A lot of authors are writing illustrated books now. Perhaps these books are popular because people love to watch television and movies and find books of nothing but words boring.
Of course, books for very young readers are filled with pictures. Some have no text at all or very little. As these readers get older, they may like to have those pictures.
I came across such a book. “Matilda” by Roald Dahl seems like a typical book and has an interesting story. What sets it apart are the illustrations by Quentin Blake scattered through the text telling the story.
What Are Illustrated Books?
Picture books are listed as illustrated books. These books are in a special category as the pictures tell the story. Even if there is text, the pictures convey the story.
An illustrated book uses pictures to augment the story. Usually, if all of the pictures are removed, the text would tell the story.
Graphic novels are a third type of illustrated books. They trace back to comic books, but now tell much more elaborate stories. These use the pictures to tell the story, but have text and dialogue to add details. Removing the pictures removes the story, just as removing the text would. Both must be there.
Writing Illustrated Books
How an author approaches writing such a book depends on the type of book. Picture books are primarily pictures. When I write a picture book, I see it as a series of pictures. Any text is added later, although I may write out the text before beginning to draw the sketches.
In an illustrated book the pictures are an afterthought. As I write about Ship Eighteen of the Carduan Chronicles, I know I want to have illustrations heading each chapter. The pictures aren’t necessary, however, they will enhance the story.
I have read several graphic novels. It is an interesting format, but one I haven’t used.
Instead, I will continue writing illustrated books mostly as picture books.
