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What is your story about?
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What are the characters?
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What is the setting?
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Break down your story into scenes.
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What are the major events in your story? How will you sequence them?
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Create a visual representation of each scene
This can be done by drawing pictures, writing notes, or using a combination of both.
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Add dialogue and sound effects.
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What do the characters say?
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What sounds do they hear?
Consider the pacing of your story. Are the scenes balanced? Is there enough suspense?
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Revise and edit your storyboard.
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Make changes based on the feedback you receive.
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Once you are happy with your storyboard, you can start writing your book!
An example of a storyboard for a children's book about a little girl who goes on a magical adventure:
- The little girl is sitting in her room, bored. She looks out the window and sees a beautiful bird flying by. She wishes she could fly.
- The little girl falls asleep and dreams that she is a bird. She flies all over the world, seeing amazing things.
- The little girl wakes up and is sad that her dream is over. But then she realizes that she can still fly, even if it's just in her imagination.
- She opens the window and flies away, free as a bird.
- Description:
- A little girl who goes on a magical adventure.
- Title:
- The Little Girl Who Could Fly
- Genre:
- Fantasy
- Age Range:
- 4-8
- Main Characters:
- Lily:
- A curious and adventurous little girl.
- Bird:
- A wise and magical bird who helps Lily on her journey.
- Lily:
- Setting:
- a) Lily's home: A small house in the woods.
- b) The forest: A magical place full of wonder and adventure.
- Plot:
- Intro - What is the Problem?
- Lily is bored and restless.
- She wishes she could go on an adventure.
- Rising Action - Confronts the Problem.
- One day, Lily meets a bird who tells her that she can fly.
- Climax - Problem Solved - Dream Comes True:
- Lily is excited and scared at the same time. She has never flown before.
- Lily takes a deep breath and jumps off the branch of a tree.
- She spreads her arms and flies!
- Falling Action - Results of Solving the Problem.
- Lily flies all over the forest.
- She sees amazing things, like a family of deer and a waterfall.
- Lily has the time of her life.
- Conclusion - End the story with a neat finish, possibly prepare for a new book.
- At the end of the day, Lily flies back home.
- She is tired, but she is also happy.
- Lily knows that she can do anything she sets her mind to.
- Moral - Lesson in the story.
- Anything is possible if you believe in yourself.
- Be creative and have fun with it!
- Intro - What is the Problem?
The first few pages of your book are crucial for grabbing the reader's attention. Introduce your characters and setting, and create a sense of mystery or suspense.
Children have short attention spans, so it's important to keep the story moving forward. There should be a clear beginning, middle, and end, with plenty of action and suspense.
- Children love to use their imaginations, so help them by using vivid language and imagery to bring your story to life.
- Describe the sights, sounds, smells, and textures of your setting,
- Make your characters come alive with their thoughts, feelings, and actions.
- Make it fun!
Children's books should be fun to read. Add humor, adventure, and excitement to your story, and make sure your characters are relatable and likable.
- Use repetition and rhyme to help children remember the story.
- Keep the vocabulary simple and easy to understand.
- Use illustrations to help bring the story to life.
- Get feedback from other children to make sure your story is engaging and fun.
With a little planning and effort, you can write a children's book that will entertain and inspire young readers.
When plotting a children's book, you can follow the traditional outline of an inciting incident, a climax, and a resolution. You can also try breaking down the plot into steps:
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Introduce the main character and the problem they face.
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Have the character try to solve the problem three times.
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Create a climax where the character thinks the solution will never happen
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Provide the perfect solution
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Try to include a surprise ending.
- Think about logic.
- Explain logic to a 6 year old.
- A set of rules that help us understand and make sense of things.
- A game where we use our brains.
- Explain logic to a 6 year old.
- Consider cause and effect.
- Ask children to predict
- Ask children to predict what will happen if they push a tower, for example.
- Use the word "because"
- The word "because" help's children understand why something happens.
- Ask questions
- Have the character or narrator ask questions to help guide the audience (children) to understand what happened, what is going to happen, and ultimately why if happened.
- Ask children to predict
The transitions from picture to picture and page to page should be logical and sequential. The plot should also be motivated by the main character's actions and illustrate the book's theme. You can also try looking around you for inspiration, such as your house, pets, or things your kids struggle with.
- Family
- Friendship
- Discovery (Learning)
- Empathy
- Anger
- Courage
- Suffering
- Boredom
- School
- Imagination
- Teamwork
- Travel
- Big Changes
- Farm
- Ocean
- Pool
- Jungle
- Forest
- Jungle
- Neighborhood
- Park / Playground
- River
- Lake
- Beach
- Home
- Fort
- Dreams
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