Conquering the Cut: How Jeannie Svobodny Made Every Word Count and Why It’s So Important
How can you condense childlike wonder? Bottle up growth and experience? Put a limit on the worth of children’s words? You can’t! They are limitless, vibrant, and incredibly powerful. As the inspiring Jeanne Svobodny went through her journey, publishing her delightful Annie’s 4th of July, she, too, knew she had so much to say!
Here's a little secret from the world of picture books: while a child's imagination knows no bounds, our time with them often does. You see, there's a traditional word count for a beautiful reason: it honors a child's blossoming attention span and considers how long an adult is comfortably able to read in one sitting. It's that sweet spot where a child remains captivated, eagerly sitting and listening while taking in every detail on those enchanting page spreads.
That’s exactly what Jeanne strove to achieve in Annie’s 4th of July. Her storybook, following a young Annie as she gets to take part in her first 4th of July, not only expresses the bravery of taking part in something that scares you (which we know something about!), but also conveys that under 1000 words. As an educator working with children for over fifty years, Jeanne understands children very deeply, but even she started out not knowing there’s a limit to children’s picture books. But after working through ten drafts to reach the words she wanted, she was able to end up with the exact manuscript she needed and then the book she wanted. Here’s how you can too.
What Makes a Children’s Story Book - “Less is More”
A Child’s Perspective
In my free training, one of the key elements I always share with aspiring authors is this: the hero of the story must be the child! Jeanne’s own wisdom shines through in Annie’s 4th of July. Annie is super excited by all the celebrations, but then she is completely overwhelmed by the commotion. She has a hard time wanting to try the rides and participate in the games. As a child, she needs to find her own joy in celebrations and discover bravery within herself to participate. You see, the adults can't just swoop in and save her from it.
In the same beautiful way that the struggle is child-centered, our word count must also match a child’s style and perspective. From a child’s point of view, every new word or situation brings new questions, new wonders, and new understandings. With more focused, isolated words, your book can truly narrow down exactly what situation they need to wonder and ask all those delightful "why" questions about!
The Value of Visuals
A children’s book is largely a wonderful synergy between its captivating illustrations and its heartfelt written storyline. The pictures have just as much narrative weight as your words do! Likewise, when children read, they will be so excited about every little piece of the book, so we need to give each element its space to breathe and blend perfectly with the rest.
After Jeanne released her first work and started reading to children at schools, she knew too, "I think if I'd had more words in that book, I would've lost some of them." She realized children have short attention spans! Your young readers are so active and so full of wonder; they truly need fewer words to look and see before eagerly coming back to your words to find out what's at the heart of all your carefully picked wisdom. This is why Jeanne so highly praised her illustrator, Anna Maria Crumb, whose "illustrations…will keep children coming back to the book, because there's so many things to look at on every page."
Publishing Standards
As aspiring writers, so many of us are focused on achieving our dreams (Publish that book! You know you can!). However, if we’re truly going to go for our dreams, it absolutely has to be at a level of high quality. To reach that always requires some tangible acts alongside your artistic side of wordsmithing.
That means working hand-in-hand with brilliant editors. When you work with our team, you’ll be connected with incredible editors and designers, who hold themselves to very high standards. That means we only have so much time and space to work with. The sweet spot is typically 600-1000 words.
As Jeanne so beautifully expressed, "I didn't realize children's picture books had a word limit, and cutting the story down to 600 to a 1000 words was a real challenge for me… But I learned there are lots of ways you can cut… And I'm so glad that I did!"
Practical Power: How Can I Actually Conquer the Cut?
Embrace Your Narrative Visuals
In Annie’s 4th of July Annie talks all about how excited she is for the festivities, but when she sees them she runs away. Why did Jeanne write it in this way? You may have heard this before, but it can never be said enough: show, don't tell!
This is always true, but especially with younger audiences. Emotions and actions are better understood when they happen in motion, rather than narrated. Just as Jeanne did so naturally with her words, reinforce your characters' emotions or actions through their dialogue or movements. You’ll be amazed at how quickly this can tighten up your word count!
Protip Actions:
- Review your manuscript for descriptive adjectives and adverbs that could easily be conveyed visually. Can a single, strong verb replace an entire phrase?
- Try reading your own work aloud – to yourself, your pet, your child or grandchild, or even other adults – you’ll see right away where some descriptions become longwinded or clunky and can be cut in favor of short, powerful action.
Leverage the Illustrator’s Contributions
That leads me right into the next tip: remember a picture book is a collaborative art form! Jeanne was able to experience this rewarding collaboration when she shared her manuscript with her talented illustrator, Anna-Maria Crum, to truly flesh out her written story. Jeanne shared: "there are lots of ways you can cut, cut down words: let the illustrator explain things through the illustrations rather than, than through the written words!"
Your illustrator can be your biggest ally. As you lovingly take elements away, think about what you really need to say, and what could be conveyed by the beautiful illustrated pictures. Make no mistake, those visuals are incredibly powerful.
Protip Action:
- Think about what could be put into the illustrations of your picture book. If a character is happy, does the text need to say "she was happy," or can the illustration simply show her smiling? Write all those visual ideas down and consider which ones you can note for the illustrator, and then confidently cut from your own manuscript.
The Art of Pruning
When Jeanne went through her process for Annie's 4th of July, she had to revise her story eight to ten times! Just like Jeanne, you’ll have to consider: What can I combine? What events aren’t adding to the story any longer, or are not as strong as the others? What can I cut or “shrink up”? Those are the sorts of thoughtful questions you can use to practice the "art of pruning."
Protip Actions:
- Identify your core message and list the events or elements that must stay to make the story work and make sense.
- Then, cut any subplots or side events that don't directly serve their journey. For example, Annie's journey from fear to bravery!
- Eliminate redundancies. See if any information can be combined or implied.
- Streamline dialogue by cutting any of those unnecessary greetings or conversational filler. Make every single line count.
You Can Do This!
My dear aspiring authors, conquering the cut is a vital skill that empowers you to create compelling, professional, and truly engaging children’s picture books. It’s a challenge, yes, but it’s a beautiful one that refines your craft. Go check out Jeanne’s interview where she tells us all about her writing process to see how you could do it too in the future with our Publishing Mastermind. Remember, just like Jeanne, you have a unique story to tell, and with dedication and the right support, your precious words will find their way into the hands of eager young readers.
Watch Jeanne’s full interview now and get ready to be inspired!
Keep shining!