October 20, 2010

The ABC's of Rebus Writing

My critique group has challenge this month - rebus writing. "How simple" you say? Not so fast!
At 80-125 words, rebus writing has its own set of challenges. I picked up some great tips from an article in Institute of Children's Literature by Marianne Mitchell.

Focus on one small event
The topic must appeal to 2-6 year olds
1-4 characters in the story
At least 8 nouns that can be clearly illustrated
Illustrative possibilities are nouns, colors, numbers
Need a surprise or twist at the end

Check out The Nuts and Bolts of Rebus Writing for other important rebus tools.

No comments: