Ann Whitford Paul--Picture Books: To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme...

In this session the wonderful poet and picture book author Ann Whitford Paul answered the age-old conference question: Why do all those editors say they don't want rhyming books? The answer: Most rhyming manuscripts are not good; they fail. Editors would be thrilled with great ones.

Ann emphasized four qualities necessary for a successful rhyming picture book text: brevity, focus, consistent rhyme, and consistent rhythm. She offered examples of how and why each of these can go wrong in a manuscript, using her own rewrites of "The Queen of Hearts" rhyme.

I'm sure all the writers in Ann's session came a way with a little better understanding of how to write better rhyme. But she admitted it took her years to learn things like rhythm. She studied poetry with Myra Cohn Livingston. She recited poetry on walks. Writing great rhyming picture books--or mastering poetic prose--does not happen over night. It takes work and dedication.

She reminded us that editors don't just look for good rhyming--a work in rhyme must also be a great story.

We also had some fun with alliteration, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia, metaphor, simile, and personification!

Note that you can learn more from Ann Whitford Paul on writing picture books, rhyming or otherwise, in an upcoming Writer's Digest Books title which will be out in 2009--I'll certainly mention it again closer to the pub date.