So, you have decided to write children’s books. Many people think that this is a very easy market, since young children’s literature tends to be so simple, but that is far from the truth. Rather, you must select each word very carefully because there are so few! Here are more tips on writing books for children.
Read as many children’s books as you can get your hands on. This is vital if you want to writer your own quality stories that children will enjoy. Take note of how other authors use words to describe the pictures in the books for very small children.
Now that you have read all those picture books, try reading them to some little kids. If you have your own, perfect, but if not, don’t let that stop you. You can easily borrow some friend’s kids or volunteer to read to a day care group or in a preschool. Watch to see how the children react to each book.
When you feel prepared, you are ready to go ahead and write your own book. Selecting a topic is key to writing the perfect piece of literature for small children. There is no point in choosing something that will be completely out of their league, so you want to go with common, every day issues that face little kids. These might include welcoming a new sibling into the family, traveling, divorce, starting school or dealing with their mother going back to work. These are all very important things that affect their lives.
Don’t underestimate children. They can spot badly written books a mile away and you won’t have their attention for long unless you write something interesting that captures their imagination. While the pictures and drawings in a picture book are important, so are the words and they are the introduction to reading and writing for many small children.
Think back to when you were small. The feelings that you pull up from those distant memories will help you write the books that you are working on now. Can you remember how it felt to be jealous of your big sister because she had more juice than you? If so, incorporate that into your book, make your primary character feel what you felt. This is the best way to get kids truly involved in your stories, by including emotions that every one of them has felt at some point or another.
Join an online or offline book writer’s group. They can provide invaluable feedback on your writing and it is worth having some constructive criticism when you are writing something so delicate as books for children. Try to find a group that specializes in juvenile literature and remember to give as much as you take.
Once you actually have your manuscript in hand, it is time to revise it. Not once, not twice, but three times. This is very important. You might figure you don’t have much to edit, since it is only a 300 word picture book, but every sentence needs to be as tight as possible. Test the story out on children that you know and see what they think. They are great critics and will tell you the truth straight out.
Finally, you are ready to submit your books. Follow the publisher’s guidelines or you will be rejected right off. And be prepared to be rejected, since even the best writers don’t always get accepted on the first try.
