I was fortunate enough to come into contact with Lynn Ward, author of ‘The Big Beet’ and ask her some questions about writing and her new book.

As an author, what do you find the most enjoyable about writing a picture book?

The three most important and enjoyable aspects of writing picture books are:

• The rhythm of the text – My aim is to get a story to ‘bounce’ along when it is read.
• Rhyming – this seems to be my default setting but a lot of how-to-write-picture-books articles advise against using rhyme, and with good reason. Bad rhyme will ruin a story. Using forced rhyme (the manoeuvring of words in a sentence to get an end-rhyme) or near-rhymes (words that almost, but not quite, rhyme and which jar on the ear) affect the flow of the text and your text will not ‘sing’.
• Visualising. Picturing the story in your head is fun – even if your pictures aren’t what the book eventually looks like 

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What led you to write the Australian version of The Enormous Turnip?

I saw an infants’ play on The Enormous Turnip and that inspired me to write an Aussie version. I had seen quite a few books giving old fables and fairy tales an Aussie flavour and I hoped I might do this one justice. I decided on the beetroot because, as far as I know, beetroot on our burgers is a very ‘Aussie’ thing.

How important is theme of mateship to your book and to your concept of Australia?

I guess mateship is addressed in The Big Beet by the theme of helping out, lending a hand and pulling together to achieve something. Mateship is definitely intertwined with the general concept of being Australian, although whether that is a real concept now, or whether it ever was, is an argument for others.

How do you feel about the illustrations and their ability to bring your story into visible life?

Working for the first time with an illustrator has been enlightening for me. In fact, ‘working with’ is not really accurate as, once I had sent off the manuscript, my involvement was very limited. Omnibus (Scholastic) editors chose the illustrator, Adam Carruthers, although I was sent proofs of the work as it progressed. I think that was really a courtesy on behalf of the publishers. Seeing the proofs for the first time was one of the most exciting parts of the whole publishing experience (it doesn’t rate with seeing the book on the shelves – but it’s still up there 😉 ) It was like ‘meeting’ my characters. And Adam had done what all good illustrators do – he had created a second layer to the story. My text was one story, Adam’s illustrations, while supporting the text, also provided another story.

What’re your plans for the future in regards to writing?

I continue to write picture book texts and send them off in to the wide blue yonder of publishing land. Since having manuscripts accepted I have the privilege of being able to send my manuscripts directly to an editor in two different publishing houses, rather than having to go through the ‘slush pile’. For other publishers though, I am in with everyone else, and just hoping that a manuscript will meet up with an editor who will fall in love with it. I get rejections, which still hurt, but most of the time they come back with constructive feedback as to why the manuscript didn’t fit what they were looking for.

I do have another picture book, due out in 2014 with Walker Books, called ‘Sally Snickers’ Knickers’ so I’m looking forward to that.

I am also in my first year of an Associate Degree in Creative Writing with Southern Cross University.

Check out Lynn’s blogspot and grab a copy of her book ‘The Big Beet’.

-Leah