I help Muslim women reconnect with their writing and I teach creative writing in a way that's fun and intuitive. I love to see writers begin to believe in themselves again, break through their struggles and resistance, and show up on the page in all their brilliance.
writing PBs with adult characters
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I was having a conversation with a writer who was working on a picture book that had an adult as the main character. The norm in picture books is to have a child as the main character. Adult characters, if present, are there as supporting characters. So we had a really interesting discussion about how to write a picture book where an adult is the main character, or if there are only adult characters. One way to make these stories work is to have your adult character behave in child-like and/or in silly and exaggerated ways that makes kids laugh. Think, "There Was An Old Auntie Who Swallowed A Samosa" by Asmaa Hussein. But you don’t always have to take that approach if that doesn’t appeal to you. You can still have an adult character as long as the emotions that are being explored in the story are relatable to kids. You also need an engaging plot that either makes children want to turn the page and find out if everything turns out okay at the end, or a plot that keeps them waiting for a reveal that happens at the end of your story. Here are some picture books that I love that have adults as the main characters:
"Nabeel's New Pants" does a really great job merging the two elements — it has a bit of silliness in it that’s tied up in a very engaging story It's definitely more challenging to write a picture book with an adult as the main character, but it’s not impossible at all. The general craft lesson here is that when you’re doing something that isn’t the norm for your age group/genre, try to find examples of published work where writers have successfully done the thing you’re trying to do. You can read those books to figure out how they did it and what’s missing from your work. With best wishes & duas for your writing, Hajera P.P.S. If you’re looking to grow as a writer — to write stories that aren’t formulaic and to experiment more with your craft — my Grounded Writers community for Muslim women is a nourishing space that helps you build and grow your creative writing practice. If you enjoy reading these emails, you’ll love being a member! Doors are currently closed but join the waitlist if you’re interested in our next intake. I'll only be opening up 10 spots and writers on the waitlist will get first dibs. |
Hajera Khaja
I help Muslim women reconnect with their writing and I teach creative writing in a way that's fun and intuitive. I love to see writers begin to believe in themselves again, break through their struggles and resistance, and show up on the page in all their brilliance.
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