How To Write For Children
Many ideas about writing for children are false. Let’s approach the perspective of false ideas (not-to-dos) that keep circulating. Here are fourteen not-to-dos with suggestions for what-to-do.
1. Never write “cutesy.” You are writing for children who are more clever, discerning, and shrewd than most adults were when children. Television, computers, and Internet have opened the world to today’s children. Cutesy will not interest them. They want and deserve substance and excellent writing.
2. Never talk or write down to children. No one likes to be patronized or to have anyone be condescending. Baby talk is a major “no-no.” According to Eugie Foster, in “Ten Myths About Writing for Kids,” writers shouldn’t underestimate the ability children have to learn new words. “The best way for kids to expand their vocabularies is by encountering new words in an engaging context.” Writers should use interesting language that creates strong visual images and in such a manner that children can understand words from context or easily from the person reading the story.
3. Never preach. Children read for entertainment, not to have another lesson used to beat them over the head. If a story or book
Write4Kids.Com states, “Your job as a writer: to entertain. If your story has a message, tell it through the plot and characters, not by a ‘moral’ tacked on to the end.”
4. Never write a book without a plot. Even young children like a story to have a beginning, middle, and end; they like the tale to make sense. Even Dr. Seuss’ rhyming stories had a plot.
5. Don’t avoid serious or controversial subjects. Children are bombarded with serious subjects every day, many times without understanding them. Television and video games, as well as web sites surfed, smoother kids with tragedy, even if death and violence hasn’t touched them personally. A story that introduces tops such as death and handles the subject in realistic, sensitive ways actually help children cope with the realities of the world. Often the plot of a book will open the door for parents to answer questions that disturb their children.
6. Don’t allow adults to “carry the day.” Plots need to empower the young protagonist. Of course adults are needed, and their help may be required. However, the solution shouldn’t be an adult making a miraculous save, but the character or characters solving problems.
7. Never use talking animals incorrectly or write in clichés. Originality is needed when writing anything, and that means when writing for children. Any character, especially talking animals, must be three-dimensional, with animals as fully developed as human ones. Quirks, failings, motivations, and personalities should be seen, not flat, clichéd speaking creatures.
Many times when a novice writer incorporates animals as characters in a story, clichés pop up: the ugly duckling that turns into a swan, shy creatures that suddenly become bold enough to save the day, apparently moral-filled stories that show it’s okay to be different.
According to Write4Kids.com again, using talking animals isn’t all bad. “What’s important is that your animals have completely developed, unique personalities and characteristics.” Children will not be drawn to characters that are stereotypes, even if they are animals.
As with any advice, common sense needs to be applied generously. As with the point last week of never using talking animals, that was paired with writing in clichés. Often novice writers do write in clichés when using talking animals rather than developing the characters and plot as needed. Also, not allowing adults to step in and make everything all right doesn’t mean that adults can’t be part of the story and maybe even the solution. However, adults shouldn’t unravel a problem without the child’s input and major help.
Now for the other seven points:
8. Don’t think all children’s stories must have a little kid in it. Children prefer reading about a child (or animal) who is a bit older than they, rather than a younger child as the main character. A children’s story can even have character several years older as long as the story is told from a child’s perspective and level of understanding. According to Eugie Foster, “Ten Myths about Writing for Kids,” “When in doubt, err on the side of older, more mature, and more sophisticated.”
9. Never use rhyme unless used correctly. Children enjoy rhyme, alliteration, and rhythmic sentences in books, but using any of those devices not proficiently is a major no-no. Writing any story in poetry is not as easy as using prose. If rhyme requires convoluted lines or awkward wording, the story will not be a good one. Remember, stories for children MUST be well-written.
10. Don’t illustrate your own book. This point is valid because of the requirements for illustration to be the correct quality for printing. Certain forms of art don’t reproduce as well as others. The illustrations not only need to be of high resolution, they need to be colorful and engaging. Most publishers will not accept a children’s story that is already illustrated. They prefer to use their own artists for the job.
11. Never think writing for children is easy. Sometimes people believe they can write for children because they have children. My having a heart doesn’t mean I can do open heart surgery (yes, I know the example is extreme, but perhaps the idea can be understood). Just because a writer has children doesn’t mean he automatically knows how to write for them. Writing of any kind takes training, starting with reading the type of literature to be written, studying how to write for a certain audience, and the ideas in number 13 below.
In fact, writing for children is harder than writing for adults. One reason is the story (plot, characters, conflict, and action) has to be concise and precise since the length of a children’s story is shorter than for an adult.
12. Don’t believe that research isn’t necessary to write children’s books. If writing about anything factual, a writer needs literally to have his facts straight. False information in a children’s story is as bad, or worse, than if in a story or book for adults.
Another type of investigation writers need to do is to research current children’s books. Lots of time should be spent in the children’s sections of libraries and bookstores, not only looking at the books, but reading them.
13. Never write before knowing how to write. I’ve mentioned several times that children’s stories should be well-written first. Anyone wanting to write for children needs to know first how to write. Some ways to learn include taking courses, reading books, joining a writing group, and attending conferences (even professional on-line conferences are available). Chasing a publishing contract comes at the end of a long journey.
14. Don’t submit manuscripts that aren’t ready. After the story is well written, the work begins. Any story, or book, should be error free: spelling, grammar, sentence structure, verb tenses, etc. Mythical editors do not go through any manuscript noting or correcting problems for the author, unless she pays an editor to do so or unless the author is someone already famous. A writer should proofread and revise multiple times before asking anyone else to do so. Then she should revise again after others (who know and understand what is needed) have given suggestions.
The manuscript should be formatted correctly. Before submitting, the author must be sure that the publisher’s guidelines are followed exactly.
Producing a children’s story ready for publishing is possible, but the end product is a result of hard work. Getting one published is another story.
After teaching composition for twenty-five years and becoming an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ a site for Poetry, Vivian Gilbert Zabel produced Hidden Lies and Other Stores, Walking the Earth:, and The Base Stealers Club, which can be ordered through most book stores and on http://www.Amazon.com
Tags: action, children, drama, success, writing_tips
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