How Long Does it Take to Write a Picture Book?

Unfortunately, there is no real answer to this question. It may take days or years for you. No one can tell you how long it will take.

But I understand why you might be asking this question.

You want to have a goal in mind.

That you can do.

When I was younger my dad took me on cycling trips that could last all day. When the destination was familiar, I worked harder and faster to get there, but when the destination was unknown, hill after hill felt like it could go on forever and I tired out quickly.

Setting goals is like creating a road map to your destination.

Your journey is from one end of a picture book to the other.

Set SMART Goals

In this context, setting SMART goals looks something like below.

Set Your Milestones

Here are mine:

1. Collect Ideas
2. Fall in Love With an Idea
3. Develop the Idea Into a Story
4. Write Your First Draft
5. Rewrite Your First Draft From Different Points of View
6. Evaluate Your Drafts and Narrow Them Down
7. Revise
8. Show Your Work to Your Critique Group
9. Revise
10. Repeat Steps 8 & 9 Until You Are Satisfied With the Product
11. If That Fails, Repeat From Step 5

I visualize this process like a funnel. For every 50 ideas, you may fall in love with 20. 10 of those may develop into a story. Of the 10 that are developed enough to write, you may settle into 5. Of those, you may only show 3 to your critique group.

Make each of these goals attainable by preparing the tools you need to complete them before hand. For example, you can use my free Picture Book Writing Cheat Sheet to evaluate your drafts.

Set a Schedule for Your Milestones

For example, you may participate in Tara Lazar’s Story Storm. You will set a goal to write down 1 idea for every day in January. There is daily inspiration from a collection of creators and if you choose to check in every day then there is added accountability.

Storystorm is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time based.

Set Up a Backup Plan

For when things don't go the way you’ve planned, which inevitably they don't.

What happens if you can't come up with an idea on January 15th? Maybe you were stressed, busy with work, or home life.

When I am feeling extra hyped or I have spare time, I come up with multiple ideas and put them in the bank. That way I do not feel bad when things happen.

Set Yourself Up For Success

When you accomplish a goal: celebrate! When things don't work out, go back and take a closet look at what happened.

When revising your goals look for micro-adjustments that you can make throughout your day to make a goal more attainable. Often, little changes can make a big difference.

Recap:

1. Set SMART Goals
2. Set Your Milestones
3. Set a Schedule for Your Milestones
4. Set up a Backup Plan
5. Set Yourself Up For Success

Keep Going!

​xx Cory