Stuck? Write This One Sentence Before You Write Your Children's Book Draft

Hop on!

I’ve been thinking about you all this week. Hopefully working on getting that draft finally finished. But if last week you didn’t make much progress, I want to share another trick I use. This came from my days at Risen Motherhood, where my sister-in-law and I would work on a podcast outline. While we wrote down what we generally wanted to say, the podcast was very much a live, I-don’t-know-what-we’re-exactly-going-to-say, conversation.

When we were first learning to podcast, this often turned out a messy, hard-to-follow conversation that we needed to re-record. But then we started discussing a Ride-Or-Die. You know, like the friend that you’ll never let go and will always be there for you to lean on?

We created a one sentence Ride-or-Die that would help guide our conversation and make sure that we said what we really wanted to say. That one sentence, the Ride-or-Die, told us where to go.

And that’s what every children’s book needs too.

Not a theme statement you’d put on a poster—nobody’s gonna see it. But also not a vague “this book is about kindness” floaty cloud.

It’s a sentence that has the one truth you’re willing to build the whole book around.

Photo by Parrish Freeman on Unsplash

What the Ride-or-Die Sentence does (and why you need it)

A picture book is short. Which means it has no space for wandering. Without this sentence, you end up with:

• a cute beginning… that doesn’t know what it’s aiming at

• a middle that turns into “and then… and then… and then…”

• an ending that feels like … maybe you panicked??

With a Ride-or-Die sentence, you get focus, momentum, and a guiding light. The Ride-or-Die is the takeaway your reader should feel in their bones (even though you didn’t type it) when the book closes.

The formula that works almost every time

Write one sentence that completes this thought:

“This is a story about…[character]…[learns something].”

Now—make it specific.

Examples:

• “This is a story about a girl learning that courage doesn’t mean you’re not afraid.”

• “This is a story about a dad and son who discover wonder in ordinary days.”

• “This is a story about how God forgives us because of Jesus.”

Your goal: something true enough to guide the whole story.

If you’re lost on this, you can also add in things like this:

1. “…how even when ___, you are still ___.”

2. “…how you don’t have to ___ to be ___.”

3. “…sometimes ___ is how ___.”

Examples:

• “This is a story about a girl that learns even when you feel left out, you are not forgotten.”

• “This is a story about a dog learning kindness is choosing someone on the outside and pulling them in.”

How to turn your sentence into an actual story

Here’s the magic move: Make your Ride-or-Die Sentence hard for your character to believe at the beginning. That creates an arc.

Example:

• Sentence: “You don’t have to be the best to be worthy of God’s love”

• Beginning belief: “If I’m not the best, I’m not worth being noticed by God.”

• Ending: character learns “worth or value isn’t earned by winning.”

Or:

• Sentence: “Bravery can look like asking for help even when you are afraid.”

• Beginning belief: “If I ask for help, I’ll look weak.”

• Ending: character discovers “strength in reaching out.”

This is why that one sentence is a drafting superpower: it gives you the start belief and the end truth—and now the middle has a job.

Open your manuscript doc and write this at the very top:

My reader should walk away believing (my Ride-or-Die): __________________.

When you clarify the one truth your book is really about, you make the direction of your draft that much easier

Want me to hand you the entire drafting plan—step-by-step—and get you to a finished draft?

Okay, here’s the hard truth: most writers don’t need more inspiration. They need a system. That’s why I made The 3-Hour Picture Book Draft.

It’s not “tips.” It’s a complete playbook. Here’s what you get:

• The 3-Hour Draft Plan (written instructions, step-by-step)

• Sprint Template Pack (PDF) including:

  • weekend/weekday schedule options

  • story summary sheet

  • beat sheet

  • page-turn planner

  • tone words guide

  • read-aloud triage checklist

And when you’re done? You’ll have a completed (but messy) first draft, but also know exactly what to do next to take it to the next level.

If you’ve been sitting on a story for months (or years) and you’re ready to finally have a real draft to work with, grab it here:

Writing Together,

Laura