2017 SPRING Making Picture Book Stories

A Hands On Course With Arree Chung

Enrollment Opens May 27th!

LET’S MAKE A PICTURE BOOK STORY FROM SCRATCH!

Do you have the creative itch to tell stories but don't know where to start? Or perhaps you've been working on stories by yourself and you feel stuck. I've spent the last ten years becoming a published storyteller and I love what I do. I'll share with you everything I've learned about creativity and show you how I craft stories. In addition to the course, I'll work with you on your stories in critique groups and in our Storyteller Workshop Hour.

What is Making Picture Book Stories With Arree Chung?

1. An Intimate Learning Experience
Arree shares his own creative process in formulating and developing ideas. Arree takes you from the the first step of generating a picture book idea to developing a dummy and manuscript. This is the same process Arree uses to develop his own storybooks.

2. Build A Story With Solid Foundation and Structure
Understand the basic elements that make up a story. Once you learn how to spot the basic elements, you’ll gain deeper understanding on how to build a story with solid foundations.

3. Understand the Creative Process And Tell the Story Inside of You
Discovering a good idea just the first step in the creative process. Now you'll have to develop the story. Learn how to ride out the ups and downs of the creative process. Making Picture Books Stories will help you discover your inner voice and unlock your creativity.

4. Join a Critique Group and Develop Your Story With Professional Feedback
Join a critique group lead by Arree or a published author. Improve your story with professional feedback. Critique groups are held every other week for 12 weeks. With professional feedback, you will always know the next step in developing your story.

5. Gain Insight On How To Present Your Work To Agents and Editors
Your story is developed and polished. What's next? You'll learn how to how to prepare your story and how to get your work seen by the right people. You'll save time and take the stress out of submitting your work and finding representation.


HOW DOES IT WORK?

Making Picture Book Stories is a 12-week online course with four parts...

PART 1: 12 WEEKS OF ONLINE CONTENT
Each Saturday, a new module is released. We’ll start from the beginning of the creative process and walk through all of the steps necessary in creating a picture book dummy. Arree shares his early drafts of his stories and how he problem solved problems while developing his story idea.

PART 2: EXCLUSIVE STORYTELLER CAFE WORKSHOPS EVERY OTHER THURSDAY
Storyteller workshops are hosted Thursday evenings at 6 P.M. PST every other Thursday starting week 1. Arree will do live demos, answer questions and host guest authors and illustrators. A replay will be available if you miss it.

PART 3: CRITIQUE GROUP MEETINGS EVERY OTHER THURSDAY
We believe in the benefits of critique groups and highly recommend joining a critique group lead by Arree or a Storyteller Academy approved published author. Everyone will have an opportunity to join a Critique Group. Critique Group Meetings start on week 2. Replays will be available through the Storyteller Academy website.

PART 4: WEEKLY INSPIRATIONAL NEWSLETTER
Arree shares stories from real life each week during the term. The newsletters are motivational and an honest look into Arree’s life as a creative person. These newsletters will help you relate in your creative journey and keep you motivated in moving forward.

Your Instructor


Arree Chung
Arree Chung

Arree Chung is the founder of Storyteller Academy and a published author and illustrator. After starting out in the world of business consulting, Arree took the leap of faith to pursue his artistic endeavors. He never looked back.

Today Arree lives a creative life making stories for children. Arree spends most of his time making picture books, writing middle grade novels and sharing his love for art, design and storytelling with kids and dreamers everywhere. Arree’s Ninja! Series have received starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal.


Our Graduates

Ginger Weddle
Speech and Language Pathologist


"Storyteller Academy has been a great learning experience for me! In addition to the webinars and exercises, Arree provides insightful guidance in the critique sessions. He is fun, approachable, and willingly shares his knowledge and experience! He is creating a supportive community of writers and illustrators."

Jason Chen
Physical Therapist and Dad


"Arree's storybook academy will show you the ins and outs (as well as everything in between) about creating and publishing your story. I have tried taking several academic courses, reading endless blogs and online tutorials. While they were all helpful, the experience was ultimately fragmented. Arree breaks it down and puts all the steps together. By sharing his own experiences he also shows you common mistakes and pitfalls that you find only with experience. These experiences also serve as encouragements whenever you feel like you are lost or something is not working. For any journey it is helpful to have a guide, a map and companions. Arree's the guide, his material is the map and the community you build with other members of the course can be you companions. The most important and probably hardest part, is of course, putting in the work! "

Abi Cushman
Web Designer, Illustrator and Mom


"I am an author-illustrator from the Connecticut shoreline, and I absolutely loved Arree's course. It far exceeded my expectations! If you are interested in creating engaging stories for children, I highly recommend taking Arree's course, whether you're an author-only or author-illustrator.

What initially drew me to Arree's class was his willingness to be completely open and honest about his storymaking journey. It was so refreshing to hear someone speak with complete transparency about the process, including the failures, wrong turns, and the realities of the publishing industry. I think it's important to know that despite setbacks, missteps, or rejections, if you put in the work, you can eventually become a successful storyteller.

When I started the course, I had one polished picture book dummy, and I was having trouble developing a new set of characters and a new storyline that I was excited about. Arree shared his process for brainstorming ideas and developing a storyline through pictures. Using these techniques and meeting for regular critique group sessions pushed me to create a new rough picture book dummy with a lot of potential. And even better is that I feel confident that I can utilize these systems moving forward to create more stories that are compelling (and marketable) in the future."

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Course Curriculum


  WEEK 0: Courage, Creativity and the Power of Words
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  WEEK 1: The Creative Process & Story
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  Week 2: Let's Make a Story!
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  Week 3: Character Problems, Story Mapping and Putting it All Together
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  Week 4: Personality Types, Character Development, Curiosity and Making A Dummy
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  Week 5: Creativity, Design, First Pages and Page Turns
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  Week 6: Story Development, Inciting Incident and Escalation
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  Week 7: Pacing and Composition
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  Week 8 Beginnings & Endings, Plot Twists and Knowing Your Audience
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  Week 9: Revision, Tools and Presentation
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  Week 10: The Book Business and Your Career
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  Week 11: Agents, Editors and Publishing Folks
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  Week 12: Your Author Brand: Marketing, Websites and Social Media
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  Ask Me Anything!
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  Storyteller Workshops
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Frequently Asked Questions


How long do I have access to the course?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own.
Will the class help with developing characters?
Yes! We dedicate two weeks to developing characters. In week 3, we’ll look at how a story is often built around a character’s problem. In week 4, we dive into some exercises in developing a memorable character.
Are you giving us a list of recommended books to read?
Yep! After you register, you will receive a list of book to read. These books are books that I love of course and we take an in depth look at many of the books in the course.
How will it work if you already have stories you are working on?
If you choose you can continue to develop a story that you have already or you can start on a new concept, starting with the creative process we outline in the course. You will have the luxury of choosing which story idea you pursue.
What if we miss any classes?
The course is online so you can watch them anytime at your own convenience. Critique Groups are held weekly and will be recorded and available for reply. One on One meetings can be rescheduled within 30 days of the original appointment date.
Did it take you a long time to have your book published?
Yes, it did. There is no magic bullet. For me, I spent seven years studying art and another five years learning how to make picture books. Some people think five years is a long time, and some think that is short. Through education, mentorship, critique groups and a whole lot of work, you will get published. No one can guarantee you when. Focus on putting in the work and learning the craft of storytelling. (Plus it’s fun!)
How important is technical skill? Is formal training such as art school important?
Technical skill in drawing is not a requirement but the willingness to try, to be vulnerable is required. When you were five years old, you probably weren’t afraid of drawing right? What stops most people from drawing is fear. So the willingness to try and not let fear stop you is required. Included in the course are guides and lessons on drawing that anyone can do. Through building a dummy, you will learn how to pace your story and how to set up page turns.
Will the course be on weekends?
The course releases a new class each Saturday at storytelleracademy.com. You can login anytime and watch at your own convenience. You can even download the videos! Critique Groups meet on Thursday evenings.
I know I want take the course but I don’t have an idea for a story yet. What if I can’t come up with an idea?
In the first two weeks, we cover concepts about creativity and coming up with ideas. Arree share’s his creative practice in coming up with ideas as well as a few exercises to make stories. You will find an idea for a story. The hard work part is actually deciding what idea to pursue and then work on developing it.
Will this course guarantee me to become a published author?
No one can guarantee that you will become a published author. If anyone promises this, be skeptical and run the other way. Our mission here at Storyteller Academy is to provide you honest and helpful insights into our own creative processes and to build community. I truly believe if you work on your craft and make stories that are unique to you, that publishing success will follow. Storyteller Academy will help support you in developing your story through education and community.
Why should I invest in this training today as opposed to waiting until later?
These workshops are only offered at select times during the year, so if you wait to sign up and it fills or closes, then you could wait a very long time for another class to start. The course will be going up in price in the future as well so you will save by enrolling now. Most importantly, the best time to start working on your story and being creative is now.
How long will I have access to the online course?
In a word: Indefinitely. And you’ll be upgraded to the new version of the course as Arree adds more material. Storyteller Academy runs three terms a year (Spring, Summer and Fall) so once you purchase the course, you can always participate in the course and make stories with other storytellers indefinitely.
How is Making Picture Book Stories different than other storybook making courses on the market?
While we obviously can’t speak to every storybook making course on the market, we believe this course is the most in depth and intimate experience on the market. Making Picture Book Stories is like having an apprenticeship with Arree. Arree shares his work process, his early drafts and even his failures. Who does that? Us. In addition, there are critique groups for you to join so you can start building relationships that last.
What if I’m not tech savvy?
You don’t have to be tech savvy to use the digital tools we use. We have worksheets and videos to help and we’ll happily jump on a call to help you learn it. If you’re comfortable with basic internet and email, you should be just fine.
What if this training isn’t a fit? What if I’m disappointed with the course?
No problem. We offer a full 60 day money back guarantee. So if you register for the Making Picture Book Stories course and don’t think it’s worth every penny, we will promptly refund your money. We will ask one question. How can we make the course better? Just send an email to [email protected] and if you’re still within the generous refund period, a member of our team will happily process your request.
What will happen immediately after I complete my registration?
After you submit your order, you’ll create a username and password. This is how you’ll access the online course. If you’ve signed up for a critique group, we’ll be sending you an email to ask for time preferences. You will also receive an email confirmation of your purchase for your records.
Can I get access to the training all at once, or do I have to go through it week-by-week?
The course starts on the start date of each term and a new module is released each week. We strongly recommend that you consume the course at the recommended pace of one module a week. We’ve found that students experience the best results with this consumption model.
What if I have questions or need support?
We are here to help. Simply submit any questions you have to our support team via email at: [email protected]. Also, we will be holding regular “Office Hour” Q&A calls, so if you have a question, you will get an answer.

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