Writing in general can be a tough business; writing for children is even tougher. Writing for children has its own unique tricks, processes, and rules; one of those rules is using words that are age appropriate. How this differs from writing in general is that the children’s writing arena is divided into specific age groups….
Tag: writing for children
Ingredients for the Perfect Picture Book
Writing for young children can be tricky. It’s not as straight forward as writing for adults. You can’t use your own vocabulary and need to be careful of age-appropriate story lines. You also need to introduce your main character immediately. It’s also important to keep in mind that children don’t have the same comprehension level…
Plot and Your Story – Four Formats
Plot. As writers we’ve all heard of this literary term. But, what does it mean? Well, plot is what gives the story a reason to be. It’s the ‘why’ as to the reason the story exists. Plot is what the story is about. And, if the plot is good, it will entertain and engage the…
Make Your Children’s Writing Website Focused – 3 Must-Haves, 6 Tips
Is your site on the mark? As we get caught up in our writing careers sometimes it’s easy to forget to remain focused. That’s a no-no! It’s important to present a focused brand and site. Okay, so what are three website must-haves and six tips? The Must-Haves 1. Create a website using your own name….
Editing a Children’s Book – 10 Tips Checklist for Authors
You’ve been working on your story for a while now and you think it’s just about done. It’s been critiqued numerous times and you revised it numerous times. Now, it’s time for editing. This entails proofreading and self-editing. You don’t want to short-change yourself on the last stretch, so get ready to put the final…
Words and Children’s Writing Pitfalls to Look Out For
I wrote a fantasy story originally geared toward middle grade. Realizing the word count wasn’t enough for a middle grade story, I changed it to a chapter book. Good idea, right? Yes it was, but if you do something like this, you need to remember to check the age appropriateness of the words you originally…
Finding Children’s Story Ideas
Sitting at the computer with a blank word document in front of you may be intimidating for a writer. You just finished one manuscript, or you’ve hired out to ghostwrite a story, or whatever the reason is, you need to begin writing a children’s story. Hmmm. What should it be about? You think and think….
Children’s Writing and Publishing Process – The Traditional Path
Children’s books fall into one of three primary categories: picture books, middle grade, and young adult. And, children’s writers need to take the necessary steps to achieve success whether aiming at traditional publishing or self-publishing. In regard to traditional publishing, there are four steps in a writing career: writing, submissions to agents and publishers, book…
Children, the Environment, and Story Telling
Children, the environment, and storytelling: a few simple words yet when combined can become a powerhouse for teaching children the importance of taking care of our planet. Belonging to a number of writing groups, being an author, ghostwriter, and editor, I recently began to wonder why more authors aren’t incorporating conservation tidbits into their story…
Creating and Beefing Up the Conflict in Your Story
Your story has a great beginning—a great hook that will capture the reader instantly. You have an interesting, funny, or mischievous protagonist who will keep the reader engaged. But will it be enough to keep the reader turning the pages to end? Is there something missing? Children’s stories aren’t what they use to be. Granted…