At our ACQUIRED! workshop this weekend, guest illustrator Fred Koehler shared a simple idea that lit up the room: write lines that give artists room to invent. He calls it “illustrator bait.” Your job as the text writer is to aim the scene and the feeling, then leave space for visual problem-solving. That space is where style, timing, and humor explode.
Here’s a short guide with quick made-up examples and a few mentor texts.
Aim the beat, leave the staging
You want clarity of intent, strong verbs, and an emotional target. Avoid pinning down props and choreography unless a detail is crucial to the plot or the joke.
Over-scripted: Bob threw his left shoe at the big picture window.
Bait: Bob wanted the room to feel his thunder.
Over-scripted: Lila tips a red bucket and water splashes Mom.
Bait: Lila turns mischief into weather.
Over-scripted: The cat leapt onto the table and knocked the vase down.
Bait: The cat chose chaos.
Over-scripted: Maya stacks three green books and stands on them to reach the shelf.
Bait: Maya finds a way to grow three inches.
Each “bait” line sets intention, mood, and consequence. An illustrator can stage a stomp, a bang, a glare, a toppled tower, a sudden rainstorm, or countless other choices that fit the book’s visual language.
When specifics matter
Sometimes the exact object or action carries story weight. Keep it when:
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A later payoff depends on it, like Grandma’s locket that returns on the final spread.
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The comedy hinges on a specific reveal, like the banana cream pie that must land somewhere impossible.
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Nonfiction accuracy requires a precise mechanism, like a bee’s figure-eight waggle on the comb.
Otherwise, write the aim and the effect, and trust the art team.
Mentor texts that leave room beautifully
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Sam and Dave Dig a Hole (Mac Barnett, Jon Klassen): spare lines set intention, the pictures deliver irony and surprise.
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They All Saw a Cat (Brendan Wenzel): simple refrain, wildly varied visual interpretations.
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The Day the Crayons Quit (Drew Daywalt, Oliver Jeffers): voicey letters aim the emotion, illustrations choose staging and sight gags.
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Extra Yarn (Mac Barnett, Jon Klassen): the text names desire and consequence, the art builds world and texture.
Pocket tests for your draft
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Could three different illustrators thumbnail this beat three different ways and stay true to your line?
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Does your line state intent, feeling, or consequence rather than prescribing props and blocking?
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If a detail is specific, does the story truly need that exact thing later?
Workshops like ACQUIRED! work because questions like this sharpen pages for collaboration. Write the emotional arrow, give the scene direction, and let your illustrator fly it to the target.
Chalk the Walk
