Writing a Children's Book? Here are Some Tips to Remember
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                I’ve heard many people suggest that it is easier to write a book for children, either because the number of words needed is much less or because they think that a book written for children needs less attention to plot, less character development, or just less attention to detail.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Because children’s books are shorter, it is all the more important to develop a plot and interesting characters quickly. And don’t think that writing for younger readers means they are any less discerning or less critical of poorly written material. If anything, they may be less tolerant of a bad story, and more inclined to put the book down and never pick it up again if they are not engaged quickly.

What’s the Reading Level? The first thing to think about when writing a children’s book is the reading and vocabulary levels of your reader. Notice I said reading level, not age. We learn to speak years before we learn to read, so the vocabulary for a read-to-me book aimed at five-year-olds is actually higher than the vocabulary of an early reader. Think back to your own childhood. At the same time that you could barely manage to sound out “Run, Spot, run!” you also enjoyed hearing your parents read aloud classics such as “Cinderella” with a much more complex vocabulary and plot.

What Age Are You Writing For? Although I’ve first stressed vocabulary level, the age of your reader is also important when writing for children. Six-year-olds and ten-year-olds have widely different interests and experience. Children often like to read about kids who are a few years older than they are. So if your target reader is eight t 10 years old, your heroine or hero should be about 10 to 12 years old. Preteens want to read about teenagers.

Write for Today’s Kids. I often hear people say, “I want to write a children’s book like I used to enjoy reading.” That’s a great sentiment if it means you want to write a book that is interesting, well-written, has great characters, and is relevant to today’s young readers. But all too often I find that what these adults mean is that they really don’t know much about how kids today really live. Writing a book about a ten-year-old who lives in the 21st century and doesn’t know about cell phones or iPads or the internet is just not realistic and children will spot the discrepancies quickly.

No matter what type of book you are writing, or for what age level, it is important consider plot, character and theme. To neglect any of these is to underestimate the intelligence of the children you are writing for.

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