Picture Books - Crafting Family Stories

by Moni Ritchie Hadley

You have an idea for a story. It’s based on your family experience. It’s awesome … until it’s critiqued, and you realize it’s not so awesome yet.  

How do you develop that seed of a story into a picture book?

Take control—control over the characters, the plot, and the setting. 

Recalling events from the past or drawing on family experiences are common ways authors begin stories, which is a good start. Some might become nonfiction, some a close retelling, but many will fall into the genre of fiction. When that is the case, remember--

YOU have the power in the story. ​

Recounting an event from your childhood is not enough to create a picture book. Don’t let yourself get stuck in the mindset --but this is what happened! Challenge yourself to move beyond the kernel of truth or fact, and create an exciting story. 

If you find yourself stuck to the facts, here is an example of how I broke out of my original concept for THE STAR FESTIVAL. It began sparsely in text, under two hundred words. While cute in its telling, paralleling the lives of my daughter and her grandma, from a mom’s perspective (me), it lacked excitement. A lost Grandma in a doctor’s office building didn’t wow anyone. 

In the fall of 2019, while taking the class, The Craft and Business of Writing Picture Books at The Children’s Book Academy, I discovered the answer to my question. I stopped resisting and changed the setting to a festival! Good! Now I had a multigenerational story with a colorful setting. But that wasn’t enough. Which festival? I tried to sort my memories. 

Research provided the details necessary to complete the bigger picture. 

The Tanabata Matsuri (Star Festival) was chosen because of the lively colors and festivities. But something unexpected happened. The origins of the festival intrigued me and sent me down the path of adding another layer. By including the telling of the myth, the fabric of my story began to fill in. Consequently, the new setting created bigger challenges for the character, which helped define her.

Here are the parallels my brain was trying to piece together once I had compiled my research. (This is way more organized than in actuality!)

The original myth
Orihime 
Hikoboshi 
Problem (Not allowed to see each other) 
Obstacles (Father, Milky Way river) 

My story
Keiko
Oba
Problem (Oba gets lost)
Obstacles (Many people, river of performers)

• Oba (grandma) tells Keiko, the main character, the story of Tanabata, weaving in culture and history.
• Keiko then uses elements of the myth to find Oba when she becomes lost at the festival making the final version much more kid-friendly.

When I pushed myself away from the original concept, the story finally blossomed.

Here’s how you take control of your story.

Ask yourself these questions and see where you are willing to change. 

1. How can I make my characters more interesting than in real life?
2. How can I change my setting to create bigger problems for my characters? 
3. Can I add another hook to my story? 

(Mine has three layers: multigenerational, diverse, and Non-religious holiday.) 
​
For other great writing lessons and strategies, sign up for the next course offered by The Children’s Book Academy here. Apply for a scholarship here.

Moni’s BIO:
Moni Ritchie Hadley, a half-Japanese, military brat bounced back and forth from the USA to Japan as a child. Daydreaming was a favorite pastime. She received a BA in Psychology at UCLA and later became a home/hospital teacher for the LAUSD, where she taught students with medical needs. Today she lives in Los Angeles, where she turns her sky-gazing daydreams into stories for children. Published in Highlights Magazine, THE STAR FESTIVAL is her picture book debut. 


Connect with Moni
Website: https://www.moniritchie.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bookthreader/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookthreader
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bookthreader
Good Reads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20502723.Moni_Ritchie_Hadley

Purchase THE STAR FESTIVAL: 
​https://bookshop.org/books/the-star-festival/9780807575956

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