Why Your Picture Book Idea Doesn’t Need to Be Original
The KidLit Creator’s Chronicle #51
Over the years, I’ve noticed that authors tend to fall into one of two camps when it comes to their picture book idea.
The first is the author who isn’t sure their idea is good enough. They have something–a feeling or a moment they can’t shake–but they keep second-guessing it. They wonder if it’s too ordinary or too similar to something already out there. They sit on it for months, sometimes years, waiting for something better to come along. Meanwhile, the book doesn’t get written.
The second is the author who is absolutely certain their idea is brilliant. They arrive excited, convinced they’ve landed on something completely original and unlike anything on the shelves. Sometimes they’re right. But quite often, the idea is so unusual or so conceptually complex that it’s hard to picture who the audience is or where it would sit in a bookshop. The excitement is wonderful, but the idea needs work.
Whichever camp you may fall in, the real question is, “Can this idea become a story worth telling, and am I the right person to tell it?”
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What an Outstanding Idea Actually Needs
What your idea does need is something that makes it fun, interesting, touching and worth reading. A character with real personality, a situation children will immediately recognise or that resonates emotionally, a premise with humour or wonder or excitement to it. It doesn’t have to be extraordinary.
And then the part that most authors underestimate is that it needs to be executed well. In my experience, execution is more important even than the idea, and a bigger part of what makes a picture book succeed or fail.
The Proof Is Already on Your Bookshelf
Let’s look at some of the bestselling, most beloved picture books of all time and see how original the ideas were.
Llama Llama Red Pajama is a story about a little llama who misses his mama at bedtime. This is one of the most universal experiences in the world. There is nothing unusual about the idea, and yet it became a beloved bestseller and spawned a series.
The Rainbow Fish is about a beautiful fish who learns to share. Sharing is arguably one of the most common themes in all children’s books (and parenting life). Yet the book has sold over 30 million copies worldwide.
Olivia by Ian Falconer is a day in the life of a lively, imaginative pig. There is no complex arc or unusual concept. Just a lovable character. It won a Caldecott Honor and launched one of the most recognisable characters in picture books.
Elephant and Piggie by Mo Willems features two friends going through simple, everyday situations with straightforward dialogue. The premises are extremely basic, yet the series has won multiple awards and sold millions of copies because the execution–the humour and the character dynamics–is excellent.
The ideas are simple, but in the hands of authors who understood their audience and craft, they became classics.
Where Outstanding Ideas Actually Come From
In my experience, the best picture book ideas almost always come from one of these places:
Your own memories and experiences. Think back to your own childhood. What fears did you have? What made you laugh until your sides hurt? What did you not understand about the world? What moment have you never forgotten? We all share so many universal experiences, which means your memory can speak to thousands of children who’ve felt exactly the same way.
Real children. If you have children in your life, pay attention to what they say and ask and wonder about. Children are surprising, and the things they say and notice can often be ideas for wonderful stories. Keep a note on your phone and jot things down when they happen.
The universal in the specific. The best picture book ideas zoom in on a small, specific moment or feeling that speaks to something every child experiences. Not “a story about friendship” but “a story about the moment you’re not sure if someone is still your best friend.” Not “a story about being brave” but “a story about the first time you do something terrifying and discover you can.”
The “what if” question. Take an ordinary situation and twist it. What if your toys came to life when you weren’t home? What if the monster under the bed was actually more scared of you than you were of it? What if you could talk to animals, but they only ever wanted to complain? Asking “what if” is one of the most reliable idea generators there is. And you can ask it multiple times of the same idea.
Gaps on your own bookshelf. What story do you wish existed? What book would you have loved as a child that you’ve never been able to find? What conversation do you want to be able to have with a child in your life, and what book would make that easier?
The Uniqueness Myth
A concern I’ve heard more than once is, “My idea needs to be unique.”
I understand why people believe this. I have also certainly heard the advice going around that you need to come up with a unique idea or something that’s never been done before.
First off, that is really hard to do. With everything out there already, coming up with something that’s never been done before (in any way, shape or form) just puts unnecessary pressure on you.
Plus, if you take it too far, it will hurt your success.
If your idea is so unique that nobody has ever thought of it before, it will be hard to categorise and hard to sell. (Or maybe the idea feels unique to you but has actually been done many times before, which means you need to spend more time studying the market.)
True originality in picture books is rare. The books that feel original almost always turn out to have a very simple premise. What makes them feel special is the voice and the way the author chose to tell that particular story.
Even with more unusual ideas, like Llama Destroys the World or Dragons Love Tacos, in my opinion the execution is what makes the books special, more so than the ideas.
Start Your Idea List This Week
Your homework (should you choose to accept it) is to start paying attention in a new way this week.
Keep a running note on your phone or a small notebook nearby write down at least three of the following:
- A memory from your own childhood that still makes you smile, cringe, or wonder
- Something a child in your life said or asked that surprised you
- A situation you wish someone had written a picture book about
- A “what if” question that makes you curious
You don’t need a fully formed idea. You just need to start collecting. If you write them down, they can grow into something (and give you headspace for more ideas!).
Comment and tell me one idea you’re sitting with right now, even if it’s rough, even if you’re not sure about it. I’d love to hear it, and sometimes just saying it out loud (or typing it out) is enough to help you see whether it has that spark.
And if anything in this issue raised a question, let me know.
There are ideas all around us. It might be in a conversation you had last week, a question a child asked you, or a moment from your own childhood you’ve never quite forgotten. You don’t have to invent it from scratch.
And if you write them all down, you’ll have plenty to work with!
