Penny Parker Klostermann is the author of There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight and A Cooked-Up Fairy Tale (Random House Children’s Books, illustrated by Ben Mantle). She has an informative website with gobs of great info about poetry and rhyme. She recently made a comment on my art notes post that I thought deserved its own space, so I asked if she’d answer some questions for me. She’s given back to the writing community in so many ways, and I’m grateful she took time out to teach us what’s she’s learned about art notes and rhyme.
Thank you, Penny, for your time!
Note: When I got Johnell’s interview questions, she asked about two things — art notes and rhyme. These are two topics that come up often in the picture book writing community. And these are two topics that I had many questions about when I started writing.
The ONLY reason I have published books, and that I think I have some insight to share, is that while I asked questions and thought about the answers, I worked on my craft. I don’t feel any advice will make much sense or help you unless you’re constantly working on and improving your craft to apply the advice.
Think about all the advice, rules, and information that we hear about writing picture books:
- Word count
- Voice
- Character development
- Plot
- Theme
- Pacing and page turns
- Art notes
- Queries
- Arc
- Etc.
I wouldn’t have gained understanding about any of these things, if I’d just read articles and blog posts and asked questions.
johnell dewitt 