Ask the Author: Jen Betton
Answered Questions (4)
Jen Betton
Sometimes it's just taking time to let the story "bake". I might not be able to see a solution right now, but if I put it away and work on something else the solution often pops in my head. Or reading other folk's picture books helps too - absorbing good stories until my subconscious is immersed in the structure and style of good picture books. Inspiration strikes unexpectedly, but you can make it more likely to happen!
Jen Betton
Conferences, taking a walk, reading, listening to the radio, pretty much anything can spark inspiration, but I find doing writing exercises, conferences, and having a good critique partner to be the most helpful for inspiration. The more I actively look for ideas, the more I find them.
Jen Betton
Read good books! Read good books that are like the kind of books you want to make. Then draw or write as much as you can. It all comes down to absorbing good stories, good art, and then practicing your own writing and drawing. If you are at a point where you want to take some classes, try to seek out instructors whose work you admire, and ideally who are doing what you hope to do someday. SCBWI can be a really great resource for finding and meeting folks in the KidLit community.
Jen Betton
The idea for Hedgehog Needs a Hug first came from reading Library Lion, written by Michele Knudsen, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. It’s such a genius story about a lion (loud creature) who loves the library (quiet place). I loved that inherent conflict, and started brainstorming creatures who might want something that is inherently hard for them to attain. So a hedgehog... might want a hug!
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