I received an email asking why I don’t put up more How To’s on the site.
Amongst the many, many, many, many good reasons I don’t is that there are already a lot of great How To’s on the Internets. I don’t see any reason to add to that. Plus, I’m not sure my How To’s would help anyon who is not me.
But, I live to share, darn it. So, for your reading pleasure, a How To on writing a picture book.
How to write a picture book.
By. Mark Fearing
Copyright 2012. Blabbermouth Press.
1. Have funny idea. Say to self, ‘Self, that would make a great picture book!’
2. Start writing said picture book with boundless enthusiasm.
3. Realize it pretty much sucks. It doesn’t make sense and a whole book is not as funny as the fleeting 4 second inspiration or ‘funny-bit’ (as it’s called in the business) that sent you on your creative writing odyssey.
4. Keep writing until you give up and send the manuscript to agent to read.
5. Regret sending manuscript to agent to read.
6. Become so filled with shame at wasting another human being’s time asking them to read the dreck you just wrote; you begin to feverishly revise manuscript into something better.
7. Agent responds with notes. Read notes and revise manuscript 47 more times.
8. Start over.
Next week, How To pick a color to paint the kitchen.
