26) Writing Picture Books for Children

About this class

This course will introduce participants to the basics of children’s picture book writing. In a day-long intensive format, participants will engage in the steps to plan a story and source illustrations for a 22-page story aimed at children ages 3-5. No previous writing experience is necessary, though story ideas are helpful.

Participants will have the opportunity to experiment with the basics of storytelling for younger ages as well as the trends in the current industry.

Class Outline

We will cover the following four modules over the course of the day:

1. Developing a central character
2. Planning a storyboard
3. Choosing an illustrator (or designing your own illustrations)
4. Considering the range of publishing options

Materials needed

Please note: VCUQatar reserves the right to cancel classes for which not enough participants are registered. Already paid fees will be refunded.

Please do not purchase materials until VCUQatar has sent final course confirmation.

Items to buy for this class

• paper, pencil, pen
• laptop and charger
• usb flash drive

On occasions, there may be some more materials to be bought and brought in if and when advised by the instructor.

Where to buy your materials

Most of the materials are available from any art supply shop, for example:

• Cass Art (Fire station): Community Classes students get a 15% discount upon presenting the registration ticket
• Jarir Bookstore: on Rayyan Road or Salwa Road
• Color Note: on Al Nasser Street
• Ibn Al Qayyim: at Markhiya Roundabout
• Al Rawnaq

Schedule

Start: Sat, 6 Apr, 2019
End: Sat, 6 Apr, 2019
Lessons: 1
Days: Saturday
Time: 10:00am – 3:00pm
Location: VCUQatar, Room 166
Cost: QAR 650

Instructors

Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar
Lecturer

Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar is a South Asian American who has lived in Qatar since 2005. Moving to the Arabian Desert was fortuitous in many ways since this is where she met her husband, had two sons, and became a writer.  She has since published eight e-books, including a momoir for first time mothers, Mommy But Still Me; a guide for aspiring writers, So You Want to Sell a Million Copies; a short story collection, Coloured and Other Stories; and a novel about women’s friendships, Saving Peace.

Her coming of age novel, An Unlikely Goddess, won the SheWrites New Novelist competition in 2011.

Her recent books have focused on various aspects of life in Qatar. From Dunes to Dior, named as a Best Indie book in 2013, is a collection of essays related to her experiences as a female South Asian American living in the Arabian Gulf. Love Comes Later was the winner of the Best Indie Book Award for Romance in 2013 and is a literary romance set in Qatar and London. The Domestics is an inside look into compound life, the day-to-day dynamics between housemaids and their employers.

After she joined the e-book revolution, Mohana dreams in plotlines. To learn more about her work visit her website.

Register

To register for this course, access the form.