I'm working on a major rewrite for one of my Emma Jean picture books. My first or I should say my at least fifth draft was at 2500 words. After working it and re-reading and re-thinking, and sleeping on it some more, I have it down to 1000 words. Whew! It's a task to keep the essence of the characters and the heart of the story in so few words. Writing a novel has its advantages. I love descriptive detail that I can create paragraph after paragraph. But, it's a great exercise in saying only what you mean and want.
