Creating an Effective Picture Book Title

One aspect of writing picture books includes creating captivating titles. The best picture books stand out from the crowd with catchy titles

A book title is the first thing that is seen. An effective picture book title must contain essential elements that invite the reader to explore the story.

Once a picture book has been written, an author tries to come up with a suitable title. While creating a title can be relatively easy, creating a title that is effective involves far more. A title is the first thing an editor, a librarian or a buyer (such as a parent) sees.

What factors make a title for a picture stand book out?

Catchy Picture Book Titles
An effective picture book title is one that is catchy. Children love the sound of words, so a title that uses alliteration such as Snake Slithered Silently (where the s-sound mimics the sound of a snake) or a title that rhymes, as seen in The Cat in the Hat may be far more compelling to a young audience. Kids also enjoy humor and a title that tickles their funny bone may be the title that catches their fancy.

Why is "catchy" so important? A catchy title is easily remembered. Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham is a perfect example. Even adults who've never read the book to young children have still heard of it--and they remember this title. According to Publisher's Weekly, Green Eggs and Ham became the fourth best-selling English-language children's book of all time. If this book had been titled Eggs and Ham, it would not have sounded nearly as interesting and may not have caught on as it did.

A Good Title Expresses Mood
Right after catchy comes the attribute of mood. A picture book title is effective if it forecasts the mood of a story. Someone spying Green Eggs and Ham would gain an inkling that the story was going to be funny. A title such as Ker-Splash, Ker-Plunk! would give the impression of a wildly funny and energetic story.

An Effective Title Stirs Curiosity
A picture book titled, Why Does My Tummy Tickle? or How Come, Mom? would appeal to an inquisitive child. Children want to know about everything around them: their bodies, their family, and the world at large.

Why Shorter Titles When Writing Picture Books?
In her 2009 book, Writing Picture Books, Author Ann Whitford Paul says: "It's common sense that if a child is going to ask an adult to read a book, the title has to be something he can say." Paul gives examples of good shorter titles: Bugs for Lunch and Bunny Cakes.

While a kid's book is written to be read aloud to small children, a title young ones can ask for is ideal.
An effective picture book title can be likened to the icing on a cake: it tempts a sampling of the goods inside.

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Free Keyword Tools: Awesome Keyword Suggestion Tools for Online Writers

Before writing anything, it pays to use free keyword tools so that you can determine appropriate keywords to use in your articles. Keyword optimized articles are found by search engines and can bring you article traffic for years to come. Using keyword tools helps you to create articles targeted to what searchers are looking for.

Keyword tools can help writers to craft articles with the actual search terms people are using to find information.

Online writers have to do more than just write articles. To get your work read, you have to create articles around keywords that searchers type into their browsers. A good strategy to determine which keywords are popular involves use of free keyword tools.
Keyword suggestion tools give you insights into the most searched-for terms, and can help you to incorporate other related terms so that your pages rank highly.

Why Use Keyword Tools?

• Keyword tools make your job much easier. You can use these tools each time you sit down to write an article

• Keyword tools can help you to choose better and relevant keywords.

• Free keyword suggestion tools help you to pinpoint what keyword phrases searchers are typing into their browsers.

• Once you have your keywords selected, if you create articles that answer questions searchers are asking, and using long-tail search terms in your articles, you are well on the way to increased readership and higher article earnings.

Free Keyword Tools
There are both paid and free keyword tools. For the purposes of this article, I'm including free tools.

• Google Adwords Keyword Tool--enter a word or two and see what's cookin' on the Web.

• Wordtracker Labs Keyword Questions--what questions do searchers type into their browsers?

• Keyword Popularity Checker--ever wondered how many daily searches your keywords get?

• Trellian Free Search Term Suggestion Tool--check out data collected from a number of search engines.

Choose from keywords tools and then save them as shortcuts to your desktop. You can then select your free keyword tool with one simple click.

The next time you plan to write an article, run your keywords through your free keyword tools to gauge their effectiveness.

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Sites I Write For Now

Many times, people ask me which sites I write for. In today's post I will discuss this and share with all of you.

Content sites come and go and, as well, our enthusiasm waxes and wanes. Through the years, I've written across a number of sites, some defunct, some all but dead, and some still hanging on.

At times, content writers have to cut their losses and I'm no exception. In trying to earn a living, one has to go where the money is.

Sites I Used to Write For
I used to write for Bukisa, Flixya, Print & Post, Snipsly, Suite 101, TNT Pages, and Xomba, to name a few. Not all at the same time, mind you, but a couple at a time. In some cases, I found the earnings either too low or that a site lost steam and readers over time. Some sites, like Xomba, had high earning potential but were affected by PANDA and lost their traction and never fully recovered. Worse still, some paying sites asked for free content. (Right, as if all of us had nothing better to do with our time and wanted to fritter away the hours writing and then simply give our work away...)

Sites I Write For Now
I currently write for HubPages (my all-time favorite) and I still have articles at Triond (although I haven't been doing much there and am waiting and hoping Triond will recover). I've recently joined ExpertsColumn and Bubblews. I'm busy creating content for the latter two.

I'm in the process of repurposing some of my articles from sites I no longer write for and placing these in new locations.

Because I transcribe and blog and I'm working on more books, for now, writing articles for four sites fits my schedule.

Write and Earn a Living offers ideas about legitimate ways to earn money from home. No hype, no bull; what works, what doesn't.

Poetic Meter – A Look at Iambic, Trochee, Anapest and Dactyl Feet

Meter in English poetry is established by using four common rhythmic patterns, which characterize the feet in lines of poetry.

Poetic rhythm is created by use of metrical feet. These feet incorporate a pattern of stresses (light and heavy) which determines the poetic meter (the beat).

The rhythmic structure found in each line of poetry contributes to how a poem sounds. Just as the way a person walks determines the sound of his footsteps, the type of poetical foot used determines the rhythmic patterns heard in lines of poetry.

Poetic meter is established by use of iambic, trochee, anapest or dactyl--metrical feet used in English poetry. While other poetic feet such as spondee or amphimacer may be used, the first four feet are commonly heard.

Poetic Meter: Iambic
An iambic foot is characterized by a soft stress followed by a heavy stress ( . /). An example of how this sounds would be:
/ the glass / of blue / it broke / in two / (da DUM, da DUM, da DUM, da DUM).

A pattern of stresses is clearly heard in each metrical foot: / the glass / of blue / it broke / in two /. This is an example of iambic tetrameter. Four feet comprise this line and the latter words are stressed in each metrical foot.

* A line of poetry might use iambic trimeter (three iambic feet), iambic tetrameter (four iambic feet) or the oft heard "iambic pentameter" (comprised of five feet).

Poetic Meter: Trochee
In the reverse scenario from iambic meter, each trochaic foot is comprised of a hard stress followed by a soft one (/ .) An example would be:
/ bake it / take it / shake it / (DUM da, DUM da, DUM da).
Thus, the meter would sound: / bake it / take it / shake it/.

Poetic Meter: Anapest
An anapestic foot contains two soft beats followed by a stressed beat ( . . /). This poetic rhythm is heard in Clement C. Moore's The Night Before Christmas:
/ T'was the night / before Christ / mas when all / through the house / (da, da DUM, da, da DUM, da, da DUM, da, da DUM).

The rhythmic pattern of stresses is clearly heard: / T'was the night / before Christ / mas when all / through the house /.

Poetic Meter: Dactyl
A dactylic foot is characterized by one stressed beat followed by two soft beats ( / . .). This is the opposite of anapestic rhythm.

Pussy cat / pussy cat / where have you / been * * / (DUM, da, da, DUM da, da, DUM da, da, DUM * *). In this example, the asterisks mark two pauses. This line would sound: /Pussy cat / pussy cat / where have you / been /.

When creating poetry, it is important to be consistent when using metrical feet. Staying true to poetic meter imparts the correct rhythm in rhymed verse and prose, cementing the flow of a piece.

Sources:
1. Icing the Cake, Writing Stories in Rhythm, 2006, Dori Chaconas
2. Writing Picture Books, Writer's Digest Books, 2009, Anne Whitford Paul
 
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