Writing children’s fiction is not as straightforward as you might imagine, it needs to be carefully thought out and structured or it will not be accepted by editors. In this article, you will find some practical tips to help you. Many people carry the misconception that children’s literature is easy to create. It is often thought that storylines can be much more simplistic than adult fiction, that language can be unelaborated and that characters don’t have to be particularly three-dimensional. And in many ways this is true. Storylines for children’s fiction do not have to be as complex as those used in adult fiction, language must be construed relatively simply, and characters do not need to come with all the baggage and background life stories that adult literature demands. But what is forgotten is the complexity of the reader for which one is writing for when they write children’s literature. A child sees the world in a very different light to most adults. That world needs to be captured and represented in children’s fiction. To represent such a world through fiction is hugely challenging, and I take my hat off to all who do it successfully! As with any form of writing, there are several steps that you need to follow when planning and writing a children’s book. You need to do your research, you need to develop a storyline or plot, you need to create the primary characters and you need to ensure that the ending of the story will be satisfactory to the reader. Alongside these key steps, there are two additional areas that need to be thought about when creating children’s literature: Let’s discuss these in turn! Language The mark of a great writer - their ability to use brevity successfully! Contemporary Setting The need to understand and potentially use a contemporary setting for your storyline does not mean that your children’s book has to be set in the ‘here and now’. Children’s stories based in Medieval Times or in Out of Space (for example) are still hugely popular and successful. But.., a storyline should maintain a contemporary feel. Perhaps the easiest way to achieve this is to focus the text around a contemporary issue that affects ‘Today’s Children’. Think about divorce, same-sex families, bullying, step-families, illness, the internet, drugs, alcohol, sexual relationships, violence, or modern technology , and see how each of these key issues could be brought into the make believe world of your children’s fiction piece. Summary - The Main Steps to writing Children’s Fiction 1 - Research. Know your market. Read current children’s fiction releases for the age group you are interested in writing for. About the author Do you want your manuscript to be accepted for publication? Visit Words Worth Reading for writer’s manuscript improvement, proofreading and appraisal.
Tags: adult fiction, adult literature, adults, brevity, complexity, different light, editors, form of writing, life stories, misconception, novels, picture book, several steps, storylines, word count Related Posts
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