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Write Your Best For The Children
Author: Arline Chandler
A few years ago, a former high school counselor accompanied me to a conference in Chautauqua, New York, sponsored by Highlights for Children. Although the secondary educator had written an unpublished adult novel, she dramatically emphasized her comment, “I don’t know a thing about kiddy lit!”
Two days into the conference, with workshops on crafting stories for children, she said, “Good writing is good writing!” Indeed.
Writing for children is no shortcut to success. A story with a compelling beginning, a challenging middle, and a satisfying conclusion draws both adults and children into the lives of make-believe characters. The basic roadmap for effective writing is the same. Yet, writing for the children’s market has its own strict guidelines and requires research, planning, a focus on age-appropriate structure, and most of all, a love for children.
Writing for youngsters is a responsibility. Our words have the potential to mold character and influence a child’s life decisions. Writing for children has to be a cut above all other writing.
Locate Resources
Numerous resources are available to the individual who seriously wants to pursue writing for children. All you have to do is look for it. Begin by building a personal library of books about writing for children. Books abound on the subject and can be found at your local library, at bookstores, at used book shops, at garage sales, and even at writers' groups and workshops.
(On my bookshelf, I have the Writer’s Guide to Crafting Stories for Children, by Nancy Lamb, and although my copy of Writing for Children and Teenagers dates back to the late author Lee Wyndham’s sixth printing in 1978, the basic information remains vital. My newest book, Writing It Right!, by Sandy Asher, contains advice from two dozen successful authors and editors.)
Check for local writers’ groups and attend their meetings and workshops. Join The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators where local or state chapters provide annual workshops loaded with valuable information. Watch for writing contests at various workshops and look for conferences that offer at least one category for children’s stories.
Take online courses. The Institute of Children’s Literature offers an outstanding course of study for entering the field. Coffeehouse For Writers lists several four-week courses, one of which is "Writing for Children".
Finally, build camaraderie with other writers who are interested in children’s books and stories.
Study Children And The Children's Market
While I studied for a degree in early childhood education, a wise professor asked me and my fellow students to sit on the floor and observe the world from the same eye level as the youngsters we expected to teach. That premise also applies to beginning a story for children. Before putting the first word on paper, or a computer screen, spend time seeing the world through their eyes. Browse the children’s section of libraries and bookstores. Consider whether particular books are suitable for a preschooler or a 10-year-old child. Read book reviews in newspapers to get an idea of current publications and ask your local librarian for the ones that interest you.
Get acquainted with school librarians and inquire about the types of books that are lacking on their bookshelves. Ask teachers for reading requirements on various grade levels. For example, do reading programs need more chapter books for third graders? Are biographies of historical figures—or everyday heroes—lacking on school library shelves? Is there a void of lively non-fiction books to complement science, history, or social studies curriculum? At Chinaberry you can find a reading level list that gives guidelines for books suitable for different ages and their topic list may spark ideas.
Search online or in the Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market for children’s book publishing companies and order current catalogs of ones that interest you. Peruse them for a feel of what certain companies are publishing.
Write That First Draft
After arming yourself with information from these resources, you are ready to think about the story you want to write. Try to trim your idea to a single sentence. At the Highlights for Children Workshop in New York, my mentor, Walter Dean Myers, said he approaches a publisher with one word or phrase to sum up the concept for his book proposal. Myers has more than 30 young adult novels to his credit.
Writing is the most important element in creating stories for children. Get your idea into words and sentences. Experiment. Revisions come later—and later—and later. Let every piece of writing rest overnight. Then start again and WRITE YOUR BEST.
This column first appeared on DM in 2009, but we think you'll agree that it still has some good information!
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