Writing a picture book ...

 

My daily stack of picture books
from Toronto Public Library

... is the toughest write of all!

I've always suspected as much, now it's confirmed. I've been a poet, a musician, an award-winning copywriter, a Governor General award-winning writer for children ... and writing a picture book this winter is the hardest writing job I've ever had.

Truly, 450 words is not a lot, each one has to be the right one. I've searched for the right word before, we all have, but this is different.

Each time I sit down to work on my picture book, I completely rewrite it. The story is the same, the idea doesn't change, the ending, the message, all that is set, but the way of journeying through the maze to get there is not. I guess this is going to be the process for me. George Saunders calls writing "touch" and "iteration." I'm finding my picture book feet, and touch and iteration is part of it, every day! 

Along with learning the cello this year, this is my latest mind-bend. I'm grateful to the Ontario Arts Council for the Recommender's Grant and the chance to expand my writing horizons. Stay tuned.

In other news, my next book is coming in October 2025. I'm waiting on the cover before I say more, but a little news now: it's a book about love. A bit of a departure for me, stay tuned on that, too!

Keep writing, keep reading, we need thinkers (and love) more than ever.