Combining Words and Images for Picture Books
I’m not a typical writer. I had zero desire to become an author, and honestly, I almost said no to writing this article because . . . it required writing. However, I’ve wanted to be a children’s picture book illustrator for as long as I can remember.
(How to Write a Fun Picture Book About a Not Fun Topic.)
When I first pursued illustrating, I never dreamed of writing my own books. Instead, I worked with my talented husband and author, Brad Davidson, to bring his stories to life. Whenever I had an original idea, I would ask him to write it for me because I had no confidence that I could pull it off. But quickly, I realized that the only person who could fully tell my stories was me. This was devastating news. Like I said, I did not want to write.
My early writing attempts were a struggle to say the least. I dove head first into writing a full manuscript for a rhyming book. Terrible idea. I think in pictures, not words and especially not rhyming words. It was a complete disaster. So, I decided to focus solely on wordless picture books instead. Problem solved! Take that words!
Unfortunately, my agent (and many editors) asked me to add text to these wordless stories to make them more marketable . . . sigh. If I wanted my stories published, I would have to become a writer too.
So I pushed myself—I mean really pushed myself. I created a file on my computer labeled, “Do Not Read This or I’ll Legitimately Be Mad at You” and I started writing. It felt unnatural at first, but to my surprise, it wasn’t as painful as I feared.
When interesting words popped into my head, I wrote them down. Short poems, small descriptions, weird things I saw people do–I wrote it all. Over time, I became less intimidated by words. Most of what I wrote was trash, but every now and then, I would write something that sounded pretty good. Maybe words weren’t so bad after all?
I also began reading picture books in a new way. Before, I was obsessed with the illustrations, and the words were an afterthought. Sometimes, I’d bypass them altogether to stay focused on the art. But to write a book, I needed to understand how words and pictures worked together to tell a story.
So, I returned to my favorite books, but this time, I read them with a keen eye on the writing. I discovered that my favorite author/illustrators used very few words to communicate deep truths. They let their pictures do the heavy lifting while their words took on a supporting role, guiding the reader gently through the story. This is the kind of book I wanted to write.
All this work came to fruition with The Helping Sweater. My initial book dummy was wordless, but I was encouraged to write a manuscript to support the story. With budding confidence, a renewed sense of determination, and a lot of help from my editor husband, I wrote my first manuscript and resubmitted the story to my agent. And now, 3 years and many revisions later, I’m elated to see it released.
Overall, my process continues to be messy and unconventional. It’s filled with ups and downs, a lot of coffee, and a few swear words. Some days I love what I write, and other days the only writing I do is Google searching for a new job. But I keep coming back because I have more stories to tell—and I want to be the one who tells them.
Check out Rachel Más Davidson’s The Helping Sweater here:
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