story or things like a recipe, science experiment, math problems, art & crafts).
And, finally, does the story read like you want it to? Is your action realistic, meaning do you make your main character work to resolve the problem? In real life, problems do not get fixed with one turn of the page. And, neither should the stories we write.

There are many You Tube videos that will show you how to make a Picture Book Dummy if you type in Picture Book Dummy YouTube.
To recap, a Picture Book Dummy provides a visual of how the lay out of a book will look and read.

Happy Writing!
See you next time.
Cheers, 😊
Phyllis

]]><![CDATA[post #19 Picture Book Storyboard]]>Thu, 03 Nov 2022 07:00:00 GMThttp://thewriterslytehouse.com/blog/post-3-19-picture-book-storyboard

From the desk of Phyllis
Picture Book Author

A storyboard is a visual layout of your story. Think of comic book drawings cut out and stuck to a poster board or tacked to a bulletin board in the order they are to be read. You don’t have to be an illustrator to make a storyboard. You just have to write your text on each page and then add stick figures or messy sketches. It is a great visual, if you are a visual person. The fun part, is that you can move the sticky notes or tacked on cards around until you get the storyline (narrative) in the order you like them.
How to make a storyboard for a 32 page picture book
Items Needed:
A pad of sticky notes or 32 notecards or large piece of paper cut into 32 squares (fold a sheet of paper lengthwise in half, then in half again. Then continue folding but now from bottom to top in half and in half two more times. You’ll end up with 32 squares.
A dry erase board or wall for sticky notes or a bulletin/cork board or your floor for notecards or paper squares.
Push pins or tacks
Pencil or pen
Colored pencils or colored marker pens
To Do:
Number each sticky note or card/paper square from 1 – 32.
Print each sentence of your story on the bottom of the corresponding numbered page.
Above it, illustrate what you have written.
Position the sticky notes or cards on the storyboard (on the dry erase board, bulletin/cork board, or your floor). Read through them.
Now ask yourself the following questions while thinking about the TV sitcom or movie you watched keeping in mind how the events fell into place:
Does the beginning, middle and end fall in the right places? Beginning pages 3-7; Middle pages 8-25; Ending pages 26-28; Back matter pages 29-32.
Does each sentence flow to the next sentence smoothly and logically?
Does the position of each scene feel like it is in the right place? Should the event take place where it does or be moved to an earlier or later position in the story? Is it important to the story or should I remove it?
Are there too many ideas on one page?
Does the story move forward with interest?

Once you are happy with your storyboard, show it to a critique partner(s) or someone you trust. See what comments they have. Do they see what you see? Do they get the same idea from the story as you do?

Have fun with this, if you feel this is a good fit for you. Remember, we have three tools to help us paginate. They are: Pagination Outline (Post #16), Picture Book Grid (Post #17), and now the Storyboard. Choose the one that works best for you or choose all three.

Happy writing!
See you next time 😊.
Cheers, Phyllis

]]><![CDATA[Post #18 happy halloween! Game and Writing Prompt]]>Sun, 30 Oct 2022 07:00:00 GMThttp://thewriterslytehouse.com/blog/post-18-happy-halloween-game-and-writing-prompt

From The Desk of Phyllis Lyte
Picture Book Author

Halloween is just around the corner. Here's a game to play to celebrate this holiday.
Hope you enjoy it! After you play the game, you can look at the writing prompt below the game and have fun filling it in.

Here's the fun writing prompt below.
Maybe it will even make you want to write your own Halloween story!

WRITE YOUR OWN HALLOWEEN STORY WRITING PROMPT
Character: A scared bat Setting: Haunted House Conflict: Afraid of the dark
CHARACTER: A bat, named ___, is excited about Halloween but is scared of the dark.
SETTING: A stormy Halloween night flying over a haunted house and all the lights go out.
CONFLICT: Name ____, the bat, wants to ___ but can’t because ___.
GOAL: To overcome the being afraid of the dark.
OBSTACLE: Haunted House in the dark.
RESOLUTION: Name_____, the bat, brings (a flashlight?) and discovers lots of fun!
GROWTH: Name ____, the bat, is no longer afraid of the dark.

Title _________________________. Written by (Your Name) ____________. Date _______.

Happy Writing!
See you next time.
Cheers, 😊 Phyllis

]]><![CDATA[POST #17 What is a Picture Book Grid?]]>Thu, 27 Oct 2022 07:00:00 GMThttp://thewriterslytehouse.com/blog/what-is-a-picture-book-grid

From the desk of Phyllis Lyte
Picture Book Author

Ciao, Writers,
What is a Picture Book Grid?
A Picture Book Grid is a helpful tool to organize where our text (our sentences) falls on the manuscript pages. It helps us visualize (see) it as if it was a finished, printed book. Some writers like to use this tool, others prefer to use the Pagination format tool (see Post#16 – Pagination). Some use both. And then, there is a third tool, called a Storyboard, which we will explore in a future post.

A Picture Book Grid helps us answer the following questions:
_ Do I state the problem at the beginning and not in the middle of the book? Just like when you read a book or watch a movie, the reader/viewer knows right away what the story is about. So, by making a Picture Book Grid, you can see if you successfully tell your reader what your story is about in the first few pages. (See Post#14: ARC)
_ Do I keep the reader’s attention all throughout the story?
_ Are the page turns in the right place? (See Post #15: Page Turns).
_ Is the pace too slow, too fast? Do I get bored or do I not understand what is going on?
_ Are there parts of the story that need tightening (revising) because they are too long and drawn out?
_ Are there parts of the story that need more text, more description and/or dialogue? A better balance between all three?
_ Is the storyline (the sequence of events) out of order? Do the events happen without previous explanation?
_ Are there too many sentences on one page and not enough on the other?
_ Do I have enough sentences to fill a 32 page book?
_ Do I have too many sentences for a 32 page book?
_ Do I fix (resolve) the problem in the story?
_ Is the ending satisfying?
_ Will the reader want to read my story over and over again?
_ And finally, once you have your Picture Book Grid completed, read it over while thinking to yourself: “Do my words create images?” A Picture Book Grid gives you an opportunity to think about where the illustrations will go, how they might look. If you, as the author, can visualize the scenes, then most likely the illustrator will too. (See Post #10 Your Illustrator and You, Best Partners Ever!)

A 32 page picture book does not necessarily mean you have 32 pages for your story text. Keep in mind that many picture books are 14 page spreads. That means you have 28 pages to tell your story. On the last pages sometimes you can place back matter ( information relevant to your story: a science experiment, a recipe, your author and illustrator biography paragraph).
There are choices, too, for what you can place on the Paste Down End pages, the Dedication, Copyright, and Title pages. They can have illustrations or some text. They can be plain colored paper. Or, they can even remain blank. (See Posts #12 & 13: Parts of a Book).
And, you can begin your story on page 3 instead of page 4.
And, be aware, this format can change from publishing house to publishing house. For example, sometimes you’ll find the Dedication Page, Copyright and Publisher on the end pages and not on the beginning pages.
These two Book Grids are here to help you organize your manuscript to make it the best it can be.
The first Book Grid shows single page text format.
The second Book Grid shows a full spread text format.

Happy Writing!
See you next time.
Cheers, Phyllis

]]><![CDATA[Post #16 Pagination OUTLINE For Picture Books]]>Sun, 23 Oct 2022 07:00:00 GMThttp://thewriterslytehouse.com/blog/post-16-pagination-outline-for-picture-books

From the desk of Phyllis Lyte
Picture Book Author

Ciao Writers,
This pagination (pronounced: pa-ji-NAY-tion) outline is a guide to help you see your sentences on the pages as if they were already in a printed book.

I like to use a pagination outline when I write picture books.
It helps me to:
1. Visualize the action on each spread. Does it build a picture in the reader’s mind? Does it lend itself to illustrations?
2. Check to see if the action makes sense. Does it give enough information before the action happens so the readers understand what is going on?
3. Check to see if the pacing (how fast or slow the story unfolds) moves the story forward with interest?
4. Is it balanced? Are there too many words on one page and not enough on another? 5. Does it build the feeling of excitement and anticipation of wondering what’s to come?

One of the best things I can do once I finish writing a story, is to take the paginated copy, stand up, and read it aloud as if I’m standing in front of an audience. If I catch myself stumbling over a word, I’ll circle that with a pencil. Anything that doesn’t sound right, I’ll put an X next to it to revise. The same thing for grammatical mistakes. Then I’ll go back to make the changes.

As you read the pages of your paginated story, ask yourself two questions:
“Am I excited about turning the page to find out what happens next?”
“Is the ending satisfying?”

Below is the pagination outline I’ve put together which is something I created from an accumulation of knowledge based off of lectures I’ve heard and blogs I’ve read. Hope it is useful to you as it is to me.

PHYLLIS’ PAGINATION PICTURE BOOK OUTLINE
NOTE: Be sure to include page numbers along with your name and title in a header. I do not include pages 1-2 because they are reserved for the title and 2-3 are for publication information (though this format is changeable). For now, hope you enjoy this outline as much as I do.

Name Genre
Address Word Count
Email Target Age Group
Web links

TITLE
By, Your Name

Pgs 4-5
(Illo. Note. Use spargingly.)

Pgs 6-7


Pgs 8-9

Pgs 10-11

Pgs 12-13

Pgs 14-15

Pgs 16-17

Pgs 18-19


Pgs 20-21


Pgs 22-23

Pgs 24-25


Pgs 26-27

Pgs 28-29

Pgs 30-31

Remember:
In many cases, you will not submit your finished manuscript paginated. But, it is a great tool to make a manuscript the best it can be.

Happy Writing!
See you next time.

Cheers, 😊 Phyllis

]]><![CDATA[Post#14 Picture Book ARC]]>Thu, 20 Oct 2022 07:00:00 GMThttp://thewriterslytehouse.com/blog/post14-picture-book-arc

From the desk of Phyllis Lyte
Picture Book Author

Ciao, Writers!
First, I want to thank everyone who has left wonderful comments on my posts. They are so supportive and so appreciated. Thank you!

Second, pretend you have a pad of sticky notes that you have written one story event on each page. These notes are your plot. Now arrange these notes in the order of how they happen in the story (the sequence of events). This is your story ARC.

This ARC shows where the story’s events (the plot) unfold.

Begin by writing one sentence stating the theme (logline) of your story, knowing you will carry this theme throughout your story.

Next, write your Pitch (see my Post #3 Where do I Begin? Write a Pitch).

With the theme (logline), Pitch and maybe an Outline in place (See my Post #4 1st Steps Guideline Outline), you are ready to work on the ARC.

Read your story. Does it introduce the main character and, in many stories the problem, at the beginning? Yes? Great! Begin your story by introducing your main character (MC) and if there is a problem, state it. Just like when you watch a TV sitcom, the main character, problem that must be fixed (resolved), comes at the beginning. This propels (moves forward) the storyline (the narrative) and snags the interest of the reader/viewer immediately. Try this experiment: Watch some TV sitcoms or movies and time when the main character, and problem, show up. Books are the same way, writers state the main character, and if there is a problem, at the beginning.

Then keep watching how the plot unfolds and ask yourself, “What happens from the beginning to the middle, from the middle to the point the problem is resolved, and then how do they end it?” You’ll learn a lot from this that you can apply to writing your ARC.

The general outline of a picture book ARC looks like this, but keep in mind you can change it:
Beginning/Introduction of characters (and problem if there is one): pages 4-7
Middle/Events that propel the story forward: pages 8-26
Climax/Event that leads to everything working out: pages 27-30
End/Satisfying Ending: 30-32

Writing a well thought out ARC will make for a great read by engaging the reader and delivering a satisfying ending.

Happy Writing!
See you next time.

Cheers, PAL :)

]]><![CDATA[Post #15 Picture Book Page Turns]]>Sun, 16 Oct 2022 07:00:00 GMThttp://thewriterslytehouse.com/blog/post-15-picture-book-page-turns

From the desk of Phyllis Lyte
Picture Book Author

Ciao, Writers,

What are Page Turns?
A Page Turn are sentence or sentences (the set-up) towards the end of the right page that makes the reader want to ‘turn the page’ quickly to find out the answer (the reveal) on the next page.

For example:
Page 14 The kite flies higher and higher. The storm blows stronger and stronger. The string ….
Page 15 Snaps! “My kite!” shouts the boy.

Now, choose some of your favorite picture books. Read through them. See if you can find any Page Turns.

A Page Turn builds the suspense, a feeling of surprise, a need to know.
They are super fun to write and super effective!

Happy Writing!
See you next time.
Cheers, 😊
Phyllis

]]><![CDATA[Post 13: Parts of a book, Part 2]]>Thu, 13 Oct 2022 07:00:00 GMThttp://thewriterslytehouse.com/blog/post-13-parts-of-a-book-part-2

From the desk of Phyllis Lyte
Picture Book Author

Ciao, Writers!
Here's the follow-up to Parts of a Book, Part 1. It will prepare you for the future post, Making Your Own Book.

Author: The person who wrote the book
Back Cover: The back of the book
Barcode: Line patterns that can be scanned to give information about the book such as price, ISBN, tracking sales, etc.
Front Cover: The front of the book
Illustrator: The person who drew the pictures for the book
Library Call Number: These are what I like to call the book library location numbers. They are the numbers and/or letters that are placed on the spine of the book by the librarian to tell you where to find the book in your library.
Publisher: The company who publishes the book.
Spine: The spine holds the book and pages together and provides something like a hinge so the book cover can open and the pages can flip. You can see it when the book is sitting on the bookshelf.
Title: The name given to the book

Happy Writing!
See you next time.
Cheers, 😊
Phyllis

]]><![CDATA[Post #12: Parts of a Book Part I]]>Sun, 09 Oct 2022 07:00:00 GMThttp://thewriterslytehouse.com/blog/parts-of-a-book-part-i

From the desk of Phyllis
Picture Book Author

Ciao, Writers!
Familiarizing yourself with the names of book parts is fun and important.
Once you know these names, you’ll be able to speak to an editor, agent, and book printer in the language they use everyday.
When you look at my drawing, you’ll learn that I’m a kid at heart, so hope you enjoy my illustrations. My grandfather once told me that you are never too old to read comics. I added, you are never too old to draw cartoons. 😊
See the images for book parts followed by their definitions below:

Front Cover: The front cover of the book that has the title, author and illustrator’s names, the publishing company.
Back Cover: The back cover of the book that can be plain or covered in designs.
Gutter: This is where the pages are closest to the spine. Illustrators know not to draw close the gutter. Why? Because that part of their drawing won’t be seen.
Spine: This is the outside column of the book that faces you when books are placed on a bookshelf.

End Papers: The first sheet of paper, plain white or colored or with design, glued to the inside front book cover.
Flyleaf: The second piece of paper. It is loose, not glued down. It can have printing and a design on it or remain plain.

Headband: Think of a sports headband. It keeps your hair in place. A book headband keeps the spine in place while hiding the glue that binds the pages.
Footband: Just like the headband, the Footband is used to hide the glue that keeps the pages and spine together.
Text Block: All the papers (pages) bound together not including the end papers.

Fun Fact: Three fun words to know -
Verso = The page on the left side of the book
Recto = The page on the right side of the book
Leaf = Two side-by-side pages (1 sheet) are called a leaf (left is verso and recto is right)

For more book parts terms, go to:
https://bindery.berkeley.edu/campus-libraries/definitions-common-terms

Happy Writing!
See you next time.
Cheers, 😊
Phyllis

]]><![CDATA[Post #11 Book Categories by age & Their Word Count]]>Thu, 06 Oct 2022 07:00:00 GMThttp://thewriterslytehouse.com/blog/post-11-book-categories-by-age

From the desk of Phyllis
Picture Book Author

Book categories for children’s literature varies from publisher to publisher.
Here is a list I’ve put together after doing my homework that gives you the foundation of the age specifications for book categories.

Board books: Newborn to age 3; 8-24 pages; 50 words or less
Young Picture books: Ages 2-5; 24-32 pages; 200-250 words
Picture books: Ages 3–8; 32 pages; 250-500 words
Activity books: Ages 3–8; 32 pages; 500 words
Novelty books: Ages 3 and up, depending on content; 0 words up to 100o words; Think teaching books for toddlers up to instructional books for older children
Early, leveled readers: Ages 5–9; 1000-3000 words
First chapter books: Ages 6–9 or 7–10; up to 3500 words
Middle-grade books: Ages 8–12; 48-80 pages; 15,00-85,000 words (The page count varies per genre subheadings: Young middle grade 15, 000 to 25,000; Middle Grade, 25, 000-45, 000; Upper Middle Grade, 45, 000-65, 000’ and Middle Grade Fantasy, 65,000-85,000)
Young adult (YA) novels: Ages 12 and up or 14 and up; 240-300 pages; 45,000 – 90,000 ( This varies because of the varying genre subheadings: Young Adult and Young Adult Fantasy). Know your publisher’s expected word counts.

Please remember that each publishing house has their own standard word and page counts. The best advice I can give you, is look at similar books to your manuscript, choose several publishing houses that interest you, and keep your page and word count close to those published books.

Happy Writing!
See you next time.

Cheers, 😊
Phyllis

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From the desk of Phyllis LytePicture Book Author

From the desk of Phyllis Lyte
Picture Book Author