WRITING A CHAPTER BOOK IS LIKE WRITING A PICTURE BOOK - sort of
Becky initially asked me to write a post about
“How I got my chapter book contract.” Her request came around the same time
that I published a similar story on my blog. You can read that post here. Instead of repeating myself, I’ve
decided to share some chapter book knowledge that I picked up in the process of
turning my picture book into a chapter book.
A small survey in the Chapter BookChallenge Facebook group proved to me that many members write both picture
books and chapter books. This post will focus on the question, how is writing a
chapter book a little like writing a picture book? It may not be helpful to
those who have been writing chapter books for a long time, but it should be
helpful to those who are just getting into chapter book writing.
As with picture books, there is no perfect
formula for writing chapter books. However, there are great guidelines. So,
what I offer is meant to give you a sense of direction and order when writing.
It is not intended to say this is the ONLY way to go. This post only touches on
some basic elements of chapter book writing.
DESCRIPTION,
ACTION, AND SHOW DON’T TELL
In chapter books (and usually in picture
books) action is important for keeping the young reader engaged. Like picture
books, chapter books don’t have a lot of description. Unlike picture books,
illustrations do not help tell part of the story. So, it is important to show
and not tell. Show your characters in action. Show your characters reacting to
their situation. And of course show their environment. But don’t get carried
away with long descriptive passages. If you do, your young reader will lose
interest.
Just
to be clear. . . .
There are some illustrations (usually line
art) in chapter books, which help the young reader to visualize better. There
are a variety of chapter books for beginning chapter book readers that have
many illustrations – often colored. Some examples are Marcie Colleen’s Super Happy Party Bears series, Kate
DiCamillo’s Bink and Gollie, and Mercy Watson also by Kate DiCamillo. This
post focuses on longer chapter books for younger readers. Also, I want to be
clear that middle grade books have more description than chapter books.
INDIVIDUAL
CHAPTERS
I see writing chapter books as being
similar to writing a number of individual picture books related to one big
story goal.
So, each chapter has its own beginning,
middle, and end that are all centered around that specific chapter’s goal.
However, the chapter goal needs to relate to the big goal in some way. Everything
that happens in the story should have a strong thread running between the
problem or goal established in the beginning and the resolution presented in
the end.
Like picture book beginnings, the individual chapter beginning usually
establishes the problem or goal for that chapter. It might establish the
setting, if it has changed from the last chapter. It most likely establishes
the obstacle to achieving the chapter goal. The beginning of a chapter will
sometimes subtly reconnect the reader to what happened in the previous chapter.
Just like the middle of a picture book, the
middle of the individual chapter
shows the protagonist’s attempts to overcome his obstacles. And as with a
picture book plot, the chapter story tension escalates and sometimes falls. It
may or may not fall, depending on where the author has chosen to leave the
reader hanging.
Unlike picture book endings, individual
chapter endings are not usually satisfying endings because you want to entice
your reader to look forward to the next chapter. However, you do want to give
your reader a sense of satisfaction with each chapter while still keeping her
in suspense. The ending of the chapter
often comes in the middle of a scene. Doing this creates questions in the
reader’s mind that she will want to see answered. Just as picture books often
end with a twist, individual chapters might end with a twist. This engages the
reader further.
PUTTING
THE CHAPTERS TOGETHER
The combined
chapters work to form the story or character arc related to the big story
problem or goal.
HOOK
Like the first page(s) in a picture book, the
first chapter hooks the reader by presenting the inciting incident. This is the
event that pushes your protagonist out of his ordinary world into the challenging
world that the story builds. It also provides the setting, time period, and the
voice and tone of the story. Naturally, it introduces the protagonist and maybe
some other characters. Backstory is avoided or limited in chapter books for
young readers.
SETTING
THE HOOK
The next chapters set the hook by deepening
the reader’s understanding of the character’s situation. They also introduce more characters.
CLIMBING
THE ARC MOUNTAIN
Like the middle scenes of a picture book, the
middle chapters show the protagonist’s attempts to solve his problem or achieve
his goal. They offer unexpected turns, surprise setbacks, and changes that
often require the protagonist to make a decision or choice. With each challenge
and decision, the reader becomes more emotionally connected to the protagonist
and the story and therefore become more hooked.
DARKEST
MOMENT
With each new chapter the tension rises and
the stakes get higher until the protagonist reaches his DARKEST MOMENT. This is
where he and the reader experience a period of defeat. This makes the reader
want to keep reading while hoping for the best.
INNER
CLIMAX
The darkest moment is followed by the INNER
CLIMAX. The protagonist has some sort of lightbulb moment that causes him to
think outside the box. There is usually a perceived or real risk in making the
choice that raises the tension. This new thinking, or choice, or decision moves
the story forward to the outer climax where the protagonist takes action on his
new way of thinking. All the while, the reader is taking this emotional
rollercoaster ride with the protagonist.
OUTER
CLIMAX
The OUTER CLIMAX follows the inner climax.
This is where the protagonist takes action based on the inner climax decision
or choice. Sometimes the inner climax is not apparent or nearly undetectable.
But there is always a climax. This is the turning point that leads the
protagonist to the resolution of the story.
ENDING
The RESOLUTION/CONCLUSION of the story
presents a new perspective for the protagonist. The reader becomes aware of
some sort of change or personal growth in the protagonist. All loose ends are
tied up here. The reader should be left thinking about the story and maybe
about how he relates, but he should not be wondering about missing elements
that should have been resolved in the end. Often there is a surprise twist.
Sometimes, the protagonist does not get what he set out to get, but he still
learns and grows in some way.
SCENE
AND CHAPTER COHESIVENESS
A while back, I wrote a blog post on
episodic stories. You can read it here. I wrote it for picture books, but it applies
to chapter books as well. When you read the word “scene” in the post, think in
terms of scenes within each chapter, but also consider each chapter as a scene.
What I want you to see is that all scenes and all chapters need to be
connected. I can’t really get into cause and effect in this post, but if you
aren’t clear regarding what that is, do some searches and read up on it.
Before I teach an entire course on chapter
book writing, I will end this . . . well, sort of. I want to offer a PDF with a basic analysis that I did on THE TALENTED CLEMENTINE by Sara Pennypacker. It
breaks the story down as related to the tips I’ve shared in this post. I think
it gives a very clear idea of how each chapter tells a story of its own, which
is why I see them as being similar to picture books. It also gives a clear
picture of how everything that happens in the story is connected to the problem
established in the beginning and the resolution presented in the end.
Happy chapter book writing!
*****
Alayne Kay Christian is an award-winning
children’s book author and a certified life coach. Her picture book Butterfly Kisses for Grandma and Grandpa (Blue Whale Press, LLC) received the Mom’s Choice Awards gold medal and an IPPY
Awards silver medal. Alayne’s Sienna, the
Cowgirl Fairy chapter book series launches in April 2017 with the first
book, Sienna, the Cowgirl Fairy: Trying to Make it Rain (Clear Fork Publishing). Her picture book Mischievous Maverick is
scheduled to be released by Clear Fork Publishing in early 2018. Alayne is the
creator and teacher of a picture book writing course, Art of Arc: How to Writeand Analyze Picture Book Manuscripts. In 2016, Alayne and her husband sold
their home in the Dallas, Texas area and became nomads as full-time RVers and
part-time sailors.
*****
Give-away
Alayne has generously offered the prize for today's give-away. She is offering one person a critique on the first five chapters of their chapter book. Only signed-up members of the challenge qualify for the drawing. In order to be entered into the drawing, leave a comment on this post. A winner will be drawn by a random number generator on March 31st.
