What kind of resources do you need? How do you get started?
When writing a children’s story, it’s important to consider the age group you want to reach. The younger the audience, the simpler the language should be. On the other hand, older kids may require more complex vocabulary.
How to write a children’s book :
Children’s books are often written by professional writers who have experience in the field. They also tend to be longer than other types of stories. If you decide to write a children’s book, you’ll need to start with a good idea, then create a draft before submitting it to publishers or agents.
They come in various forms, such as picture books, chapter books, and nonfiction books. They also vary in terms of their genre. Some are aimed at young readers, while others are written for adults.
It is a type of literature designed to entertain and educate children. The main goal is to provide children with the knowledge and skills they need to become independent thinkers.
Let’s dig a little deeper :
1- Understand the Children’s, Book Market
Books for smaller children are, as you can see, significantly shorter. You don’t need to rhyme or even know an illustrator to write picture books (in fact, some agents prefer audiobook services writers to submit text minus any artwork, as they find it easier to match these with their illustrators later).
However, you must be able to create a story that will make adults and newborns experience all the feelings in a short amount of time. Writing picture books, in my opinion, is the most difficult of all of these to master – and also one of the most competitive.
Middle-grade books are popular now, and adults enjoy reading them (myself included). They can be darker, and the word count can be increased. You might be able to take a few more risks if the book’s heart is with the characters (more on that later).
2- Identity Your Best Idea :
Checking what’s already out there before investing all your time and energy into a book may seem obvious, but many authors fail to do so! This basic research will give you an idea of competing novels in under two minutes.
Here’s how to do it:
- Type “children’s book” and a term that describes your novel on Google.
- Look at the comparable book summary once you’ve located them.
Perhaps your narrative is unique because it includes a twist at the conclusion, written for a specific age group, or because your protagonist is accompanied by a supernatural guide such as a fairy or elf. Add one unique twist to set it apart from other books.
3- Invest Time In Reading :
Reading Contemporary children’s books is a great way to spend time with your kids. Reading everything that fits into your market is the greatest approach to getting to know it. Adults, too, can enjoy reading children’s novels. Children’s books have been some of the most delectable and amazing books I’ve ever read.
Don’t fall into the trap of rereading novels you liked as a kid. The market is always changing, and what was publishable a few years ago may no longer be marketable today. Keep a watch out for books this year, especially debuts (because you’ll hopefully be one of them soon!)
4- Get The Story Opens As Soon As Possible :
An unpublished children’s book fails to capture the attention of youngsters (and parents!) because they begin too slowly. If you’re writing a story about a child who joins the circus, they should do so on the first or second page.
Don’t go into detail regarding this child’s past. Don’t tell us what season it is or set the scene.
Bring the circus to town and train the child to be a clown, tightrope walker, or lion tamer as soon as feasible.
You have such a limited time to convey your narrative that you can’t afford to waste any. Don’t write at a tortoise’s speed because the pacing of children’s books is usually lightning fast.
5- Introduce Relatable Characters:
So, you’ve got your brilliant idea that will entice an agent, then a publisher, and finally a reader.
Would you like to keep them? After that, you’ll need to develop characters that kids can relate to.
The first rule is to consider their ages regarding the groups we discussed earlier. Typically, children enjoy reading about individuals a few years their senior.
Children are the principal protagonists in 90 percent of children’s novels. Animals and supernatural beings normally make up the remaining 10%, but they almost always speak and act like children in that age bracket. They’re rarely adults.
The second step is to consider the characteristics that youngsters of that age seek in a protagonist. Therefore this is usually bravery (but this does not imply that all characters must be sword-fighters; boldness can take many forms).
6- Outline The Major Problem :
Every character has a stumbling block. It could be a mystery, a person, or a lack of confidence. That is the difficulty they will be dealing with throughout the novel.
Here are the most common blunders new authors make when writing a children’s Book as it comes to their character’s main problems:
1- The main character solves the situation far too quickly
Make your character struggle and fail realistically. Before solving this problem, the main character should die at least three times, possibly as many as five times (if you’re writing for older children).
2- There aren’t any hurdles in the way.
The main character should encounter a variety of difficulties on their route to solving the challenge. Let a character overcome no more than one obstacle, and the situation is solved. The main character should lose certain pieces, his mother should call him for dinner, his friend should tell him it won’t work, rain, and so on to create a rocket ship to sail to space.
Conclusion :
Writing a children’s book is a great way to share your creativity and skills with kids.
Children’s stories are often written in rhyme or verse, and they tend to follow a particular structure. Therefore this means that you don’t need to worry too much about what genre you choose. Just pick something you enjoy reading and write from the heart.
Also read