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Q. When should I revise my children’s book?
A. It’s up to you. There isn’t one “right” way to write a book. What works best for you is something that only you can determine. It’s very personal. The only way to figure it out is by trial and error.

Some writers jump back and forth between writing and revising each day. These writers have writing session and an editing session each day. The secret is to know what each session looks like.

In the writing step your job is to write down your thoughts. You write down your ideas as they come to mind.

Capturing your thoughts on the page is your task as a writer.

In the revision step your task changes. As you edit your story, your task is to make sure that your words are clear. Now is the time to rearrange your sentences. This is when you move things up or down on the page — or remove them completely.

In the editing stage you are organizing your ideas.

Making small changes as you move through each draft allows you to work on your story in two different ways each day. Write first and then make time to revise. Or revise what you wrote yesterday and then write new material. Try each and see what works best for you.

Q. How long does it take to write a children’s book?
A. No one knows! What we do know is that there are three steps to becoming a published author.

Write the book.
Revise the book.
Sell the book.

As a rule of thumb, the longer the book, the longer it takes to write. That being said, some books take a long time to figure out even though the book is very short. Yes, it can take years to write a picture book. (My picture book Road Work Ahead was 25 years in the making.)

I’m not saying it takes years to write words on the page. Quite the opposite! It’s easy to sit down and write words. Making those words into a story is the hard part. Shaping a story into a coherent narrative is what takes time.

The legendary writing teacher William Zinsser wasn’t the only one who talked about easy reading and hard writing. Check out the Quote Investigator’s page for Easy Reading Is Hard Writing.

Don’t be fooled by the size!

If you want to write a “little” children’s book because you think it will be easy, you will be in for a BIG surprise.

Yes, you can write a picture book in an afternoon. You can write an entire novel in a month . . .

. . . but that is just the beginning of the process.

Easy writing makes hard reading.

To write a book that communicates your story clearly, you have to revise. So don’t write a children’s book because you think it will be easy.

Write the children’s book story that only you can tell.

The stories that only you can tell are worth the time it takes to write hard . . .

. . . so the book is easy to read.