How to Write a Children's Book

• by Jenny Hudock

Introduction

• Writing for children is one of the most rewarding types of writing there is. Consider the fact that the books we read as children not only shaped our imaginations, but inspired our first desires to reach for the future. Even as adults, we carry the memories of the books that really stood out, and in today's competitive children's writer's market, standing out among the rest is the key to success.

• There is a special formula when it comes to writing for children, certain keys and protocols that appear nowhere else in the writing world. If you are interested in breaking into the children's writing market, read on for some important steps and tips of the trade that will help you get a leg up on the competition.

Types of Children's Books

• Before you can get started on writing, you will need to determine which age-group of children you'd like to write for.

1. Picture Books rely heavily on illustration to move the plot and fall into four categories.¹
   1. Baby Books are geared toward infants and toddlers, they generally contain less than 300 words and often incorporate daily learning concepts like shapes, alphabet and numbers.¹
   2. Early Picture Books focus on the lower end of the 4-8 age range and tend to host simple story lines that end around the 1000 word mark.¹
   3. Picture Story Books are geared toward children between ages 4-8, are usually around 1000-1500 words in length and span about 32 pages. They tend to feature one main character who embodies the struggles and emotions of children in this age range. ¹
   4. Easy Readers focus more on teaching children ages 6-8 how to read.² Like earlier picture books, these still contain pictures on every page, but the format is sometimes more adult, including chapters. The length ranges between 200-2000 words, and explores simple grammar, dialogue and plot moving action.¹
2. Transition Books bridge the gap between easy readers and middle-grade and young adult books. They tend to be about 30-60 pages long, break down into two or three chapters and appeal to ages 7-10.¹
3. Middle Grade books are for children ages 8-12. The average length tends to be about 100-150 pages, with more chapters, sub-plots, secondary characters and more complicated situations.¹
4. Young Adult books are geared toward readers ages 12 and up. These books tend to focus heavily on every day teen issues, no matter which sub-genre they fall under.¹

Step 1: Writing for Early Childhood

• Early childhood is an important time for development and quite a bit of growth is accomplished through reading. From newborn to age six, parents read to their children in hopes that it will increase their cognitive skills—everything from their ABCs and 123s and shapes and colors to early emotional development.

• Here are some important things to keep in mind when writing for early childhood:

1. Most children's books for ages 0-6 rely heavily on pictures to help relate the story.³
2. You will have about 28 pages to work with overall.⁴
3. Keep it short. Young children have short attention spans, so the shorter and more concise your story, the more likely they will want to hear it again and again.³
4. They are designed to develop things like:
   1. An appreciation for literacy
   2. Listening skills
   3. Creative imagination
   4. Deeper understanding for realities such as death, pregnancy, illness, values, etc.³
5. Keep it simple when writing for this age group.⁵ The more you complicate simple subjects, the harder it will be for smaller children to understand.
6. Progress the storyline, detail, vocabulary and characters to reflect the age ranges you are writing for.⁵ A two year old is not going to be able to grasp concepts a four or five year old can.
7. Always provide a happy ending.⁴
8. Center the plot around a small child or animal that your age group can relate to.⁴
9. Don't go overboard when trying to convey emotional concepts. Some examples of acceptable emotional concepts that span across this age range include:
   1. Using the potty
   2. Sharing
   3. Making new friends
   4. Bringing a new baby into the family
   5. Starting school

Step 2: Writing Transition and Middle-Grade Books

• Transition and middle-grade books are when kids really start to sink into reading. By this time, many of them have learned how to read on their own and will be looking for a cozy place to escape with these early adventures.

• Since they are still developing as readers, there are a few things you'll want to keep in mind when writing for them:

1. Stories in this medium tend to be suitable for ages 7-12.⁶
2. Growing attention spans mean longer stories. Books on the lower age range hover around the 30-60 page mark, while the higher age range tops off around 150 pages.¹
3. Focus on characters shifts at this age to include more secondary characters that often reflect their friendships and rivalries at school.⁷
4. Believable dialogue is more essential now than ever when developing believable characters.⁷
5. Because of the range of changes this age group undergoes, stories often focus on:
   1. Social issues
   2. Physical changes
   3. Early understanding of gender and its social expectations
   4. Peer relationships and peer development
   5. Early reasoning abilities inspired by concepts such as irony, sarcasm, analogy, idiom and allegory⁶
6. The end of chapter cliffhanger or hook is a great way to keep this age-range reading.⁷

Step 3: Writing for Young Adults

• When the Harry Potter series of novels first hit the shelves, they were widely considered for middle-aged readers, but as the characters evolved and grew, so did the reading group's age. By the third book in Rowling's series, The Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and his friends had stepped into more dangerous and complicated situations, making the books more appropriate for a young adult audience.

• Young adult fiction is one the fastest growing trends on the market, thanks to writers like Rowling. While the surge in electronics like video games and internet might have at one time seemed to hover like a dangerous shadow over reading as a favored pastime, statistics show that teens are reading now more than ever.⁸

• So what is young adult fiction, and how different is it from middle-grade fiction?

1. They can fall anywhere between 150-300 pages. In some cases, like the second half of the Harry Potter series, they can be even longer.
2. Mature vocabulary with the occasional adult word appears in conversations between characters and narrative voice passages.
3. Realistic relationships between teen characters and the adults in their lives is a must.
4. While many parents might cringe at this notion, young adult fiction tends to push the limits of what is considered acceptable in its portrayal of issues like:
   1. Sexuality
   2. Drug and alcohol use and abuse
   3. Physical, sexual and mental abuse
   4. Peer pressure
   5. Gangs, crime and violence
   6. Divorce and other family dysfunctions
   7. Illness, life and death⁹
5. Because of the issues they face, characters tend to be more mature than middle-grade and transition book characters.⁸
6. No matter what sub-genre the books fall under, young adult readers want to read about realistic situations that reflect on their own lives.⁸
7. Because young adults are faced with a lot of controversy, writing about it should be done tastefully, as opposed to gratuitously.¹⁰

Step 4: Read and Learn

• Before you begin writing, spend as much of your time as you possibly can submersed in the types of books you'd like to write.¹¹

1. Spend time in your local library familiarizing yourself with what children in your age group are reading.²
2. Research the market online.
3. Network with other children's writers who specialize in the age range you want to write in.
4. Talk to children about what they are reading.

• More importantly, get to know your subject matter!¹¹ If you don't have children:

1. Work with children as often as you can.
2. Spend time in the park people watching.
3. Volunteer with a children's group.
4. Talk to children regularly to see the way the think, feel, act and interact with the world around them.

Step 5: The Writing Process

• Once you've decided which age group you'd like to write for, and you've spent ample time researching the market, it's time to begin the writing process.

• As we begin writing, let's assume you'll be writing a step above the most basic market featuring ABCs and 123s. Keeping that in mind, all stories consist of five basic components:

1. Plot: Consists of a beginning, middle and ending¹¹
2. Conflict: Makes up the plot and provides your character with an obstacle to overcome¹²
3. Characters: The person or people affected by the plot¹¹
4. Setting: Where the action of the story takes place¹¹
5. Dialogue: The means by which characters communicate¹¹

Writing Tips

• Keeping the basic components in mind, here are a few tips and tricks to keep your writing fresh:

1. Brainstorm for fresh, new ideas.⁵
2. Make an outline of your plot to follow while writing.⁵
3. Develop the characters keeping the age of your intended audience in mind.⁵
4. Show; don't tell! Use your voice to create believable scenes and situations.⁵
5. Avoid outright moralizing and teaching obvious life-lessons.⁴
6. Use age appropriate dialogue and vocabulary.⁵
7. Use proper grammar and spelling.
8. Proofread and edit until it's perfect.
9. Share the story with a child who fits into your target age range.¹¹
10. Ask for some feedback!

Step 6: Publishing

• While not all writers start out with publication in mind, it is the end-goal for the majority. Here are some tips that could help you get your manuscript into an editor's hands.

1. Make sure your storyline is cliche and stereotype free.²
   • Just because they say there's nothing new under the sun doesn't mean you have to prove it!
2. Present them with a lasting plotline that could sell any time of the year.²
3. Study the market carefully.
4. Go to the library and bookstore and study up on publishing houses that handle stories similar to yours.¹²
5. Gather submissions guidelines and editor names.
   1. Follow the guidelines to the letter.
   2. Be sure you send your manuscript packet to the correct editor.¹²
6. Don't worry about finding an illustrator and don't send illustrations with your manuscript.¹²
7. Persevere! No matter how many times your manuscript gets rejected, package it again and send it off to the next editor.

Conclusion

• Hearing a child laugh at the situations and characters you've created or gasp in wonder at whether or not your hero will make it through the obstacles ahead is one of the most rewarding experiences for a writer. Children and teens are some of the most honest and steadfast critics because they know what they like, and they aren't afraid to say it. So if you have an idea for a children's book that you've been sitting on for awhile, it's time to pull it out and get to work. Who knows, you may just be the creator of the next children's literature craze, but you'll never know until you put the pen to paper.

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References for How to Write a Children's Book

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8} Writer's Write: Understanding Children's Writing Genres
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} SoYouWanna.com: SoYouWanna Write a Children's Book?
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Writers-Publish.com: Earn Money by Child Book Writing
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3} WikiHow: How to Write a Children's Book
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6} WikiHow: How to Write a Children's Story
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Writing-World.com: When the Guidelines Say "7-12"
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2} The Purple Crayon: Writing a Middle-grade Masterpiece Ain't Easy! (October 2007)
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2} The Roanoke Times: Who says teens don't read? (October 23, 2007)
9. ↑ Wikipedia: Young Adult Literature
10. ↑ Write4Kids.com: Writing About Controversial Subjects
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6} How To Do Things.com: How to Write Children's Books
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3} Tammy Yee: So You Want to Write a Children's Book? (2007)

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