Writing Picture Books

*Please note that this class was originally taught live by Ann Whitford Paul to a class of 20 students in Fall 2016. This is the recorded version of that 10-session class. Ms. Paul may teach this class live again for SVS in the future, please subscribe to the SVS newsletter to receive updates : )

EVERYTHING you've ever wanted to know about how to write picture books is here!

This is a professional level, comprehensive children's book writing class. Ann Whitford Paul is a prolific children’s book author who has also written the best selling book Writing Picture Books: A Hands-on Guide from Story Creation to Publication. Ann is considered one of the top experts on teaching authors how to write a compelling and sellable picture book manuscript.

Is this class for me?

You can get an overview of the class by watching the Free Session video. Ann will go over the content of the class, her Writing Picture Books book, her published picture books, and how to prepare for the critiques at the end of the class.

How To Write Picture Books

This class consists of ten sessions, which will meet on a weekly basis. It will cover everything you need to know to create an engaging story in the traditional picture book format and keep your readers eager to find out what happens next. Ann will also cover the important topic of how to make your language sing and your words echo the action of your story. Sessions 1-4 will focus on story structure and organization, sessions 5-8 will focus on polishing your story and the 9th and 10th sessions will be live critiques of your manuscript. Ann will be assisted by children’s book illustrators Will Terry, Lee White, or Jake Parker each night to field questions and offer insight from the perspective of an illustrator.

Included with this class:

HD video recordings from each class
Questions answered live
Critique of student manuscripts
Writing checklist
Assignments

In this class you will learn how to:

Create compelling characters in fiction and non-fiction
Pinpoint what you’re trying to say
Experiment with different ways to tell your story
Craft fabulous openings and lines that grab
Develop plots and three-act structure
Dream up unforgettable endings
Write vividly
Make a dummy

Requirements:

There are no requirements to take this class. We have beginners up to professional authors/illustrators taking our classes. If you would like to get a jump start on this class we suggest you purchase Ann’s book Writing Picture Books. You can find it here: http://amzn.to/2aoKFoS

Kim Treffinger

Would benefit from editing out tech difficulties

This is a great course, but the prolonged technical difficulties really detract, and make it hard to stay engaged. This could be fixed by simply cutting out those segments. I realized this originated as a live course and Will was doing his best to...

Colleen Townsend

Excellent!

This was a joy to watch. I'm both a writer and an illustrator so I was excited when they announced this course. It was easy to follow and I learned a lot. I hope to see more videos like this in the future!

Michelle Long

I Learned a great deal of useful information.

Everyone did a great job providing tips on not only writing but also illustrating books. Well done!

Writing Picture Books Live Class