Picture Book Writer Musings: Cutting Characters
A year ago, I wrote my first picture book.
Back then, I called it The Bookworm of Blackwood Briar. I had planned for the story to be the first in an alliterative series of picture books. My goal: BRING BACK ALLITERATION! I used to love it as a kid, so why not have kids reading more alliteration today?
I joined Storyteller Academy taught by author/illustrator, Arree Chung, knowing that the story I had written was special. Different. It was ready to go!
I was sure of it.
Our first workshop arrived and I submitted my book dummy. I knew Arree would love Benny’s story and so would all the others in the class! I was confident in myself and the story I had written. I read it with all the enthusiasm I could muster, flowing through all my B-words with ease.
When I read the last line, I waited. Dead silence answered. Then, the reviewing began. The critiques were tough to hear. Most loved my alliteration, but alliteration is one of those things: you either love it, or you hate it. From further research since then, I found that most agents feel the latter about it.
Arree told me there was too much going on. Too many characters. Was Ringo the rhino beetle really important to the story? The story was about the friendship between Benny (the bookworm) and Beatrice (the butterfly), wasn’t it? According to Arree, adding in Ringo muddled that concept. He was too strong a character and detracted from the point of my story. Arree was sure Ringo was a character I needed to cut.
I wasn’t.
I loved Ringo! I mean, come on, a rhino beetle named Ringo? Who wouldn’t love him? He was a bumbling, biscuit-loving, beetle and I was determined to keep him.
Try as I might, I revised. Rewrote. Changed the entire direction of the story…many…many times. Ringo stayed in. But, my story wasn’t working.
It went through many names, this beloved tale of mine:
- The Bookworm of Blackwood Briar
- Benny the Bookworm
- Benny and Beatrice
- Beatrice (Yes, I even tried a version where Beatrice the butterfly took the lead.)
- The Butterfly and the Bookworm (I was still trying to lead with Beatrice here.)
After all of that, and my patient, always-willing-to-read-my-work-no-matter-how-many-times, critique group of mine, and I came to a conclusion…
Ringo had to go.
I tried and I tried to keep him. But, I finally realized myself that he did get in the way of the story, just like Arree had told me a long time back. I just wasn’t ready to listen.
Without Ringo, Benny had to get out of the mess he’d gotten himself into alone. He couldn’t have everything done for him. He had to figure out his own way, on his own.
And there was my story…
How could a worm who’d made a bad decision, and gotten himself into an impossible mess, get himself back out again?
How would he fix things with his dearest friend?
Well, if you think I’m giving those away, you’ve got another thing coming! You’ll just have to wait and read the story, won’t you? <wink, wink>
The story took off! It flowed more easily. It made more sense. It was more fun! Above all, it kept to who the story was really about and never strayed from that.
As I sit here currently getting the book dummy finalized and putting the final tweaks on the wording, I find it’s a good time to reflect on this manuscript’s journey and how far it’s come from where it began.
I still adore Benny and Beatrice just as much as when I created them, more even. I was determined from day one that they were two characters who were going to get a story out of me. They kept their patience with me and I with them. I’m happy to say that we finally have it. Polishing now, but the bones are already there.
I’ve taken their story from a “quiet” one, as an agent had once called it, to something with adventure! Something more marketable. My hope above all else, was to write something children will love, with characters they can connect with.
Ringo will get his own book someday. Mark my words. Perhaps he will even get to meet Benny and Beatrice too! There are endless possibilities with these characters as far as I’m concerned and I can’t wait to explore them all!
Alas, I will leave you with dear Ringo. He will be missed, but not forgotten, for this is the tale of The Bookworm and the Butterfly, and there just weren’t enough pages to contain their story and add in his.
16 Comments
Natalia
I really like the stuff which you have shared here.
JHWinter
Thank you so much, Natalia! 🙂
Micheal Holding
You are an inspiration. Looking forward to seeing the finished book
JHWinter
Thank you so much Micheal! What a wonderful thing to say 😀
Carole Meyer-Rieth
You are so talented, Julianne, and I love that you took your time and followed your heart throughout the process – even when that meant giving yourself a chance to resonate with feedback that didn’t sit right at first. As you know, I know how that feels! I am so excited to see you press on, and I am confident that your perseverance, talent, and grit will pay off! I’m celebrating these significant steps with you, my friend!
JHWinter
Oh my goodness, Carole, what nice words. Thank you so much! Feedback is never easy to get, but the end result is so much better in the end. Sometimes it leads you in new directions that have some fabulous results!
Myrna
Yay! I’m glad you figured it out. And I’m glad that Ringo will get his own story.
JHWinter
Thank you, Myrna! I love Ringo and I wouldn’t be being fair to him if he didn’t get his own story 😉
Bonnie
Thanks so much for sharing your journey with us! You are an inspiration. Looking forward to seeing the finished book
JHWinter
Thank you so much, Bonnie! I can’t wait to share the finished book with you! 🙂
Laura Baird
Wonderful! Hopefully Ringo WILL get his own story one day. Love the finished, color illustration, Julianne.
JHWinter
Thank you, Laura! I can see these characters having many more adventures together in the future and Ringo will certainly get his own in there somewhere 🙂
Sarah Tobias
Such a great post. I can’t wait to read the Bookworm and the Butterfly.
JHWinter
Thank you so much! I can’t wait to share more about the story and for it to be in print.
Lib Et
So glad Rhino will get his own story one day Julieanne. This was a great insight into your process and how, as painful as it was, cutting out a beloved character can take your story to another level. Well written blog post, and beautiful illustrations. You are a Star!
JHWinter
Thank you for such kind words Lib Et! Sharing our process is important not only for those who are fans of our work, but also for fellow writers too. We need to know that the journey isn’t always easy and others have experiences similar to our own to keep us going. Never give up on your writing or your characters. They will see you where you want to be in the end. I’m sure of it!