Tina M. Cho
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Picture Book Writing vs. Novel Writing

5/5/2015

26 Comments

 
So I finished writing my first middle grade novel last month and wanted to share with you what I learned. Going from writing picture books to a novel is quite different, yet some things stayed the same. I made this Venn Diagram to compare and contrast the two. 
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I'm a plotter, and so I sketched out each chapter and created my characters. However, my muse didn't always follow the outline, which is good. And as I got deeper into each chapter, my characters became more alive to me and even changed. I remember adding to their character sketches as I went along. My characters became a little bossy and sometimes took the story in a new way. And new minor characters introduced themselves that weren't even planned. I think it's a good idea to have a vision and rough outline to begin with and then let the story come alive and unfold as you write. I've sent it out to the first batch of beta readers. We'll see if it's any good. :)  If you have any revision tips, let me know!!
26 Comments
Sylvia Liu link
5/5/2015 02:46:16 am

Nice Venn diagram! I can relate to this as I also just completed a young MG novel. Sometimes I think there is a bit more leeway to tell in a picture book because of the limited number of words available.

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Tina Cho link
5/5/2015 08:37:43 am

Thanks, Sylvia. Congrats on finishing your novel, too!

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Robin Newman link
5/5/2015 03:48:50 am

Tina, Congratulations! Very interesting to see the differences mapped out.

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Tina Cho link
5/5/2015 08:38:22 am

Thanks, Robin. Yes, I guess I'm a visual person.

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Trine
5/5/2015 04:15:11 am

Nice Venn, Tina! Congrats on finishing your manuscript. I am also working on one. I have had to really shift gears from the picture book approach. Looking forward to your progress.

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Tina Cho link
5/5/2015 08:39:15 am

How neat you're in the trenches now, Trine, writing yours!

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Jarm Del Boccio link
5/5/2015 04:24:46 am

This is so helpful, Tina. And congrats on your novel . . .I'm only half way through mine! How do you do it alongside home education and all the other daily stuff? You are amazing!

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Tina Cho link
5/5/2015 08:40:11 am

I think being a disciplined freelance writer helped me get it done, working on it almost every day. After homeschool each day, I wrote or plotted.

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Dana Carey link
5/5/2015 05:27:39 am

This is a great way to summarize the differences and similarities, Tina.
The way you describe your writing experience makes me want to get going writing a MG novel too!

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Tina Cho link
5/5/2015 08:40:47 am

Definitely try, Dana. I'm sure being in France would give u lots of ideas!

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Penny Parker Klostermann link
5/5/2015 09:28:07 am

Wow! I'm so impressed that you completed a novel. Love this compare and contrast. It seems to make a lot of sense. I'm not speaking from experience because I haven't attempted a novel :-)

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Tina Cho link
5/5/2015 10:58:54 pm

Thanks, Penny. I'm sure you'd be great at novel writing, too!

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Pam Brunskill link
5/5/2015 10:40:28 am

Awesome graphic organizer. I didn't know you wrote a novel--would love to read it sometime!

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Tina Cho link
5/5/2015 10:59:42 pm

Pam, I turned the Yunho story into a novel and added more characters. I'd love to have your advice!

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Damon Dean link
5/5/2015 01:18:20 pm

As I begin to think of my recent historical fiction picture book I terms of a MG novel, this diagram and post is so timely! Thanks Tina!

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Tina Cho link
5/5/2015 11:00:30 pm

Glad it helped, Damon. That's essentially what I did, turned my pb into a novel.

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Diane Tullloch link
5/5/2015 09:50:38 pm

Love your graph with the difference/similarities Tina. My stories are usually acting out like a movie in my head from beginning to end before I even put a word down, .Great post.

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Tina Cho link
5/5/2015 11:01:16 pm

That's great you can visualize your whole novel, Diane! That must make it easier to write!

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Tracy Campbell link
5/5/2015 11:19:06 pm

A big congratulations to you, Tina, for writing a MG novel. I love the chart. I'm going to save this as I'm a visual learner. :-D

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Tina Cho link
5/6/2015 07:43:07 am

Thank you, Tracy. I hope the chart will be useful to you as you attempt to write one.

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Lynn Rogalsky link
5/6/2015 12:17:57 am

Love the diagram! Thank you, as it is so helpful in visualizing the contrast between the two genres (I write both). Best to you on your MG novel. :)

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Tina Cho link
5/6/2015 07:44:07 am

I'm so glad. Thanks, Lynn. I'll have to look up your books.

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Cathy Hall link
5/6/2015 12:20:05 am

BIG congrats, Tina, finishing up that novel! And what an interesting Venn Diagram--I don't think I've considered the similarities between PB and MG, but yep, there are a few. If your story's as good as your Venn, then you're golden! :-)

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Tina Cho link
5/6/2015 07:45:42 am

Aw, thanks, Cathy!

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Claire link
5/7/2015 02:16:29 am

Congratulations Tina on finishing your middle grade novel. I admire you for making the leap. Your Venn diagram is interesting - visuals do make things clearer. I'm working on emergent early readers now - I think they have more in common with picture books than novels with the added vocabulary challenge.

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Tina Cho link
5/7/2015 07:35:04 am

How fun to be trying an emergent early reader, Claire. I might try that next.

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    Tina M. Cho, children's author

    I'm a children's author and freelance writer for the educational market. Welcome!

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