Tiny packets of joy -- or how to write a lyrical picture book

      I just got back from the 2018 SCBWI Carolinas Conference, where I gave a talk on lyrical writing. It was my first time speaking at an SCBWI event. Yea! Of course, I over-prepared. For the past two months, I have immersed myself in dazzling picture books that filled my heart with rich loveliness. And since my heart is still bursting, I want to share a bit of what I learned with you. 

      The first thing I noticed in book after book was that the illustrations matched the tone of the text. I didn't use this book as an example because I only just bought it at the conference, but look at The Dress and the Girl by Camille Andros, illustrated by Julie Morstad. There is a luscious spread in this book that I absolutely adore. The girl is standing on a flower-strewn hillside, and the sky is littered with stars. Here's the text:

Instead, life continued on in quite an ordinary fashion.
Picking daffodils,
feeling the wind,
and staring at the stars.

      Simple. Elegant. Beautiful. And did I mention her dress and hair are slightly wind-blown and she's standing beside the sea? Gah! Just gorgeous.

      Another thing that jumped out at me in all these lyrical picture books was the use of seriously vivid verbs. Example from Kate Messner and Christopher Silas Neal's book, Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt:

Spring sun shines down to melt the sleepy snow.
Wind whistles through last year's plants,
and mud sucks at my rain boots.

      Here, we have the sun and wind and mud personified and just a tiny bit of alliteration: spring sun/sleepy snow/wind whistles. But the best bit is the “mud sucking at my rain boots.”

      These are sensory details. We feel the warmth and hear the whistling wind. We even feel/hear the glop of the rain boots as the mud releases them.
First person point of view puts us right there inside the main character, so we can experience everything as the little girl in the story does. BRILLIANT!

      Figurative language -- especially vivid visual imagery -- is another hallmark of lyrical writing. Check out The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles by Michelle Cuevas, illustrated by Erin Stead:  

Other times, he would journey until his compass became rusty and he felt loneliness as sharp as fish scales.

      She is masterful at creating unique metaphors and similes! And check out the imagery in this line: He stank of seaweed and salt and fishermen's feet.

      Sensory details are so important when trying to create a lyrical story. It's not ALL about atmosphere and tone, beauty and gentleness. Even stinky fishermen's feet can add to the lyricism. 

      In Step Gently Out by Helen Frost, illustrated by Rick Lieder (photos), the first line is: Be still and watch a single blade of grass. Such simple text! But it's a beautiful book with extraordinary photos throughout. An oldie but goodie from 2012!

      Here are a couple more GORGEOUS lines you need to know and books you need to read (I promise!)

Before She Was Harriet by Lesa Cline-Ransome and James E Ransome
 
Here she sits
an old woman
tired and worn
her legs stiff
her back achy
 
But before wrinkles formed
and her eyes failed
before she reached
her twilight years
she could walk for miles
and see clearly
under a sky lit only with stars.

The Little Yellow Leaf  by Carin Berger
 
It was Autumn.
In the hush of the forest
a lone yellow leaf
clung to the branch
of a great oak tree.

This House, Once by Deborah Freedman

This door was once a colossal oak tree
about three hugs around
and as high as the blue.

      Whatever you do, don't miss Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova by Laurel Snyder, illustrated by Julie Morstad. It's from 2015, but it's one of those timeless picture books you will read over and over again! The atmosphere, tone, sentence variation, gentleness. Ahh! I LOVE THIS BOOK!

       I am so honored to have had the opportunity to read these beautiful books and to speak to fellow authors about lyrical writing at the conference. Thank you for coming! Now get some rest; breathe in the crisp fall air; feel the gentle touch of raindrops on your skin; watch the dancing leaves that bend and wave on dusty sunbeams. Most of all, believe in yourself! 

Happy writing!

Megan 

P. S. Please share this post, and let me know you shared by posting a comment below with your email address. I will send you even more goodies about lyrical writing (no spam, I promise!) 
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