Intensive Picture Book Workshop


Work ONE-to-ONE with a developmental editor in SIX 30-minute Zoom meetings over a span of TEN weeks to develop the story arc of your fiction or nonfiction picture book as you write and revise in poetry or prose. ($399 USD) Click here to enroll .

10-week Workshop

Q. Why does a SIX module workshop last TEN weeks?
A. Busy schedules! If there aren’t any holidays or schedule conflicts, you can complete the modules in six weeks. On the other hand, if you need more time, I’ve added 4 extra weeks just in case.

Q. How long will you have access to the private site?
A. You will have access to the private site for a full calendar YEAR after your last Zoom session.


  • Are you writing a fiction picture book story?
  • Are you writing a picture book biography?
  • Are you writing a preschool concept book?
  • Are you writing an information book?
  • Are you writing poetry or prose?

There are lessons on the private site for EACH type of picture book, including rhyming picture books! Choose the lessons that match your manuscript.

Free write each day to develop the characters, story problems, settings and ideas for your picture book (panster), decide what happens in the story (plotter), and then write (panster) and revise (plotter) your picture book manuscript twice.


In this one-to-one workshop, you and I will be working together to develop the story arc of your fiction or nonfiction picture book as you write and revise in poetry or prose.

In our first 30-minute meeting, we will use the questions in this Module 1 assignment as a guide to discuss the goals for your book — and this workshop.

I need to know where you want to go so I can help you reach your goal.

Q. How long will you have access to the private site?
A. You will have access to the private site for a full calendar year after your last Zoom session.


After you sign up for our first 30-minute meeting, the calendar app will send you:

  • A confirmation email with the Zoom meeting code
  • An instructions email with the login to the private workshop site

After you log in to the private Intensive Picture Book Workshop site, you will see 80 lessons to guide you as you work through the SIX “picture book critique” modules. There are 15 more lessons in the 3 BONUS “revision” modules for a total of 95 lessons.

After your first login, I will also send you:

  • an “Invitation to collaborate” email from a Google Drive folder (with your name and the date as the folder name). The assignments for all 6 modules will be in this shared folder in the cloud.

Have you ever heard of the British term, skeleton draft? The Collins English Dictionary defines it as “a basic or minimum draft or outline”. That’s the goal for the first four modules – creating a brief overview of the key moments in your story arc. AFTER the story arc is edited, we’ll talk about the words you’re using in your story in modules 5 and 6.

The day before we meet to talk about module 5, upload your FIRST draft for a “Big Picture” (ideas, organization and voice) critique.

After you revise, the day before we meet to talk about module 6, upload your NEXT draft for a “small details” (word choice, sentence fluency and conventions) critique, also known as a line edit.


For a rhyming picture book, you’ll work on your book in TWO different ways during each of the SIX modules.

  1. You will be developing the story during each module.
  2. You will be developing the rhyme during each module.

Q. How will you develop the rhyme?
A. To find the rhyme scheme that works best for your story, you will scan a stanza (a poetry paragraph) from 20 DIFFERENT comps in modules 1-4. (Modules 5 and 6 are manuscript critique modules.)

Here’s the (4×5=20) math:
Module 1: Scan a stanza from 5 DIFFERENT picture books (#1-5).
Module 2: Scan a stanza from 5 DIFFERENT picture books (#6-10).
Module 3: Scan a stanza from 5 DIFFERENT picture books (#11-15).
Module 4: Scan a stanza from 5 DIFFERENT picture books (#16-20).

We will talk about your scans and your story development ideas in each 30-minute call for modules 1-4.

After scanning 20 DIFFERENT picture books:

  1. You will know common rhyme schemes that editors are buying now.
  2. You will know which rhyme scheme you like best.
  3. You will know how to scan your own book.

FYI: Just because the last word of each line rhymes doesn’t mean your book is ready to send out. The main reason editors say they DON’T want to see rhyme is because the RHYTHM is off — and that makes the book hard *for others* to read aloud.


The Six Traits of Writing:

I use the six traits of writing when I write and when I critique. (I learned the hard way that without my six traits checklist, there are simply too many decisions to make and trying to figure out WHERE to start can lead to NOT starting at all.) So I begin at the beginning of the list and move forward one step at a time.

  1. Ideas
  2. Organization
  3. Voice
  4. Word Choice
  5. Sentence Fluency
  6. Conventions (grammar, spelling, and punctuation)

The six traits of writing also guide the flow of this workshop.


Intensive Picture Book Workshop Syllabus:

Module 1

  • Module 1 Ideas: Begin reading picture books like yours as you capture your book ideas in ZERO draft by free writing for 25 minutes or more.
  • Assignment 1: Write down your goals for this book and begin writing your ZERO draft.

Module 2

  • Module 2 Ideas: Explore different types of picture books as you continue to free write.
  • Assignment 2: Find 3 NEW picture books to use as comps.

Module 3

  • Module 3 Organization: See how a concept-based story shares a message as you write your FIRST draft.
  • Assignment 3: Identify the theme, the unifying or dominant idea, of your story.

Module 4

  • Module 4 Organization: See how a character-based story builds with emotional changes while you write your FIRST draft.
  • Assignment 4: Select a story arc for your book.

Module 5

  • Module 5 Voice: Choose a voice (first, second, or third person) to use in your FIRST draft.
  • Assignment 5: Select a voice for your book, make a storyboard, and send in the FIRST draft of your picture book manuscript for a BIG Picture (ideas, organization, and voice) edit.

Module 6

  • Module 6 Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, & Conventions: Check your story arc and begin your NEXT draft.
  • Assignment 6: Make a book dummy, revise as needed, and send in your NEXT draft for a line edit.

Workshop meetings take place during my office hours: Wednesday-Saturday between 9:00-11:30am and 1:30-4:00pm (Pacific Time).

You will schedule a 30-minute meeting for each of your SIX assignments using a calendar app. To enroll this TEN week workshop, schedule your first 30-minute Zoom meeting here.

At the end of our first meeting, I will send you the “next meeting” calendar link so you can sign up for the times that work best for you. You can sign up for the same date and time each week for modules 2-6, or you can vary the dates and time according to your schedule.

If something comes up and you need to change your session time, just use the Reschedule button at the bottom of your Zoom confirmation email for that session. The calendar app will send both of us the new time and Zoom link for that module.


Q. How long will you have access to the private site?
A. You will have access to the private site for a full calendar year after your last Zoom session.


Q. Can you take the workshop if your book is already written?
A. Yes. If your book is already written, you can take the workshop to check the story arc for your entire book and fine-tune all three acts of your story.


TERMS: By enrolling, you agree to respect the copyright of this workshop and not distribute any materials to others. If you sign up for a workshop and need to cancel *before* you log in to the private workshop site, please be advised that I charge a $20 handling fee for cancellations. After you log in to the private workshop site, fees are NOT REFUNDABLE. If you are unable to meet at the time you selected, please click on the Reschedule button in the reminder email and choose another time. Thanks.


At the end of your session, you’ll have an edited draft of your picture book — and if you can’t write a picture book during your session, then you can’t. As it says at the top of the critique page, my job is to help you see what you already have – in your imagination and on the page. I’m not going to force you to write your book or give you a failing grade if you can’t finish.

“You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…” — Dr. Seuss


If you’re not sure if your idea can become a picture book, download a copy of this free e-book, Write Your Next Children’s Book Without Writer’s Block and write a ZERO draft first. Then sign up.


I look forward to working with you to develop your picture book!

Still have questions? After you read the Workshop FAQ, email me.

Copyright © 2024 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.