If you are looking for an excellent gift for the special child or children in your life, you may like this sweet picture book based on a true story. To give you a “try before you buy” opportunity, I’ve done a partial reading of An Old Man and His Penguin: How Dindim Made João Pereira de Souza an Honorary Penguin, which you can view below.
Giveaway #1
In the spirit of Christmas and the holidays, I am planning a drawing for free access to all my webinars. All you need to do is comment on this blog post, and state that you would like to be in the drawing. I would appreciate if you share this post in social media, too. The deadline for the drawing is January 3, 2023. For more information about my webinars, click here.
Giveaway #2
I currently have another giveaway with Seasons of Kit Lit until December 16. We are spreading holiday joy by giving away free access to my picture book writing course Art of Arc, which includes all my webinars, or a copy of my book The Weed That Woke Christmas: The Mostly True Tale of the Toledo Christmas Weed to one lucky winner. You may enjoy reading the interview where I share my inspiration for The Weed That Woke Christman along with some other tidbits about me and the story. To read the interview or learn more about the giveaway, click here. Thanks to Lynne Marie and Heather Macht for including me and my book in the holiday fun.
Now for the reading of An Old Man and His Penguin. Enjoy!
More Readings and gift ideas
My other two picture books make lovely gifts as well. In addition to children with long-distance grandparents, long-distance Grandma’s appreciate the gift of Butterfly Kisses for Grandma and Grandpa. The Weed That Woke Christmas: The Mostly True Tale of the Toldedo Christmas Weed brings the spirit and heart of Christmas to young one’s year round.
Thanksgiving has come and gone, and the shopping has begun. If you are looking for a Christmas book for your family, classroom, or to give as a gift, The Weed That Woke Christmas is an excellent gift because it is a story that is perfect for reading the whole year through. To give you a feel for the story and Polina Gortman’s beautiful and engaging illustrations, I offer a partial reading. Enjoy!
I’m a little late in announcing the winner of a copy of Shana Silva’s cute picture book A Dog’s Guide to Being Human. The winner is Julie Kurtz! Congratulations Julie.
The last “wisdom” post for 2021 has been posted. But I’m excited to share that most of the team will be returning to share more wisdom in 2022. If you’ve been following us from the beginning, you know that we have already shared a wealth of wisdom and a treasure trove of tips. If you have read (or you do read) all the posts, you will see that combined, they amount to a full course in picture writing, and then some. I want to offer my gratitude to all the generous authors who contributed to this collection of wisdom posts. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! And I want to thank you, our blog readers, for taking time to follow us and sometimes give us lovely comments that let us know our work is all worthwhile. It means a lot.
In return for our wise authors’ generosity, I hope you will consider supporting them and me by spreading the word about our books and services, buying the books (great Christmas gifts), and sharing our posts. And then, the ultimate gift to an author is always reviews. Please, if you’ve read our books, post reviews. Following is a list of our team members linked to our websites so you can learn more about our books and services. Following the list you will find just a sampling of our many books. I believe most of us have many more that aren’t shared in this post.
In the spirit of giving and to honor the message of THE WEED THAT WOKE CHRISTMAS, I’ve decided to offer a holiday gift to one lucky winner of my giveaway drawing. Following our three collages of our books, you will find the information about the giveaway. And then, finally, you will find links to all of our posts at the end of this post.
Share any one of our wisdom posts on social media.
Comment on this post telling us that you have followed and shared and that you want to be included in the drawing.
The deadline to enter is December 17th, and the winner will be announced on December 18. Unfortunately, any book giveaway won’t arrive before Christmas.
CURRENTLY, THIS COURSE IS ONLY INTENDED FOR PICTURE BOOK FICTION, WRITTEN IN CLASSIC STORYTELLING STRUCTURE, WRITTEN IN PROSE, AND NO LONGER THAN 800 WORDS. Note: if 800 words, I may encourage you to cut words and tighten the story to get it closer to 500 words. If you are in doubt about the story you want to work on, I’d be happy to look at the manuscript you have in mind for the course before you sign up.
You will receive
The Art of Arc course
All Alayne’s videos and webinars
Weekly to biweekly zoom recordings with Alayne’s feedback for your story and your classmates’ stories
Feedback from your classmates via a private Facebook group
Our analysis and your revisions will be based on the classic story/character arc structure. Though the course has much good material for you to read and consider on your own, our focus will be writing the beginning, middle, and ending. We will also cover some of the most common problems I see in manuscripts that I read or critique.
SUMMARY OF COURSE STRUCTURE AND SCHEDULE
Following is a short summary of how the course will be structured and scheduled. It will not be necessary for you to be available for live meetings, but you will need to get your assignments in on time. Detailed instructions will be supplied with the course materials. Schedule may vary slightly in unexpected circumstances.
Week One
You will read lesson eight (Showing vs Telling)
and read the first portion of lesson 10 (Other Common Issues)
You will do homework.
Week Two
You will read lessons one (Beginnings and Endings)
and read lesson two (After the Hook)
You will do the homework.
You will read supplemental blog posts and watch a webinar
Week Three
You will polish the beginning of your manuscript and submit it to Alayne by Friday
Week Four
You will read lesson three (Story (Plot) Structure Overview)
and read lesson four (Cause and Effect)
and read lesson five (Episodic Stories)
You will do the homework and watch some videos
A video (or link) with a Alayne’s feedback for week three (your beginning) will be sent to your email by Sunday
Week Five
You will read lesson six (The Middle – First, Second, and Third Attempts to Solve Problem) and do the homework
You will read additional supplemental blog posts and watch a webinar
Week Six
You will polish your manuscript’s middle
You will revise your beginning
and submit the work to Alayne by Friday
Week Seven
You will read lesson seven (Darkest Moment, Climax, and Ending) and do homework
You will read additional supplemental blog post, and possibly watch a webinar.
A video (or link) with Alayne’s feedback for week six (your revised beginning and polished middle) will be sent to your email by Sunday
Week Eight
You will polish your manuscript ending
You will revise your beginning and middle
and submit work to Alayne by Friday
Week Nine
You get a breather
A video (or link) with Alayne’s feedback for week eight will be sent to your email by Sunday
Week Ten
You will do a final polish of your full manuscript
and submit it to Alayne by Friday
Week Eleven
You will receive your final feedback recording from Alayne by Sunday
Alayne will be available via the private Facebook group to answer final questions until the following Sunday
Alayne Kay Christian is a multi-award-winning children’s book author and the creator and teacher of a picture book writing course Art of Arc. She is the former acquisitions editor and art director for Blue Whale Press. In addition, she shares her knowledge with writers through free and affordable webinars at Writing for Children Webinars. She has been a picture book and chapter book critique professional since 2014, and she worked as a 12 X 12 critique ninja for three years. Alayne spent fifteen years studying under some of the top names in children’s literature. Her published works include the Sienna, the Cowgirl Fairy chapter book series, and picture books–
BUTTERFLY KISSES FOR GRANDMA AND GRANDPA
AN OLD MAN AND HIS PENGUIN: HOW DINDIM MADE JOÃO PEREIRA DE SOUZA AN HONORARY PENGUIN
THE WEED THAT WOKE CHRISTMAS: THE MOSTLY TRUE TALE OF THE TOLEDO CHRISTMAS WEED
Alayne’s fourth picture book, FAITH BENEATH THE BRIDGE is planned for release in the fall of 2022. Born in the Rockies, raised in Chicago, and now a true-blue Texan, Alayne’s writing and book designs share her creative spirit and the kinship to nature and humanity that reside within her heart.
A COURSE AND CRITIQUE IN ONE FOR ONLY $155.00!
Enrollment will be open until December 17. Classes will begin January 10, 2022.
If you already have the Art of Arc course, your cost will be $100.
If interested, please contact Alayne or leave a comment. A review of your manuscript will be required before enrollment.
I promised a bonus post for writing effective endings. So, here it is. If you missed the Kid-Lit Writing Wisdom team’s free three-part mini-course, click on the following links Part 1, part 2, part 3.
As authors, teachers, and critique writers, we talk a lot about what the main character wants. We ask, “What is his goal or desire?” And sometimes, we think about what he needs that drives the story. I challenge you to grab a stack of books and see if you can find stories that have both a want and a need. Very often, what the main character thinks he wants in the beginning of the story isn’t what he needs to transform by the end of the story. But his “want” is what motivates him to take action and move forward in the story. And most often, the main character nor the reader really knows what that need is until the turning point in the story. But as a writer, it is super helpful to know the need before you start writing your story. Knowing the need that will be revealed in the end will be your guiding light in writing the rest of the story.
Your character’s want is usually something he is seeking externally. And while the need is usually shown in the end as something external/physical, it stems from something internal. This is where what I call the turning point comes in. He has a realization, change in thinking, change of heart—whatever it might be—that causes him to think differently about his approach to things. Then he takes action on that new way of thinking. Once the character gets what he needs, he is a changed person who likely views his problem/goal or the world around him a little differently from that point on.
Think “before” and “after.” Who was your character when he first stepped over the inciting incident threshold into the story world? And who is he when he steps over his darkest moment into his turning point and new world? How has he changed in the end?
Sometimes it works to think of “want” as motivation (the fuel that moves the character forward through the story) and the “need” as the true story goal (the thing that creates change.)
Not all picture books have this “want” “need” thing going on. But I urge you to analyze as many picture books as possible to see what you discover in this area. Also, consider analyzing your own stories to see if you already have it. If your story only has a “want,” might it strengthen your story to give your character a need as well?
In the beginning, Weed wants nothing more than to be seen or noticed. But would achieving that in the end have transformed him in any way on a deeper level? Or would he remain the same Weed that is just a little happier for a moment until he starts feeling “unseen” again? Would that have been the best message to offer readers? Would it have been the most satisfying ending? I think not.
What if, what Weed needs is to look outside himself and see others instead? In doing so, Weed doesn’t only experience a change within himself; he effects positive change all around him. So, his want fuels him to move forward in the story, but the need that he discovers through his struggle to get what he wants is the real heart of the story.
In the beginning, Emily wants to live closer to her grandparents, but since this isn’t possible, she must change in some way. She needs a way to feel close to her grandparents even when they are miles away from her.
PRINCESS IN TRAINING by Tammi Sauer, illustrated by Joe Berger
In the beginning, Princess Viola wants to be a proper princess and the darling of the kingdom. But what she needs in order to experience real change in the end is to be true to herself. And once this need is revealed, her want is satisfied as well (but not exactly how she expected it).
MOSTLY MONSTERLY by Tammi Sauer, illustrated by Scott Magoon
In the beginning, Bernadette wants to make friends and fit in. But what she needs is to be true to herself in a way that also gets her what she wants. And once this need is revealed, her want is satisfied as well.
JEREMY DRAWS A MONSTER by Peter McCarty
In the beginning, it’s not clear what Jeremy wants, but the illustration gives a sense that he wouldn’t mind going outside where all the other kids are. Then it seems he wants to keep the monster he draws happy. But, even more important, to get rid of the monster. And though the story seems like it’s about imagination and fun and games, what it’s really about is Jeremy’s need to leave his apartment/room and make friends. And everything that happens in the story, eventually leads Jeremy to what he needs.
SAM AND EVA by Debbie Ridpath Ohi
In the beginning, Sam wants to draw solo. Eva wants to draw with him. But until they get what they need, which is to cooperate as a team, drawing isn’t quite what they wish for.
Even though, THE WEED THAT WOKE CHRISTMAS: THE MOSTLY TRUE TALE OF THE TOLDEDO CHRISTMAS WEED is a great book all year round, I learned that people tend to buy it at Christmastime, which means I only benefit from sales once a year (if I’m lucky). It’s currently on sale at Amazon for 43% off. Following is a two-minute YouTube video about the inspiring true story of the Toledo Christmas Weed, which is followed by the book trailer. A lovely Christmas gift for your favorite child or teacher, or to donate to your library. I give books to Toys for Tots. How many copies could you buy to donate at this great sale price?
If you are looking for an excellent gift for the special child or children in your life, you may like this sweet picture book based on a true story. To give you a “try before you buy” opportunity, I’ve done a partial reading of An Old Man and His Penguin: How Dindim Made João Pereira de Souza an Honorary Penguin, which you can view below.
Alayne Kay Christian 