You are reading all of the stuff that's been tagged with 'Writing'

Writing Children’s Books: Take Chances To Get Published

Writing Children’s Books: Take Chances To Get Published

In an editorial several years ago, I described a tree house in the backyard of a local restaurant. I wrote, “The entire structure has been pieced together from recycled lumber, much of which still bears the paint, logos or posters of the original walls from whence it came. The generous platform is ringed by a sturdy fence that includes branches of the tree itself, random two-by-fours, wooden signs, and even a pair of moose antlers. The ‘house’ is more of a lean-to, tall enough for kids (but not adults) to stand up inside, with a screened door and two screened windows positioned so occupants can easily spy on the diners below or out over the adjacent parking lot. A green padded bench that looks like it had once belonged in a diner adequately furnishes the space. Underneath the tree house hangs a rope swing, from which kids can fling themselves into a thick layer of hay on the grass.”

Fast forward to this summer. The restaurant revamped their backyard, including the tree house. The railing now consists of uniform boards about three inches apart. The house is reached not by a ladder and trapdoor, but via a bona fide staircase. The screen door is gone, the windows are covered in glass, and several of the tree’s branches have been pruned back to discourage climbing. But the worst part, according to my 10-year-old, is that the rope swing has disappeared. Matthew declared the whole structure “boring.” In today’s world, kids have far less freedom than in previous generations. Their lives are more controlled-sometimes because of parents’ fears of an increasingly dangerous society, but often because we’ve somehow come to believe that to grow into successful adults, children’s activities must be channeled, scheduled and programmed from infancy.

Danger comes in many forms, from a stranger encountered on the way to school (who may be a neighbor out walking his dog, but you never know), to free time not filled with “enriching” activities. But, in my opinion, kids need a little danger in their lives. They need to test their boundaries, to learn how to climb a ladder and squeeze through a trapdoor. They need to hurl themselves into a pile of hay and learn it’s best not to land on your face. If grown-ups clean up their world too much, kids will never learn how to push themselves. They’ll never have the satisfaction of trying things that are a little scary, a little off their parents’ radar, and accomplishing something that belongs just to them.

One of the few places kids can still push their limits is with books. It’s possible to step outside your safe life with a story, or try new ideas on for size. But many adults want to clean up their kids’ reading choices as well. I know parents who abhor Barbara Park’s perennially popular Junie B. Jones chapter books because the spirited Junie isn’t a good role model, or won’t read Winnie the Pooh because Christopher Robin can’t spell very well. I also know a lot of authors who are afraid to write books that are slightly subversive because they worry editors won’t publish them. But for every parent who insists on only “safe” reading for their child (and it’s every parent’s right to do so), there are at least two parents who believe it’s okay for kids to wade into the danger zone through fiction. I’m not advocating murder mysteries for preschoolers here, just books that might be considered slightly uncivilized, or more entertaining than educational. Let’s look at some popular examples:

When I first saw Walter, the Farting Dog by William Kozwinkle and Glenn Murray, illustrated by Audrey Colman (a picture book whose plot needs no explanation), I was worried that children’s publishing might be sinking a little too low. But as it started winning awards and spawning sequels, I changed my opinion. Let’s face it: farting makes kids laugh. And if your child finds this book hysterical, you should be glad. In order to get the joke, kids need to know that noisy bodily functions are considered impolite. Laughing about them is one of the perks of childhood. Don’t worry, they’ll outgrow it.

A picture book coming out this December that’s already creating a buzz is 17 Things I’m Not Allowed to Do Anymore by Jenny Offill, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter. The heroine utters such statements as “I had an idea to staple my brother’s hair to his pillow. I am not allowed to use the stapler anymore.” She also glues her brother’s bunny slippers to the floor, and shows Joey Whipple her underpants. Both big No’s. This ingenious story should satisfy two camps of parents; those who want kids to see consequences for inappropriate behavior, and those who don’t mind letting their kids live vicariously through a curious, mischievous character. A pop-up book due out later this month from three publishing powerhouses-Maurice Sendak, Arthur Yorinks and Matthew Reinhart-lets young children face the monsters hiding in their closets and come out on top. In Mommy?, a young boy wanders into a haunted house looking for his mother and encounters creatures like a goblin, a mummy, and Frankenstein. Instead of running scared, the boy pulls pranks on each monster, deflating their power and showing how humor conquers fear every time.

Speaking of scary, if you haven’t read any of the enormously popular Series of Unfortunate Events middle grade novels by Lemony Snicket, do so. With titles like The Bad Beginning, The Miserable Mill, and The Penultimate Peril, and cautions from the author such as, “If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book,” these are clearly stories where adults dare not tread. But children brave enough to venture between the covers will find hilarious plots full of nail-biting twists. The intelligent Baudelaire orphans have unusual skills (Violet for inventing, Klaus for reading and researching, and baby Sunny for biting) that make them admirable heroes.

Lauren Myracle enters the private world of teen girl talk in her young adult novels TTYL and TTFN. The titles alone might raise some parents’ suspicions because unless they’re well-versed at IM (instant messaging), they won’t know what the abbreviations stand for. In fact, the entire novels consist of conversations between three high school girls written in emails, text-messaging and IM’s, using the standard computer shorthand that includes abbreviated spelling and quirky syntax. If you’re not an IMer yourself, you’ll find the books somewhat difficult to read. But you and I aren’t the target audience here. And though the format might keep adults from examining the books too closely, the plots are standard upper young adult fare-relationships, family trauma, peer pressure, even drugs and alcohol-handled in a believable manner that conveys growth of character by the end of each story.

As an author, if you’re inspired to delve into the slightly dangerous, dark or subversive corners of childhood with your books, feel free to do so. Don’t limit yourself to all that’s bright, safe and up to code. Allow kids places where they can wander away from their parents’ watchful eyes and have an adventure. If the adventure’s in a book, they’ll always come home safe and sound. And if you’re still not convinced, consider this: In the backyard of the restaurant, the tree house now sits empty. But the books I’ve described above are flying off the shelves.

This article excerpted from Children’s Book Insider, The Newsletter for Children’s Writers. More information at http://write4kids.com

Writing a Children’s Book – The #1 Misconception of Writing!

Writing a Children’s Book – The #1 Misconception of Writing!

Many people who are considering writing a children’s book have the mistaken belief that you need a piece of paper or to have formal writing experience to write a book for children! This is the #1 misconception of writing a children’s book or any book for that matter. The truth is you don’t!

What publishers want to see in your writing is that you have an interest in and have passion for a good story. Formal qualifications can be expensive and time consuming and in the end they are not a guarantee for your success. Formal writing training can also be quite broad; covering all aspects of writing in general. This is not always a bad thing as you will need to develop a strong foundation for your writing career. But overall, formal training is not necessary. If you are interested in gaining formal qualifications the best thing to look for is a more in-depth focus on children’s writing not all other genres of writing.

Writers of children’s books will recommend attending short courses designed specifically for children’s writing. You can sometimes find free short courses through the community, library, internet or there could be a small fee. Either way, it is beneficial to you to attend one or two of these. This will improve your knowledge and skills when writing for children. The more knowledge you seek in this area of writing will help you beyond belief. While attending courses, you will have the opportunity to ask question, have discussions and get feedback from experienced writers or tutors which will provide you with priceless information you will have for a lifetime. Take the opportunity when it is presented, this is the best way to gain knowledge for your writing career. You can get started writing your children’s story straight away and seek help and support as you go along.

The best way to get the help and support you need is from successful authors who have been there and done that and made the mistakes. Many will be willing to share these with you. Generally, they would have produced well written and published books in more than one genre of children’s writing. These are the folks you want to learn from. They will give you all the elements for writing a children’s book and pointers for dealing with publishers. What publishers want to see and what they don’t! Again this is priceless feedback that only those who have been there can give you.

If you believe writing a children’s book is where your talents lye, that’s awesome! There is always a need for more well written children’s books filled with passion and interest. Remember this is the #1 misconception of writing a children’s book. You do not require formal qualifications, just the determination to learn how to write well for children, one way or another.

Find More Write A Children’s Book Articles

The Basics of Writing for Children; Two: Start With a Situation

The Basics of Writing for Children; Two: Start With a Situation

When writing for children a popular way of getting started is to begin with an incident or happening. Any particular incident, whether you’ve read about it, or maybe heard about it on the news, or maybe a chance phrase or a meeting with someone may create an sudden unshakeable conviction that this is something which may one day be the beginning of a book. Writing for children is, contrary to what many people believe, just as difficult and challenging as writing for adults, indeed in many ways more so, so when you are writing for children, do select your incident or happening carefully as you need to gain, and keep a child’s notoriously fickle attention.

In any case it may take years for you to begin writing for children, but the idea remains firmly fixed in your mind, and so does its potential for a good storyline. Consider the story of the manager of an orphanage who was aware that many of the children in her care had invented “real belonging mothers” all of their own. In some cases the mothers actually existed, but many of these absent moms were invented by the children themselves to fill an aching need, because they didn’t know who their real mothers were, they simply invented them.

When you are writing for children, you could perhaps consider this situation- store it away in your mind and give it time to take root. Possibly years later you may be able to use and develop it. Here’s one possibility ….

Children in an orphanage create fantasy mothers for themselves. Some fantasise about wonderful, cuddly moms who love them deeply and only left them at the orphanage because they had no other option in a cold, hard world. Maybe other children that fantasise about heartless, evil women who simply abandoned them out of cruelty and spite – sounds a bit like a wicked stepmother – doesn’t it? And we all know what wonderful tales have been woven around wicked stepmothers!

Of course not all situations will develop well. You do need to consider carefully what might be worked into a good storyline and which scenarios should be left well alone when writing for children. After all, you don’t want to make your stories too scary! Remember those fantasy moms – those kids needed make-believe mothers who would support rather than hurt them, and any writing for children should always leave the reader feeling warm and reassured after the conclusion has been reached.

Find More Writing For Children Articles

Writing a Children’s Book? 5 Questions to ask Yourself!

Writing a Children’s Book? 5 Questions to ask Yourself!

Are you writing a children’s book? Have you been writing a little here and a little there but can’t seen to see how your children’s book will ever get completed? Sometimes we can have the misconception that it is easy to sit down and write a children’s book. Children’s books are quite short and not complicated right, so it mustn’t be that hard? Well actually it’s not as easy as you may think! Because children’s books are shorter, there are certain restrictions you encounter which can make it difficult. Mainly because of the choice of words you use. The best way to get to the end result of a well written and thought out children’s book is to plan how you will get there.

Once you have that idea, its time to start writing a children’s book. Set yourself some goals. Ask yourself the following questions:

- When do I want to have my book completed? Set yourself a time-frame for writing a children’s book. Try to keep this realistic. There is no point trying to complete your manuscript in a short period of time, causing it stressful for you and your family.

- Who am I writing for? Are you planning to write for babies and toddlers, early readers or advanced readers like teenagers? This has to be one of the most important questions to ask. The genre you are writing for will determine the style of writing to use and every genre has different criteria. It’s always best to find out what publishers of your chosen genre are looking for.

- When will I write? Are you up at the crack of dawn or awake till the wee hours? You know yourself better than anyone. Plan to use the time that best suits you as effectively as possible. Maybe you’ll write every day or every second day. But set aside the time where you are in the zone to write, even if you spend this time thinking about the next twist in the tale. Writing a children’s book will take time.

- How long will I write for? Of course there isn’t really a time-frame you can put on the time you’ll spend writing. When your in the zone you probably shouldn’t stop, unless the house is burning down then you might want to take a break, but there are the times when you get stuck. The most important thing is to allow yourself time to sit, think and write. Even half an hour is better than nothing. Don’t forget you have to edit your work in the end anyway so just write, write and write some more.

- Do I need help? If you are having difficulties with certain parts of your story gaining the necessary help and support of those who have been there and done that will benefit you in the long run. Successful authors of children’s books will generally be willing to show you the way to achieving your goals and to becoming a published author in your own right.

A children’s book or any book for that matter can take awhile to put together. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Once you have your first draft, you’ll be ready to edit. Then you’ll end up with a professional manuscript to submit to publishers. Think about these guidelines as your writing a children’s book and you will be setting yourself to succeed from the beginning. Remember how important it is to set goals so you stay on track and get your book completed when you want to.