Ellie Dixon lives in deepest rural Devon, England with her husband and two very large Newfoundland dogs. She is passionate about vintage illustrated children's books and loves to restore and edit them for today's kids to rediscover. Visit Scruffy's" target="_blank">www.scruffysbookshop.com">Scruffy's Bookshop, Ellie's main website for some great books, and Ellie also recommends How to Write a Great Children's Book! for aspiring authors.
When writing for children a popular way of getting started is to begin with an incident or happening. Any particular incident, whether you've read about it, or maybe heard about it on the news, or maybe a chance phrase or a meeting with someone may create an sudden unshakeable conviction that this is something which may one day be the beginning of a book. Writing for children is, contrary to what many people believe, just as difficult and challenging as writing for adults, indeed in many ways more so, so when you are writing for children, do select your incident or happening carefully as you need to gain, and keep a child's notoriously fickle attention.
In any case it may take years for you to begin writing for children, but the idea remains firmly fixed in your mind, and so does its potential for a good storyline. Consider the story of the manager of an orphanage who was aware that many of the children in her care had invented "real belonging mothers" all of their own. In some cases the mothers actually existed, but many of these absent moms were invented by the children themselves to fill an aching need, because they didn't know who their real mothers were, they simply invented them.
When you are writing for children, you could perhaps consider this situation- store it away in your mind and give it time to take root. Possibly years later you may be able to use and develop it. Here's one possibility ....
Children in an orphanage create fantasy mothers for themselves. Some fantasise about wonderful, cuddly moms who love them deeply and only left them at the orphanage because they had no other option in a cold, hard world. Maybe other children that fantasise about heartless, evil women who simply abandoned them out of cruelty and spite - sounds a bit like a wicked stepmother - doesn't it? And we all know what wonderful tales have been woven around wicked stepmothers!
Of course not all situations will develop well. You do need to consider carefully what might be worked into a good storyline and which scenarios should be left well alone when writing for children. After all, you don't want to make your stories too scary! Remember those fantasy moms - those kids needed make-believe mothers who would support rather than hurt them, and any writing for children should always leave the reader feeling warm and reassured after the conclusion has been reached.
- Related Videos
- Related Articles
- Ask / Related Q&A
- The Basics of Writing for Children; Two: Start With a Situation
- How Children Develop Language
- Barriers to Reading Comprehension
- Questions and Doubts Surrounding Parental Alienation Syndrome
- The Art of Remembering for Students With (and Without) Special Needs
- Child Development With the Use of Everyday Toys
- Why Big Folks Have Trouble Remembering Stuff About Being Little Folks (But Why it Still Causes Them Problems)
Old Vito
By: Carlos Navarro | 02/01/2010Improvised justice
Red words on a black paper
By: Fredrick Romanus Ishengoma | 01/01/2010A paper with red words was found on the murder scene. nobody knew what it really meant and it was the only key to solving the murder case.
For The Love of ISARA
By: Johnnie J. Lim | 01/01/2010She didn’t want to be dishonest. She couldn’t learn to love a man who had no space in her heart. And she wouldn’t give her heart to others since it belonged to the only man she ever loved.
The House in The Hill Side
By: Johnnie J. Lim | 01/01/2010He couldn’t understand why he began to see objects that remained confusing to him. The most recent was a door. And it was not the first time for him to see it. It’s a door. An old brown door which was of no match to the other doors in the house.
Writing and the Creative Process
By: Kim S. | 31/12/2009What is your creative process? Do you write when the mood hits or during a scheduled time each week? Are you a morning writer or an evening writer? What works best for you?
THE STORY SO FAR ...
By: JOHN | 29/12/2009A mix of comedy and science fiction.
“The Letter”
By: John J Souza | 28/12/2009The story of a boy and girl who fell in love, then were seperated by tragic circumstances.
Into The Land of Dragons and Crocodiles (A short story of war and bravery)
By: Johnnie J. Lim | 26/12/2009“The dragons are wise. But when anger strikes, they never choose their enemies. They don’t even care to give a second thought of killing whoever stands before them especially those who challenge them.”
Helping your Shy Child
By: Ellie Dixon | 13/11/2007 | ParentingIt's impossible to tell if a toddler's shyness is something that will remain with her through life, or if she's just behaving like a typical child of this age. So, instead of worrying about her shyness, or looking for a solution to it, try to find ways you can help her to have good feelings about herself and others, and to feel happy about interacting socially with other adults and children. With support even naturally shy children can grow into friendly, confident adults.
The Importance of Play for Children
By: Ellie Dixon | 08/11/2007 | ParentingBirds do it, bees do it, and so do other animals of all kinds. In fact, just about every animal species does it. Play is universal throughout the animal kingdom, and is an essential part of growing up. Some parents however, consider play a waste of time and think that the time should be put to more constructive use. That's just not true, for a young child there's no more important or constructive activity than play.
Teaching Good Manners to your Child is Important - so Start Early
By: Ellie Dixon | 02/11/2007 | ParentingChildren need to learn how to stand up for their rights, but at the same time learn to consider and respect the feelings and rights of others too - in other words, they need to learn good manners. It is possible to teach children good manners without subjecting them to the repression of previous decades - who can remember being told "children should be seen, but not heard?" Start your toddler on the road to good manners now with the tips in this article
How to Raise a Responsible, Helpful Child - Start Early!
By: Ellie Dixon | 30/10/2007 | ParentingImagine ... a child who puts her dirty clothes in the linen basket instead of dropping them on the floor, who tidies her room without being nagged, who clears the dinner table without complaint and who happily gives up an afternoon to help out with the grocery shopping. Every parent's fantasy? Yes! Will it come true? Realistically, probably not. But it is possible to raise a responsible child, one who will do her fair share of the chores with only the occasional grumble - if you start early!
The Art of Storytelling - Choosing and Preparing your Story
By: Ellie Dixon | 28/10/2007 | K-12 EducationStories are a part of our everyday lives. We all recount our daily experiences to our loved ones or friends - they are told and retold, embellished and held up for the listener to comment on. Any place and any time is a good opportunity for a story. Formal storytelling usually takes place in libraries, schools, care centres, anywhere a group can gather. Telling stories to larger groups requires care and preparation to ensure success.
The Art of the Storyteller - the Oral Tradition
By: Ellie Dixon | 27/10/2007 | K-12 EducationFor centuries storytelling has been a way of passing on society's traditions and beliefs to new generations as oral tales told by travelling poets or talented village storytellers. Today's storytellers are authors and teachers. They are often outgoing people who are passionate about storytelling and literature, and want to communicate their love of words to a new audience.
Halloween Fun for the Whole Family With Pumpkin Painting!
By: Ellie Dixon | 21/10/2007 | ParentingWhilst carving pumpkins is messy,time-consuming and risky (think of those sharp tools) pumpkin painting is easy, effective and fun. Within an hour or two, you can learn an art that will provide you and your family with a unique talent and creative outlet, even if you think you don't have a creative bone in your body.