So I’ve been thinking about the illustration part of Picture Book writing. Do I have the skills? Do I want to learn the skills? Can I really do this?
And I’ve realized the answers don’t matter. Not for me, anyway. Not now. (Maybe later. I’m learining that nothing is forever, even decisions. Especially decisions.)
I wrote "The Worry Warthogs" and then illustrated it. Learned all sorts of stuff about layout, how to make the story better, the importance of white space. Got glue all over everything. Printed reams of paper to get the right texture and color of paper for each piece of collage. Had fun.
Then a critiquer mentioned that threre wasn’t anything about how warthogs smell in the story. (Because, duh, a story about warthogs definitely needs to touch on smell.) Oooh! Ooooh! Ooooh! I know just what I want to change! And it really makes the story pop!
But now the illustrations don’t match the story. And I really don’t want to get out all the collage stuff and make new pages.
All of my life I have worked at jobs that I like, doing things that I love. But I’ve also done the parts I don’t love because that is part of the job.
Writing is my love. And I am choosing, at this point in my life, to do just what I love. I'm lucky enough to get to make that choice. When I get a critique that sparks a new idea, or the twist that really makes a story sing comes to me in the middle of the night, I can hardly wait to revise the story and make it better.
I’m not feeling that with the illustration part. So I’m setting that aside. I learned some great stuff from making a book dummy. But I’m using that knowledge to make my writing better, not to keep illustrating.
Because I can. It’s taken me 40 years, but I’m doing what I love. And the illustrations will be done by someone who loves illustrating as much as I love writing. It’s going to be amazing!
Peace,
Chris
And I’ve realized the answers don’t matter. Not for me, anyway. Not now. (Maybe later. I’m learining that nothing is forever, even decisions. Especially decisions.)
I wrote "The Worry Warthogs" and then illustrated it. Learned all sorts of stuff about layout, how to make the story better, the importance of white space. Got glue all over everything. Printed reams of paper to get the right texture and color of paper for each piece of collage. Had fun.
Then a critiquer mentioned that threre wasn’t anything about how warthogs smell in the story. (Because, duh, a story about warthogs definitely needs to touch on smell.) Oooh! Ooooh! Ooooh! I know just what I want to change! And it really makes the story pop!
But now the illustrations don’t match the story. And I really don’t want to get out all the collage stuff and make new pages.
All of my life I have worked at jobs that I like, doing things that I love. But I’ve also done the parts I don’t love because that is part of the job.
Writing is my love. And I am choosing, at this point in my life, to do just what I love. I'm lucky enough to get to make that choice. When I get a critique that sparks a new idea, or the twist that really makes a story sing comes to me in the middle of the night, I can hardly wait to revise the story and make it better.
I’m not feeling that with the illustration part. So I’m setting that aside. I learned some great stuff from making a book dummy. But I’m using that knowledge to make my writing better, not to keep illustrating.
Because I can. It’s taken me 40 years, but I’m doing what I love. And the illustrations will be done by someone who loves illustrating as much as I love writing. It’s going to be amazing!
Peace,
Chris