March 2026

Building Picture Books from the Middle

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.3800000000000001;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Lewis Carroll wrote: “Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.” Katherine Anne Porter said, “If I didn’t know the ending of a story, I wouldn’t begin.” Two wildly different views of how to get a story on paper. But could there be a third way? Could a story be written from the middle? Rob Sanders thinks that knowing the midpoint of your story and building back to the beginning and out to the end could be a fresh way to begin a project or to evaluate and revise a WIP. Using examples from his own fiction and nonfiction picture books (as well as the work of others), Rob will introduce the importance of the midpoint and how to identify it, how a story can be evenly distributed in both directions from the midpoint, and how writing from the midpoint might actually help build the emotional intensity of a story. During this interactive session, Rob will provide practical tools you can use as you experiment with writing from the midpoint and, of course, there will be plenty of time for questions and answers.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.3800000000000001;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.3800000000000001;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Note: In three-act plot structure the middle of act 2 is called the </span><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">midpoint</span><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">. While three-act plot structure is rarely used in picture book writing, the concept of a midpoint can still serve as a unique way to plot, plan, and/or revise a manuscript.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-ad603db9-7fff-21e2-560b-a151b3283abe"><br></span></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-ad603db9-7fff-21e2-560b-a151b3283abe">Rob will offer a limited number of 30 minute critique consultations in conjunction with class. With your Zoom confirmation, you will get the option to sign up.</span></p><p><b>Schedule 1&nbsp;</b></p><p>Monday, 4/6/2026—Submissions due</p><p>Thursday, 4/9/2026—Rob will schedule Zoom sessions</p><p>Week of 4/13/2026—Zoom consultations will be held</p><p><b><br></b></p><p><b>Schedule 2&nbsp;</b></p><p>Monday, 4/13/2026—Submissions due</p><p>Thursday, 4/16/2026—Rob will schedule Zoom sessions</p><p>Week of 4/20/2026—Zoom consultations will be held</p>