#CourseReview
Picture Books 101, Adam Wallace (best-selling author, presenter), Kid’s Book Creator Capital, 2020.
Course Description:
PICTURE BOOKS ROCK. They sure do. They rock harder than a chair, a horse, a band, heck, they even rock harder than a rock itself! So what’s so good about picture books? What’s the magic? And how can you capture it and put it in a bottle… or a book, at least! Creating picture books is an amazing experience, from thinking up and writing the story to seeing it come to life in the expert hands of an illustrator, to seeing it in the world, to seeing the joy it brings children. But is it easy to write a picture book? Absolutely! Is it easy to write a good, let alone amazing, picture book? NOT AT ALL!!! Or at least, it wasn’t until now! Because now you are going to get the inside information from a CBCA Notable, New York Times, Amazon and USA Today bestselling author of picture books!
Review:
When you find out that Adam Wallace has published over 80 books for kids, with 2.3 million sold (!), that he is consistently New York Times’ Bestseller (amongst others), and that the new releases just keep on coming, you’ll want to know how he does it! Right?! Yes, please!
As a picture book lover, and writer, myself, I found Adam’s self-paced, video tutorial-style course highly engaging (heaps of fun, actually), thought-provoking, skill-building, and inspirational. Sure, if you’ve been around picture books for a while, and have done your research into the publishing industry, you’ll be reassured with many aspects that you’re on the right track. Even if you’ve completed courses in writing picture books previously, or had a few of your own already published, Adam doesn’t shy away from revealing BIG secrets and creating those ‘A-ha’ moments to set you on a picture book writing (and submitting) frenzy!
I mean, you’ll never have to just accept that you’re having an ‘idea drought’, because in Picture Books 101, Adam shares AMAZING tips into finding ideas, brainstorming ideas, and can I say ‘borrowing’ ideas to fill your creativity tank to the brink.
Adam’s advice on building characters to drive the story, and the key to successful story structures, are mind blowing! If there are any aspects of these elements that didn’t click with you before, they will now, and your story path will literally become so much clearer.
He also delves into writing rhyme, which we know that when done well, are so much fun and super popular with readers. Without concerning too much about the technical jargon, concrete advice and plenty of examples are provided to set the groundwork for creating successful rhyming books, just like Adam’s ‘How to Catch’ series (yes, the bestselling one!).
I love that throughout the course, Adam sets manageable homework tasks that not only get the creative juices flowing, but really have you thinking about putting together all the elements of what makes picture books successful. From building anticipation through page turns, to storyboarding, to focusing on the internal and external goals of your character, using the structure of movies and themes to guide your process, leaving room (with your writing) for illustrators, plus more. The complete handbook, templates, creative writing ideas, useful links and book suggestions are also interweaved into the course to cement those understandings and to practise the skills for yourself.
The best thing I gleaned from the Picture Books 101 course is the fact that I won’t question myself with self-doubt anymore. With solid understandings now in place, I can follow the ‘rules’ that work, maybe even break them, and most importantly, HAVE FUN with writing picture books about any topic under (or around) the sun! There are no limits! Thanks, Adam, your course is AWESOME! 😊
To read our review on Adam’s School Visits 101 course, please click the link.
And click this other link to visit Adam’s Kid’s Book Creator Capital short courses.
Review by Romi Sharp.
Adam Wallace is a New York Times bestselling author who writes every single day, no exceptions. He plans to do that every day for the rest of his life, and he plans on living to 130! From self-publishing through to traditional publishing, Adam now has had over 80 books published, and has had his books read on the White House Lawn and Kim and Kanye’s house!
Follow Adam at these links:
Adam’s Website: www.adam-wallace-books.com/
Kid’s Book Creator Capital Website: www.thekbcc.com
3 thoughts to “#CourseReview: Picture Books 101 by Adam Wallace’s Kid’s Book Creator Capital”
Sounds like a must-do course for any aspiring picture book author.
I highly recommend it! 🙂
Thanks, Romi. I think I’m in overload at the moment but will definitely consider it for next year.