Larissa Elliott Books

So many people pitch in Twitter pitch events. So few people get agent or editor "likes". It can be disappointing. It can really hit hard for some people. First of all, don't let a lack of likes get you down! Because there are so many pitches, it's possible yours wasn't seen. Or it's possible that agents were just too busy to browse. Pitch events are a nice way to skip the slush pile, but cold queries can achieve the same result. Actually, most people get their agent by querying the old-fashioned way! Anyhoo, pitch events are still great to participate in. Regardless of "likes" for your pitches, you can still learn a lot from the event. Here are just a few ways you can benefit even without any likes! 1. Networking You know all those other pitches that you see out there? Those were written by writers. Writers like you. Wouldn't it be nice to get to know them? If you see pitches that intrigue you, comment to tell the writer what you think! Follow th...

I got serious about writing picture books during the summer of 2019. After a few years of struggling to write novels, I was excited to find a genre that felt within my grasp. But it wasn't that easy. I applied for the #PBChat mentorship but wasn't selected. I entered #FallWritingFrenzy and #Halloweensie but didn't win. I sent out queries but received rejections. I was down about my writing. Maybe this kidlit thing wasn't for me.  I heard about  #PBCritiqueFest , a contest hosted by Briah Gehrlein on his blog pbspotlight.com . Finally, a random drawing. Something that I could actually win without having to prove I was good enough. Finally, a contest that could benefit writers who were still early in their writing journey. I went all out with the extra entries. I was determined. And I won! I was matched with Rebecca Gomez for my critique. When I got my story back, there was "red ink" all over it. I have to admit, I was pretty crushed. I cried. I put the story in...

I came across a great new resource recently. Pam Calvert's blog features a "Picture Book University". It's a group of blog posts with wonderful info on writing picture books. I love how she gives examples using published books. And I really love her storyboard idea. Check it out: Pam Calvert's Picture Book University

The writing community is so supportive! I have only been in the picture book writing community for about six months, but there have been many opportunities to win critiques or mentorship. The latest chances for critique are super exciting! The first of these is #PBCritiqueFest. You really don't have to do anything to enter. You fill out the application form which asks for lots of different info to match you with the best person if you are randomly selected to receive a critique. If you want, you can boost your chances by sharing the news with your friends and supporting the participating critiquers. Narrowing down my favorite authors and agents to list as my ideal matches was the hardest part of the whole thing. I was excited to see several agents that I had already queried and others that are on my list to query. How cool would it be to receive feedback from a potential agent that might want to rep my story in the future? Find out more and enter here:  https://www...

Language, rhyme, meter--words have never been difficult for me. Plot, however has been my nemesis for years. I started out as a novelist. I still write novels, or attempt to at least. Plot was (is) a difficult thing for me to nail down. 80,000 words that nead to have a logical progression and cause/effect. I'm still battling that challenge. When I began dabbling in picture books, I thought it was wonderful to only need to come up with 500 words that related to each other. Easy peasy! BUT it isn't so easy. Plot is still a challenge for me. I can't just willy nilly write cute rhyming lines that sorta paint a scene. I've been reading some books about novel plotting. The funny thing is, they mention how plotting is universal, whether you're writing an epic fantasy over 100,000 words, or writing a romance novel, or a screenplay, or writing a picture book of a mere 500 words. You need structure. People expect story in a certain way. Many of my early picture book dra...

Did you know that lots and lots of elementary music teachers use picture books in their classroom? They go way beyond the typical read-aloud. There are all sorts of ways music teachers can link musical activities to books. Sound Effects When the characters in the book make noise, kids can use musical instruments to bring the sounds to life! Clicking sticks together, dinging a triangle, thumping a drum. You don't have to mention the sounds in your text for this to work, but vivid verbs can help: "Eliza stomped up the stairs" or "the dog swished through the tall grass" or "the thunder boomed." Character Themes If you've watched Star Wars , you know character themes. Princess Leia has a beautiful melody. Darth Vader has a menacing theme. Luke Skywalker's music is triumphant. If you have several distinct characters in your book, a music teacher could reinforce each one's appearance with a different instrument or a different tune. Dic...

Some resources will say to strive for perfect meter, but in reality, a lot of rhyming picture books will not have perfect lines with exactly the correct number of syllables. You can actually add or subtract syllables for "metrical variance." This will help you fit words you wouldn't have been able to fit, or to change up the feel a bit. HOWEVER, once you've established how many feet you have in each line, you should not vary the number of STRESSED syllables. You can add or subtract unstressed syllables with care. As a musician, I thought rhythm and meter would be easy to do in my writing. But I fell into one of the major pitfalls. Reading picture books is not the same as listening to a song (or even singing a song). In music, the beat and meter prescribes where the stresses go. You can sing words longer than a beat. You can have "rests" where you pause your singing and the beat will remain constant. But there isn't any sheet music to read or recordings...

Let me say that again. STOP COUNTING SYLLABLES!!! When you write a rhyming picture book, rhyme is only part of the challenge! First and foremost is story. Make sure your story is strong! And, yes, it should have decent rhyme. BUT! Rhythm and meter is a big part of making a good rhyming picture book. Many beginning rhymers start by counting syllables because it's relatively easy to do. Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date: Shakespeare's famous sonnet has 10 syllables per line. But the reason it feels good when you read it is because of where the stressed syllables fall with weak syllables interspersed. It is in iambic pentameter, which means it has 5 "feet" of iambs (weak-strong pairs of syllables). Here are a few lines of my own that also have 10 syllables per line: Shall I envy thee on a spring evening? Thou ar...

As a musician, the rhythm part of rhyming picture books seemed easy to me. But in reality, picture book rhythm has it's unique intricacies that took me a while to learn (and I'm still learning!!). Some of what I've learned has been through trial and error, and through reading other's works. I also follow picture book writers on Twitter and they share tips and tricks. But some resources have been especially helpful, and I want to share those with you! Josh Funk Books Josh Funk is a fun author with an amazing website. If you are a beginning picture book writer, start with his site (I did)! He leads you through, step by step, of how to write any picture book. And he'll tell you not to rhyme!!! Seriously, though, writing a picture book in rhyme is not for the faint of heart. It is hard to do well. Many agents and editors will shy away from manuscripts in rhyme because they've seen so many that weren't ready yet. (I won't say they were bad. I think a lo...