Hi, I’m Ryan Quillard.
A few months after learning I was going to be a dad, I felt compelled to write a story that I could read to my child one day. In it, I wanted to relay two core messages:
Life is all about pursuing you
You prove you right via belief + consistent, uncomfortable work
Three years and the cost of a cup of coffee per day later, I’m a first-time author of a picture book, Daywon the Flying Penguin. I made all sorts of mistakes and have lessons to share, should you wish to explore becoming an author one day…
If pursuing you doesn’t include being an author, but you’ll entertain starting day one of your next habit, there’s a lot of white space and some thick paper in this book. Pick a page, grab some crayons, start a five minute timer, draw until the timer expires. Use the prompts: “What does your life look like 5 or 10 years from now? Who do you want to be? What can you do today to build towards this future?” Commit to this activity of coloring for five minutes each day, for the next 22 days. The goal is never perfection, but consistency. You’ll fill up the book and be a third of the way to forming a new habit, which takes 66 days on average. Not sure what habit to add?
Ask the crayons.
If becoming an author or adding a new habit isn’t for you, you’re here, and I appreciate your consideration of Daywon as your next read or gift. When I started writing, I worked for a tutoring service in schools and consistently interacted with tearful parents, asking if our tutors could help their child make up a multi-year reading level gap. These experiences imprinted in me, and I want to contribute to more students learning to (love to) read. If a penguin flying doesn’t spark the love of a non-reader to find their next penguin book, hopefully their coloring reveals their interests and the next topic or protagonist to explore.
FAQs
Chariot ?
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My favorite song is Chariot by Mega. Queue your headphones :)
Riot meant loud revelry (Latin’s rugire, “to roar”) until commandeered by the victors. The practice of writing a book felt like a release of a roar, over the ever-present opportunity to scroll.
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chaRIOT scrolls?
Ted Hack, a full time artist living in Cleveland, OH. His art has been displayed across the country, including a year-long exhibition with the Smithsonian. He received his BFA from Ball State. https://instagram.com/ted.hack/
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Who illustrated the book?
Where is this book?
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Click “Shop” upper right.
Steps I took out of order to become an author:
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Find 10 books that relay the same 2-3 beliefs I want to relay
Read the 10 books on loop
Write for an audience of one - my younger self
Identify and boldly ask the right who’s for feedback on my words
Understand industry standards for production
Ex. picture books are most commonly 32 pp, divisible by 4
Draw my own illustrations or share my work with an illustrator
Note design likes and dislikes from my 10 books
Take illustrations and teach myself Adobe Photoshop, InDesign
Identify and boldly ask the right who’s for feedback on my book
Research, contract a manufacturer to produce a bulk order
Leverage me + the book to differentiate in some way
Or markers, pens, pencils, paint - this book is for readers ages 4+.
You were a 4 year-old artist once. Your 4 year-old artist is still in you.
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Crayons?
Lally, van Jaarsveld, Potts. “How are habits formed: modelling habit formation in the real world.” European Journal of Social Psychology, 2012. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3505409/