Updated: Aug 4
I don't know why I didn't think of it before, but it's in the works. A book about taking pictures for kids.
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When I first started writing Jazzy books, I had no idea what made a picture book a "good" picture book. Here are some things I've learned that has me revamping my story, Jazzy and Friends.
Show don't tell: This is harder to do when you are trying to match text to a photograph. An artist can take words and device a picture to go with them. I have photos, that I can't change. so I have to edit the text so that I'm not repeating what you can learn from the picture.
If you don't know the story, it's about two dog friends at a park. Every time a new dog enters the park, one dog always says, "You can't play with them because of....whatever" and then eventually they learn to be friends.
This is the original spread for the "She doesn't have a tail," issue.
This is my rewrite. First, I changed the names of the characters so that they were more common names. (Rain became Sam and Breeze becomes Bella etc.) I also added a close up shot of the new arrival so we could see the pointy ears, the almost missing tail, etc. In the original, I just told the reader that the new dog didn't have a tail, in the rewrite, I'm actually showing the picture. I also wanted to show that Jazzy didn't like Sam's decision so I added the pouted part, but she still listened to her friend.
Here is another example. In the old version, I did a lot of "preaching"
In the newer version, I tried not to "preach" so I left out, "Don't judge a dog by his ears." I also left out describing the dog's colors as that's shown in the picture. And instead of announcing the new dog's name, I made it part of the conversation. I also wanted to show that Sam was hesitant but joined in the fun.
It's still a work in progress. And I can already see that I used the word, "looked" too many times on this last example... urg.. editing is never done. ha ha ha.
Since it has change dramatically from the original version, I will need to give it a new ISBN and retire the original version. I'm also considering changing the name. But I haven't gotten any ideas.
What do you think I might use as a new name?
Announcing a new book written by Daniel Wolfe and illustrated by Julia Wolfe. It's adorable and perfect for little ones.
Sign up on Daniel's website, Books By Daniel Wolfe, and join in the launch.
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