Writing fiction meant for children is a task that needs to be taken on with a certain amount of delicacy and patience. This type of fiction seems deceptively easy to make – how difficult can it be to entertain children? The truth is – very. Children are honest readers. If they don’t like your story, they will tell you so, or, in other words, stop reading. However, there are things you need to pay attention to when you’re writing a children’s book, and below, we’ve gathered some of them.
1. The parents as your audience
Children might ask for your book – but parents tend to censor what their children read. Your story needs to be age appropriate; your characters need to be realistic, likable, and they should be good for children. The motives and themes you will develop in your story need to impress the parents as much as the children. No censorship is more powerful than the one that comes from parents. For example, if your characters are too mischievous, a parent might think twice before getting your book for their child. Children learn as they grow: from their parents, at school, and from the stories they read or watch on television, and they will often imitate their idol, or their favorite character.
2. The children as your audience
The best way to discover what the children will like is to spend time with them, read stories to them, and discover what they like best. Also, take the time to read famous children’s books, but, don’t use them as your guide. Remember that children of today have iPhones, iPads, and use computers from an early age. If your story is set in the modern world, then the characters will have access and use these gadgets, often better than the adults in their life.
3. Add illustrations
Nothing compares to the imagination of children, however, a picture book allows the children to absorb the book both through text and illustration. If you decide that the right medium for your story is a picture book, then you must consider the fact that picture books have a lower number of words than a chapter book. This means that your story will be shorter. However, don’t forget that your book will need to have a clear beginning, middle and ending, as well as plot, structure and characterization. The only difference here is that the illustrations in your book will aid the story, expand it and enable the children to experience it visually as well as through their own imagination. Remember that picture books are meant for younger children who are, essentially, still learning, which is why you must take a lot of care with the writing style.
4. Clear writing style
The writing style in your novel should be rich and evocative, meant to tickle the child’s imagination. But children will get tired of long sentences, longer descriptions, and metaphorical musings. This is why you should keep your language style clear, your sentences shouldn’t be too long, nor should you write elongated descriptions in long paragraphs. Also, children might get confused by first-person-point of view. It’s better to write in third person point of view, especially if your target audience is younger.
5. Add a little magic
Cinderella has her own fairy godmother, Sleeping Beauty has three, and Rapunzel has beautiful, long hair that glows when she sings. These are just examples, and no, they don’t imply that you should write a fairy tale. Instead, bring a little magic into your story – whether through the city or the house your characters live in, or a mysterious object that transfers them to a different world. The possibilities are endless. A little magic in the everyday world will engage the children’s imagination, make them want to live in that world, and they will want to read more and more. Does the magic have to be obvious? Not necessarily. For example, remember Pippi Longstocking, who seems magical herself, even if the narrator never really tells it.
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Georgina Roy wants to live in a world filled with magic. As an art student, she’s moonlighting as a writer and is content to fill notebooks and sketchbooks with magical creatures and amazing new worlds. When she is not at school, or scribbling away in a notebook, you can usually find her curled up, reading a good urban fantasy novel, or writing on her laptop, trying to create her own.