Making A picture book attempt 2

 I've got a ton of art books. Like, a ton. Seriously. It's a problem. Anyway, another problem I have with them is that I often don't read them. I skim them, especially ones that are concept artwork from games. But some are instructional too. And it just so happens that I have one called 'How to be a children's book illustrator' that I've never gotten around to actually reading.  It's kind of late in the game for me to be reading about it, since I have been a children's illustrator for the last decade, but I've decided that instead of just winging it like I always do, I am going to take advice from other illustrators/authors. Because I want this idea to be greenlit.  Mostly I'm looking for advice on the story crafting side of things, which this book touches on a little, but the other info I'm taking notes on regardless.  Below are the notes I took this evening: Audience The age range determines the complexity of the story and the illustrat...

Mia's Mask  So I've spent much of the day overthinking my autism book. I fit my basic structure into Dan Harmon's story circle. Back at uni I would use Todorov's narrative structure for this, so maybe I should start there again. I also went back through my pre and final major project posts just to see how many re-writes and changes of direction my final picture book went through along the way. It was A LOT.  I noticed I was getting hung up on this whole rule of three. Three scenarios to rule them all. But when attempting to tackle these with Mia's story, I found I was struggling to get her in and out of situations where her masking would occur. Or where her autistic behaviour would stand out/alienate her. And ultimately, I don't want her to feel TOO alienated, because this is for autistic kids after all. Even if it ends happily, I can't have this poor character be rejected three times before finally it all working out. I don't want the lesson to be '...

 So Mina's Mask is just a working title for now, while I refine the whole concept. I want to author and illustrate a picture book, using my experience of autism as a foundation.  Originally I imagined a character putting on a magic mask that makes her become the animals she wishes to blend in with. This is something I may revisit, but one of the problems I encountered was that the mask might be seen as a good thing, and that isn't the theme I want to convey. Ultimately I want the mask to be seen as it truly is; A means to cope with interacting with different people, but something that we shouldn't need. We should feel valid for being ourselves. Masking is exhausting and unsustainable in the long term. Where I'm at currently is having a baby owl, who I chose because they are observant and solitary birds, who has talents and strengths of her own, but who wants to make friends. As such, she attempts to imitate different groups, only to accidentally let the mask slip and ca...