![]() 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
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![]() 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 |
AuthorI love to write stories, letters, cards, you name it...writing is what I enjoy. How about you? Archives
November 2022
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