The Key to Success as a Children’s Writer
Wow! Members of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club are acquiring new publishing contracts and writing assignments faster than I can get them posted in our Member Spotlight! That’s wonderful!
Is there some secret or key to their success?
Well, I’d say there are several “keys” to success a children’s writer. They include:
1. Information – To become a published children’s writer you need to know what to do in order to create “marketable” manuscripts. There are certain elements in work for children that editors and publishers look for. If you don’t know these elements, you’re pretty much “flying blind” when it comes to writing. Published children’s authors get the information they need in order to become successful.
2. Practice – Once you get the information you need to know in order to write marketable manuscripts, that doesn’t mean you can instantly use this information with any real skill. For that you need practice. All of our published writers in the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club are writing on a regular basis. They are practicing what they learn and improving their writing skills.
3. Confidence – It’s much easier to be confident when you know you know what you’re doing. Plus, once you’ve improved as a writer through constant practice, self-confidence comes naturally. And, once you have confidence in your writing ability, you’re more willing to take chances and put your work out there by submitting it to a variety of publishers. You’re also more willing to apply for writing assignments because you KNOW you can complete them to the satisfaction of the editors/publishers or other people who are offering these assignments.
These are just a few of the keys to success for our coaching club members and all successful children’s writers.
Can you think of others?
Share them with us here by leaving a comment.
Happy writing!
Learn the Tricks of the Trade for Children’s Writing!
As a beginning children’s writer, I needed to know the tricks of the trade of writing for children and write in a way that would make my manuscript more marketable. After participating in Suzanne Lieurance’s summer writing bootcamp in 2008, I figured the next best step was joining the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club since I l’ve always wanted to write for children. The weekly professional manuscript critiques and teleclasses provided tools of successful writing I needed to armor myself in the children’s publishing marketplace.
As a direct result of Suzanne’s guided coaching and expertise, I was able to submit my FIRST picture book manuscript and magazine stories, and non-fiction articles. Several of these articles and short stories have been accepted by Guardian Angel for Kids Online Ezine and Stories for Children. I’ve also submitted a professional resource book for teachers to Scholastic, which I coauthored during the Build Your Business Write Author Program in the summer of 2009. I have a few other children’s manuscripts that I am preparing right now for submission. Without Suzanne’s wonderful coaching skills, I don’t think I would have the confidence and knowledge to continue submitting on a regular basis.
I have a blogsite, The New Teacher Resource Center for teachers that includes articles on how to write for children as well as many teaching tips for general education and ESL classroom teachers which I started when I was in Suzanne Lieurance’s Build Your Business Write program. Now, the New Teacher Resource Center is a global platform providing online support to teachers worldwide. Every week, I receive countless emails from editors and teachers who have shared my resources and weekly ezine (http://www.newteachersignup.com) with their colleagues. I have also been interviewed by other teachers and organizations and have recently presented at several teaching conferences – all due to launching this blogsite. Applying the knowledge of how to create a weekly marketing plan has also boosted my freelance business. Today, I start training for a position on correlating academic standards to educational books and materials. I continue to submit articles, queries and freelance packets for work for hire assignments weekly. All of this wouldn’t have been possible without learning the secrets of success on how to prepare a weekly marketing plan which beginning children’s writers also need for their success.
The Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club is a great place for all writers to learn the tricks of the trade on how they can submit more marketable manuscripts. Writing is tough work and it’s comforting to know that we can cheer and support each other in our writing endeavors. Being an active member in the children’s writing coaching club has truly made a difference in the way I view my profession as a children’s writer and has opened more doors to writing and publishing than I ever thought imaginable. We provide support and encouragement. Suzanne is a wonderful facilitator. This creates a feeling of team spirit that is unlike any other I’ve seen on the web.
Field Trips – They’re Not Just For Kids If You’re a Children’s Writer!
February 27, 2010 by admin
Filed under Writing for Children
by Suzanne Lieurance
It always amazes me when I meet people who want to write for children, yet they haven’t read a single children’s book since they were children or since their own kids (now ages 35 and 42) were little.
Don’t they get it?
Publishers change, publications change, and even children change with the times! If you want to write for children, you need to start taking “field trips” to keep up with these changes. You’ll not only be better informed about today’s markets, you’ll also become a better writer in the process. Besides…these trips are fun!
Take regular field trips to the children’s section of your local bookstores and the public library. If your interest is in writing picture books, start by looking at as many pictures books as you can each time you visit. If you’d like to write beginning readers, or early chapter books, take time to look at some of these. Also, look for children’s magazines. If you go to your public library, they will often have back issues of magazines, so you can read up to a year’s worth of a particular publication. This is great because you need to know what has been published by each particular magazine in the last 6 months to a year so you won’t be suggesting ideas they have recently covered.
Your public library might not have some of the newest books available at bookstores. But you will be able to check out the books and take them home where you can read them and study them. So make a point to visit both the library and a local bookstore on a regular basis.
Once you start making these little field trips, you’ll look forward to them and realize how valuable they are to your writing.
Top Ten Writing Mistakes Made by New Children’s Writers
February 27, 2010 by admin
Filed under Writing for Children
by Suzanne Lieurance
Okay. So I’m not David Letterman. But I doubt if he’d know much about the top 10 mistakes made by new children’s writers anyway. I, on the other hand, read from 10 to 20 manuscripts for children every week (I’m not bragging – I’m just an instructor with the Institute of Children’s Literature). While many of the stories I read are destined for publication, I find that 10 common mistakes crop up again and again in the other manuscripts I edit each week.
I’ll start with number 10 (just like Letterman) and work my way up to the number one writing mistake made by new children’s writers (and, just so you know – I’ve been guilty of making some of these mistakes myself, so don’t beat yourself up if you realize you’re guilty of some of these, too):
10) No Clear POV Character – Children tend to relate to the POV character in a story. This is the person they will root for. Make it clear right from the start whose story is being told. Even if you have two main characters (twins, for example), you need to pick just one of these kids to be your POV character. And, it should go without saying, when writing for children, make sure your POV character IS a kid – even if Grandma has a big part in your story.
9) Multiple Points of View – Unlike stories for adults, stories for children are generally told from only one POV. It isn’t difficult to maintain a single point of view once you get the hang of it. Just remember – if you are “showing” everything from your main character’s point of view, then he or she has to be present for everything that happens. I see stories all the time where the POV character suddenly leaves the room. Yikes! If your POV character wasn’t there to see or hear what went on, then we can’t see or hear it either.
Telling instead of Showing – Read a good story and chances are there is a lot of action and dialogue (showing) with minimal stretches of straight narrative (telling). Too much narrative and the story sounds like a summary. Readers don’t want a summary. They want scenes with action and dialogue that make them feel they are actually experiencing what is going on. So “show” as much as possible of your story through action and dialogue.
7) Overuse of Adjectives, Adverbs, and Other Unnecessary Words -Do you really need to say someone “whispered quietly” Or “shouted loudly” Or, my favorite – she “nodded her head”? What else could she nod? Or, she “shrugged her shoulders” – she certainly wouldn’t shrug her foot!
6) Dialogue That is Not Punctuated Properly – Get a grammar book to learn how to punctuate dialogue properly. But, most importantly, remember to change paragraphs each time the speaker changes. I read manuscripts all the time where three or four characters are speaking, yet the paragraph never changes. Just imagine how confusing that is to the reader!
5) Long Timeframes – I know Harry Potter takes place over several years. But, the story also takes place through several books. Most children’s writers start out writing stories for children’s magazines or they want to write picture books for very young children. Either way, the timeframe in these stories should be rather short – a couple of hours or a day or two. If your story takes place over a couple of weeks or (gulp!) a couple of years, then you need to shorten the timeframe.
4) No Narrative “Hook” for the Reader – I know what you’re asking -”What is a narrative hook?” Well, that’s simple. It’s just an opening sentence or two that “hooks” the reader and makes him or her want to continue reading to find out what happens.
3) Dialogue That Doesn’t Sound Real – Listen to any child or teenager and you’ll find out that much of what kids and teens say (at least to each other) tends to sound like a series of grunts. So don’t have the child or teen in your story use words like “shall,” or never use contractions. If you do, the dialogue will sound too formal and your work will not have a child’s or teen’s voice.
2) Adults Who Step In to Save the Day for the Child – I know what you’re thinking. Parents and other well-meaning adults DO step in all the time to save the day for kids. So why can’t they do it in stories for children? The answer to that is – because children don’t want to read stories like that. Stories for children have strong children (or children who eventually become strong throughout the course of the story) as characters. This empowers the children who read these stories. They figure, if the POV character can solve his own problems then maybe they can too.
Now. Drum roll here.
The number one mistake new writers make in their stories for children is
1) No real conflict – There’s no story problem. Your POV character needs to face some big problem right at the start of the story. Then, he or she needs to struggle and struggle with this problem as he/she tries to solve it. That is, things need to keep getting worse and worse until finally the POV character is able to solve the problem (or at least resolve it) and change or grow somehow in the process. Without a story problem you have what editors like to call “an incident,” and editors don’t publish incidents. They publish stories.
So that’s my list of top 10 mistakes new children’s writers make. Use this article as a checklist when you’re writing for children. Avoid these mistakes and you’ll be well on your way to publication.
See you in print!
Stay-at-Home Moms – Why Writing for Children Can Be the Perfect Job for You
February 27, 2010 by admin
Filed under Writing for Children
If you’re a stay-at-home mom with small children, writing for kids can be the perfect part-time job for you. Here’s why:
1) You’re in contact with kids 24/7, so you know what kids think about and how they talk. This can be very helpful when trying to develop story lines that kids would enjoy reading. It will also help you write dialogue that sounds like things kids would actually say these days.
As a mom, you probably also read many picture books to your own child or children. And, as every writer knows, one of the best ways to learn to write picture books and other stories for children, is to READ these types of materials. So just think – each time you read to your child, you’ll also be doing something to develop your own career as a writer.
2) Since your full time job is taking care of your family, you’ll probably only have short snatches of time during the day and evening to write. But this is perfect for writing short works for kids – things like picture books, easy readers, and even magazine articles and short-stories.
And, if you carry a pocket-size notebook with you during the day, while you’re watching the kids play at the park, or supervising them as they go about their daily chores, you can take notes for story or articles ideas. And, please note, it IS important to jot down a few notes about your ideas. Otherwise, by the end of the day you will have forgotten them.
3) In addition to writing stories and articles FOR kids, you will also develop a wealth of topics for writing ABOUT kids – articles for parenting magazines, for example, or even tips for classroom teachers.
And, there are usually at least a couple of small regional parenting publications in every large city, so you can gain publishing credits by starting out writing for these publications. If you’re good at it, you might even eventually gain your own regular column in one of these publications.
4) You can develop professional connections and associations with other moms who write, so you’ll have other adults to communicate with on a regular basis every day. Many moms can feel isolated when their only contact during the day is with their children. But as a children’s writer and mom, you can become part of a professional network of other stay-at-home moms who write for children.
5) You’ll build up your writing skills and publishing credits through the years, so by the time your children have grown and left the nest, you will probably be able to make the transition from part time children’s writer to full time children’s writer fairly easily if you so desire.
As you can see, for moms who like to write, writing for children offers the perfect part-time career.
