Overview: Illustrations are an integral part of any picture book, and it’s essential that your text leaves enough space for them to contribute meaningfully to the storytelling. When self-editing your manuscript, consider how text and illustrations will work together to create a richer, more engaging narrative. In this article, we’ll guide you through how to self-edit your manuscript to ensure the illustrations can shine without being overshadowed by unnecessary descriptions.
Why Self-Editing for Illustration Matters
In picture books, illustrations aren’t just complementary—they are part of the story itself. Over-explaining details in your text can take away from the visual storytelling that illustrations provide. By editing your manuscript with the illustrations in mind, you allow the artwork to do some of the heavy lifting, creating a more dynamic and engaging experience for young readers.
Key Considerations When Self-Editing for Illustrations
1. Leave Space for Illustrations to Tell the Story
Illustrations often convey elements that don’t need to be spelled out in the text. This is especially important for picture books, where the visuals are just as vital as the words.
- Avoid over-explaining details that could be easily shown through the artwork, like facial expressions, settings, or actions.
- Let the illustrations carry part of the narrative by leaving space for them to enhance the storytelling.
Questions to Ask:
- Are there sections of the text where I describe something that could be better shown through an illustration?
- Have I included visual details that the illustrator could convey without text?
2. Collaborate Between Text and Illustration
The most successful picture books are ones where text and illustration work hand in hand to create a seamless story. There should be moments where they complement each other, rather than simply repeating the same information.
- Think about how text and illustrations can work together to create a richer, more layered story.
- Plan visual storytelling cues where illustrations can add details that the text hints at but doesn’t fully describe.
Questions to Ask:
- Are there moments where the text and illustrations can work together to create something more powerful?
- Am I relying too much on text, when an illustration could convey the same idea in a more engaging way?
3. Ensure Visual Diversity
Children are drawn to picture books with dynamic and varied illustrations. Each page should offer something visually interesting and new, keeping young readers engaged.
- Consider whether each scene or page offers visual diversity and interest for the reader. Does the text provide opportunities for the illustrator to play with different scenes, characters, or actions?
- Plan a balance of quiet and busy pages, allowing for visual variety while maintaining the flow of the story.
Questions to Ask:
- Does each page or scene offer something visually diverse for the illustrator?
- Are there opportunities for the illustrator to bring creativity and variation to the book?
How to Self-Edit for Illustration
Step 1: Review Your Descriptions
Go through your manuscript and highlight areas where you may be over-explaining details that could be shown in the illustrations. Simplify or remove text that feels redundant with what the illustrations will show.
Step 2: Plan Text and Illustration Collaboration
Identify key moments in your story where text and illustrations can work together to create something richer. For example, can the text hint at a mood while the illustration shows the full emotion? Or can the illustrations depict a setting without needing much description in the text?
Step 3: Check for Visual Variety
Make sure each scene or page provides visual diversity for the illustrator. Do different scenes allow for a range of colors, settings, and characters? Are there opportunities for the illustrator to enhance the story with unique visual elements?
Step 4: Use Imagery Tags
Use Imagery Tags in your manuscript to plan how the illustrations will interact with the text. These tags can guide your illustrator on what scenes to highlight or what visual elements are important, without embedding those details into the text itself.
To add an Imagery Tag:
- Highlight the section where you want to include visual guidance.
- Use the Imagery Tag feature in the Made Live editor to note what should be visually depicted in the illustration.
Self-editing for illustrations is essential to ensure that your picture book tells a rich and engaging story without relying solely on the text. By leaving space for illustrations, balancing text and visual storytelling, and using Imagery Tags, you’ll create a manuscript that invites collaboration with your illustrator and enhances the reader’s experience.
