If you write picture books, you’ve heard the term “character-driven” A LOT. Everyone seems to be looking for character-driven picture books, but what exactly does this mean? You might have a story with a central main character, but is it truly character driven?
I get queries, and hear pitches, for many “character-driven” picture books that aren’t that. Rather, they’re stories where there IS a main character, and the book might even be titled after him/her; but he/she doesn’t drive the story–stuff just happens to the character. So what IS a character-driven picture book, then? In a sentence, it’s a book where the character’s unique qualities and personality drive the story. The best representation of character-driven picture books are often those belonging to a series.
Character-driven picture books need to have a character that CAN drive a story. That is, what are your character’s unique qualities or personality traits that allow her to drive the plot a specific direction, get into a particular predicament, or solve a problem in a way that only your character can? What makes her special or unique? If someone can read your character-driven story, and not be able to say what makes her unique, that’s a problem.
If this is something you struggle with, here’s an easy way to hone your skills: go to the bookstore and read some character-driven picture books! Like I said above, the easiest way to pick these out, is by seeking out character series, like FANCY NANCY, or any book titled after the character, etc. As you read each one, ask yourself, what makes this character unique and how does this drive the plot (e.g. FANCY NANCY likes to be fancy, and her fancy taste sometimes gets her in over her head, etc).
Time to hit the shelves, everyone!
