Colors Across the Sky
Imagine a world where every time you learn something new, a color splashes across the sky. Describe your character’s day from sunrise to sunset as they discover new things and paint the sky with colors.
Suggested length: A picture book: 300 to 800 words
Start the clock
Pick a sprint, press start and keep going until it stops. Momentum beats polish on a first draft.
Make it yours
Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- Use a repeated line young readers can join in on.
- Make the ending warm, safe and a little bit funny.
- Keep it to one problem and one place.
Writing children's
Ages 0 to 8: books made to be read aloud, again and again.
Children's books run from board books and picture books for the youngest to early readers and chapter books for kids reading on their own. Every word counts, and the adults reading aloud are an audience too.
What readers expect
- Simple, rhythmic language
- A child's point of view
- Room for the illustrations
- A satisfying, often gentle ending
A tip before you start
You don't need an illustrator. Publishers pair picture book writers with artists, so leave room in your text for the pictures to tell part of the story.
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- The Siblings and the Attic BookA mysterious, ancient book is found in the attic by three siblings during a rainy summer afternoon. When one of them reads a poem aloud, they are all…
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