May 6, 2025
In
Writing Craft
How to Use Personal Experience to Create Originality in Your Picture Books
Your personal experience is an absolute goldmine of originality, and the more you tap into that experience, the more authentic and fresh your stories will feel. We all have moments that define us, that shape our view of the world, and those moments are what make your story stand out.
So, how do you turn those personal experiences into picture book gold? Here are a few tips:
Shadra Strickland might be the most delightful writing workshop presenter on the planet. In this episode, the author/illustrator (and agent!) reveals how to get at the heart of your story by sharing some of her best writing exercises to get your creative juices flowing from your brain to the page.
Today’s episode comes from Picture Book Summit Co-Founders Emma Walton Hamilton and Julie Hedlund. Emma and Julie are also co-creators of the Complete Picture Book Submission System. In this episode, you’ll hear them share their submission expertise as they provide you with the key components of a killer query letter and break down three real query letters critiqued by Emma or Julie that resulted in agent representation or a book contract. You’ll leave this episode with actionable items you can apply immediately to your own queries. Get ready to polish those queries until they shine brighter than you thought possible.
Today it’s time for part three of Where the Idea Are series: Developing Ideas. Listen to the first two parts of the series below:
