The Making of a Children's Book

How long does it take to write a children's book?

When my friend and former teacher Beverley Dieker sat down to brainstorm on ideas for Penny it was the Summer of 2007. I had just attended my ten year high school class reunion. After that trip, I went home to Cecil, and started to write. However, I had one problem.

It was called The Blank Page Syndrome

I have had many writing teachers tell me to talk to the page as if it were your friend. Sometimes, I believed in that, and other times I didn't. The first page of anything to me had to consist of an introduction. So, here I come belting out "Hi Boys and Girls! My name is Penny Brown"

Okay.......that being said, I begin to think of the average family two parents, 2.5 kids, and a dog. (Penny does not have a dog as of yet, but stay tuned!) Okay, now the family is set up. What do they live in. Even though preschoolers are sometimes smarter than we think, I thought best to keep it simple. (White house on a long street).

As I wrote, ideas became easier in my head. Talking about the big slide brought back painful memories of first grade. I became stuck up on top of a big slide, and was too afraid to climb down. All the other kids had waited patiently for their turn. However, one of the teachers made them climb down, while My teacher, Mrs. Wild, had to come and physically lift me off the slide. All of the kids laughed at me.

IT was the pain of being laughed at that made me write/ I kept going, until I finished. I had my first draft finished within a week, but it was about a month before I let anyone look at it. Any writing teacher Will tell you to let a piece "sit" for awhile. The project took me a month to complete, but it was two years before I found Michelle to illustrate it, and another year before my dream became a realty.