How Writing a Gospel-Centered Picture Book is (and isn't!) like Writing a General Conference Talk

Two disclaimers:

First, I've never written a General Conference talk

Second, I'm not suggesting that a picture book carries the same Divine mandate and Heavenly authority as the words of Special Witnesses of Jesus Christ.

 

With that said, though, as I read through what various church leaders have said about the process of writing Conference talks, I noticed some similarities between their writing process and mine. 

 

“I’ve never given a talk in general conference where I had less than eight distinct drafts. I’ve had as many as 15.” -Dallin H. Oaks

Many of the apostles have mentioned how many drafts they write before arriving at the final text of their talks. As a writer, I've had the same experience crafting picture books. Very little of the text of a first draft makes it into the final copy of a book, and sometimes, the writing style or theme changes completely from the first draft to the final copy!

Our upcoming book Welcome to the Temple, for example, took 5 drafts (plus revisions from our editors) to get the text just right.

 

 

"Direction for a general conference talk often come in the night or the early morning hours, when the talk is far from the thoughts of the mind. Suddenly, unanticipated insite, and, at times, specific words and phrases flow as pure revelation." -Neil L. Anderson

When I'm stuck on a word or phrase or concept, sometimes the best thing to do is step away from my laptop and let my brain mull over the problem in a different setting.

I've had ideas for picture book concepts or ways to phrase a particular idea come to me in the shower, in the car, in sacrament meeting, and while reading other picture books, during conversations with friends and family. 

 

"For the First Presidency and the Twelve, who normally speak each conference, the enormous responsibility of preparing their messages is both a recurring burden and a sacred trust." -Neil L. Anderson

While I certainly do not have the responsibility or mantle of speaking on the Lord's behalf to the entire world, I know from personal experience that the way children experience the gospel while they're young has a profound influence on their spiritual development and understanding of gospel principles as they grow up.

 

That places an enormous burden of responsibility on us as a publishing company and myself as a writer. We take that responsibility seriously. 

 

At Popcorn Tree Books, we're committed to creating doctrinally accurate books that align with the teachings of living prophets and apostles. To do that, we research and study each book's topic extensively. Often, we reach out to subject-matter experts to review our work or offer additional insights. Our professional editors also assist us in making sure that everything we write aligns with the official doctrine of the Church. 

 

 

Ultimately, no picture book can replace or measure up to the word of the Lord as revealed through His servants, but there is so much to learn from studying the writing process and style of dedicated servants of the Lord.