Learn to Write for Children

 

Contributed by Karen Cioffi, Children's Writer

 I thought it would be a natural transition to move into writing for children as I always liked writing.

How hard could it be, right?

So, I began the process of actually writing children's books with the intent of having them published.

My eyes were quickly opened. Another world sat before me, one filled with a lot of hard work, time, road blocks, and rejection letters.

While I minored in English Lit in college, it had been many years ago. Along with this, it's not really the background specifically needed in writing for children or writing to get published in the market at the time … or now.

To write for children …

- You need to know what the current market wants.

- You need to know techniques such as the Core of Threes and having the protagonist solve the problem, not the parent or grandparent.

- You have to know showing is a must, and telling should be limited.

- You need to have the right sentence structure along with proper grammar and punctuation.

- Your words and dialogue must be age appropriate.

- You need to have an age-appropriate plot.

- There should be only ONE point of view, one main character.

- Your main character needs to grow in some way as a result of his journey.

- You need to watch out for blind spots in your writing. Spots where you know what you intended to be conveyed, but the reader won't.

- You need to understand and utilize words such as tighten, good voice, focus, point of view, hook, and lots of other writing elements. It goes on and on and on.

Well then, just how do you learn all the information needed to write for children, especially if you don’t want to get a degree in children’s literature or are unable to enroll in a school specifically geared toward this subject?

The answer is the internet.

Sounds easy, right?

Well, think again. Since I've gotten my Bachelor's degree, I've taken a few college courses and other courses long distance and online and I can tell you that learning a subject in a classroom is much easier than learning through other means.

And, learning on your own with the internet is even more difficult and very time consuming.

Why is it so darn hard?

The reason for the difficulty is there are thousands and thousands of websites and blogs that offer children's writing information.

You'd think this is a good thing, but not everyone online knows what they're talking about. For this reason, it's important to use common sense when searching for information.

Make sure the site is current and posts content regularly. Another must is to research the blog owner. Does she have published books? Traditionally published?

Is she in the business of writing or a hobby writer?

Another difficulty is that finding good sites can be time consuming.

If possible, get recommendations from other authors or folk in your writing groups.

So, what can you do to ease into this?

1. Writing Groups

Your first order of business is to join a children's writing group. One of the best is SCBWI Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). There are new and seasoned people in the business of writing there who are willing and able to help. 

2. Critique Groups

Next on your plan should be to join a children’s writing critique group. You'll be able to find one in SCBWI.

3. Writer Conferences

 If you're able, it'd be a good idea to make it a priority to attend a writer’s conference.

Some of the bigger ones are:

SCBWI Annual Conferences
The Highlights Foundation Workshop Retreats
Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference
Northwestern Christian Writers Conference

You can also search for others.

4. Writing Workshops and Webinars

There are also a number of sites that offer online writing whether workshops, zoom meetings, or others.

MasterClass
SCBWI
WOW! Women on Writing
WritersDigest.com
Gotham Writing Workshop

The workshops and sites mentioned in this article may not all focus directly on writing for children, but they will offer great writing information.

5. Blogs

Another source of advice is children's writing tips is children's editors, publishers and agents' blogs. Often, you'll get great tips and information.

Find reliable and well-established sites. An excellent one is KidLit.com with Mary Kole.

Here are a few others:

Truby's Writing Studio
Children's Book Insider
The Write Practice
Writer's Digest
Writers Helping Writers.net

6. Books on Writing for Children

Below are a few:

How to Write a Children's Fiction Book by Karen Cioffi
The Magic Words by Cheryl Klein
The Business of Writing for Children by Aaron Shepard
How to Write a Children's Book by Katie Davis and Jan Fields
Yes! You Can Learn to Write Children's Books by Nancy I. Sanders

7. Read, Read, Read

Read writing books and books in the genre you want to write.

Pay close attention to the books in your genre as you read.

What do you like about the book? How did the author convey emotion? How did the author hook you? How were the sentence, paragraphs, and chapters written? How was the dialogue written? How did the story flow? 

Pick up on everything you can.

8. Industry Standards Matter

Keep up with the industry standards. What are traditional children's publishers and literary agents looking for? What's being published? What are the standard word counts for the different genres? 

This matters whether you're traditionally publishing or self-publishing. You want a professional book. 

While the world of writing for children can feel overwhelming, it can also be very rewarding. Take the time to learn the ropes so you can create a publishable book. And, create a time management plan.

Keep on learning; keep adding tools to your writing toolbox.

With hard work and perseverance, you can write a children's book that you'll be proud to be the author of and one that will be publishable as well as marketable.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author and children’s ghostwriter, rewriter, and coach with clients worldwide. She is also the founder and editor-in-chief of Writers on the Move, and an author online platform instructor.https://thewritingworld.com/your-author-platform/

Karen’s children’s books include “Walking Through Walls” and “The Case of the Plastic Rings,” and her DIY book, “How to Write Children’s Fiction Books.” You can check them out at: https://karencioffiwritingforchildren.com/karens-books/.

 

If you need help with your children’s story, visit: https://karencioffiwritingforchildren.com.  

 

 

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MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER Howard-Johnson is the multi award-winning author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning #HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers including the multi award-winning The Frugal Book Promoter (https://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), now offered in its third edition by Modern History Press. She is also the author of" How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically." She has two booklets in the #HowToDoItFrugally Series, both in their second editions from Modern History Press. "Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers" (https://bit.ly/LastMinuteEditsII) and "The Great First Impression Book Proposal" (https://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) are career boosters in mini doses and both make ideal thank you gifts for authors. The one on writing book proposals is also available as an Audio Book. "The Frugal Editor" (https://bit.ly/FrugalEditor), recently released in its third edition, is the winningest book in the series. Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it help them understand what is needed to convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is "A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques" (https://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at https://TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor (https://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Learn more and follow for news on her new releases direct from Amazon at https://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.