 For Authors: April 30, 2014 Issue [#6275] |
  For Authors
This week: Writing for Children Edited by: Vivian  
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Most of my editorials deal with "adult" writing, writing for adults. However, since my first published children's book has won two awards and is up for another another, I wanted to give some tips about writing for children this issue
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Writing for Children
Writing for children, whether poetry or prose, requires a different perspective. Generations were raised on nursery rhymes and Mother Goose. Now we can add Dr. Seuss to that list of those who appeal to children of all ages.
Little boy blue, come blow your horn.
The cow's in the meadow. The sheep's in the corn.
But where is the little boy who looks after the sheep?
He's under the hay stack, fast asleep.
~ Mother Goose
Let's discuss what is necessary to make writing uniquely for children.
Children have likes and dislikes as varied as there are children. However they do have a few things in common.
1. For poetry, children enjoy rhymes, and the younger the child, the more he likes simple rhymes. The rhymes, though, should not be forced. They should flow smoothly and without twists and turns of lines to provide a rhyme. Also unneeded material shouldn't be inserted to provide a rhyme. Hmmmm . . . that is true of all poetry. Forced rhymes distract from the poetry, weakens the writing.
2. Children should not be "spoken down to," nor should the vocabulary be too far above their understanding. New vocabulary can be introduced by giving a meaning in the context of the poetry or story. Sometimes a vocabulary can be added at the end of a story or poem, if needed.
3. Poetry and stories should be written from a child's perspective. That doesn't mean that the narrator has to be a child, but that the writing is written from a child's point of view and interest level. The piece should be for children, not necessarily about children.
Many poems and stories are written about children but for adults to enjoy. We need to be careful not to fall into that trap. When we write for adults and the topic is children (something they have done or said), the writing is geared to a adult's perspective.
4. A lesson or moral that may be included should not "preach." A lesson learned without it being shoved down the reader's or listener's throat is easier to swallow. Every story or poem needs a theme, though, even if a lesson or moral doesn't naturally occur in the item.
5. Anything written for children should have needed punctuation, have correct spelling, and be grammatically correct. Like it or not, children learn from everything they read and hear read to them. We are "teaching" when we write. Hopefully we won't teach the wrong things.
6. What we write should be appropriate for the audience, the age group for whom we are writing. We want children to enjoy our poems or stories, not be frightened or exposed to ideas too mature for them, nor should they be expected to read things that are just stupid. Many children find bodily functions funny, but that doesn't mean such functions make good topics for children's literature.
7. Some people believe that writings for children can be about anything and don't have to be high quality. If anything, any thing written for children should be of the highest quality.
8. Then we must add a large dose of imagination.
The tips I've shared are the ones I learn from courses, workshops, and experience with writing for children. We need to remember that children are people, too, and have likes and dislikes. Sometimes we have to experiment and test our writing on real, live little people.
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Highlighted Items
I wanted to do something different this month with the items highlighted: All are written by children under twelve years of age.
A young girl only eight years old wrote the first three items:
Then a young man, who was ten when he wrote the items in the journal and eleven when he wrote the second item, submitted stories for a children's ezine:
Another boy wrote the following when he was nine:
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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Words from Our Readers
brom21 
Thanks for all the sources that provide useful how-to’s. Like everyone, I want to get published. But before submitting to any publisher or promoting work, I must hone my art. How do you know when you’re ready to submit? I do know there will be many rejections at first but how do you must improve if the reviewer doesn’t specify the certain parts that need editing? I thanks for the information and encouragement.
We need to learn when we've done all we can and be brave enough to submit our work. However, we need to be sure we have edited and polished, used critique groups and partners to make our work the best it can be, and to be willing to accept honest criticism of our writing. Most publishers do not give an edit of the submission; however, a few do, such as my company 4RV Publishing.
Elfin Dragon-finally published
I'd like to say that you are entirely correct and even one of the best place to find networking with authors is now Comic-Con. Last year they started having authors give different "classes" throughout the day for every kind of author there is. It was a very enlightening experience. Not only did we get to hear how the authors wrote, we learned tips, and got to meet them on a personal level.
dejavu_BIG computerprobs 
Excellent newsletter,Vivian! I had no idea how to even start promoting my work, oh, social media scares dejavu...*Blush* gotta suck it up and get involved, girl! *Smirk* Thanks for all your tips and I'll definitely check out those Writer's Digest links!
Yes, we need to promote. No, it isn't always easy. Networking and learning and improving are musts for all writers.
Thank you for joining me again. I missed two issues because of my slow recovery from surgery, but I'm back.
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