How the Picture Book Marathon Works

Hello Authors and Illustrators! If you’re unfamiliar with the marathon, here’s how it works. 

Your Goal: 

Between February 1 and February 28, write one picture book a day, until you get to 26. This year, you get two break days, which you get to pick. 

The Basics: 

For the marathon, a "picture book" is defined as (1) a story or narrative, (2) with a beginning, middle, and end, (3) for children, and (4) intended to be illustrated. They’re generally, though not always, published in a 32 page format. Given the speed of the marathon, your picture book DRAFTS (for that’s what they’ll be) will be very rough. What you hope to capture is the basic plot, characters, and emotion of each story.

Why Do It:

• Generate a lot of ideas/material in a short amount of time.
• Get your creative juices flowing by forcing yourself to write daily.
• Circumvent your internal naysayer - they either won’t have time to criticize, or they’ll be too tired.
• Develop a writing habit.

A Few Other Notes

• The marathon doesn't host a place where you can post your work.
• See today's separate blog post for instructions on signing up (optional).