Story writing for kids in a competitive market is not that easier. This blog presents tips for story writing for Kids with unique children’s book ideas.
Write Stories for Kids/ Children
Would you like to know how to write a children’s book? It is true children and teenagers are among the most avid readers. In any case, if you’re a first-time author, you should know story-writing tips for beginners. Writing great children’s literature is no easy task.
This article will teach you everything you need to know about story writing for kids or writing a children’s book.
What motivates you to write children’s stories?
Compared to 2020, the business of story writing for children’s book sales increased by 8.9% in 2021. Even faster was the growth of story publishing for kids in the children’s book market. In children’s genres, backlist sales are robust. It is common for publishers to look for a series of such titles because if parents and kids enjoy one of your books, they are likely to want more.
Just Because Children’s Books
Reading is a loyalty trait among children. Make a positive impact on their minds and hearts, and you will receive many fan mail in return. You may be sorely disappointed if you think that becoming a children’s book author is a quick way to earn money.
How to do Story Writing for Kids/ Children?
A Different Approach to Writing Story Books for Children
A writer’s ability to write for adults does not necessarily translate to writing for children. A 200-, 700-, or even 1,000-word story is challenging because of limited vocabulary and sentence length.
Writing Stories for Kids:
Kid’s books should:
- Give a lesson
- Engage your audience while educating them
- Topics and language should be age-appropriate
- Professional illustrations should be featured
- Relate to children of different ages
Step-by-Step Guide to write a Children’s Book:
Children’s books are shorter than adult novels, so you might think they’re easier to write. The writing process might be faster, but they aren’t any easier. Limit your vocabulary and word count without appearing condescending, and ensure you engage adults and kids.
—— It is not an easy task, but it can be accomplished ——-
Let’s buckle up and get started! To write a children’s book, follow these tips for writing for children.
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Find the best Idea/Children’s Book Ideas:
One thing that is true of children’s books, however, is that the most successful ones appeal to both children and their parents. Even though adults may buy the books, children will be the ones who will be approving (and preserving) them as they grow up. Thus, the importance of keeping children in mind during the writing process cannot be overstated – they will make this book worth reading. A great idea is necessary to write a book for them.
Unique Children’s books:
To make your story unique, you need to incorporate one twist. It may tell the story from the viewpoint of a bully if it is a story about bullying. Make your dog stray or blind in one eye if you are writing a story about a dog.
How to write a short story for kids:
Ideas that inspire and connect with children form the basis of the best children’s books. Children’s editor Anna Bowles warns beginners against depicting children in the same manner as adults do: cute and slightly comical beings. Instead, children desire stories in which they play the role of heroes, driving the action, facing challenges, and making decisions.
Your story may differ with surprise at the end, or you are writing for a diverse age group. Your character is guided on their journey by a magical guide, such as a fairy or elf. You can distinguish it from other books by adding one twist.
2. Is your idea appropriate for children?
The following checklist will assist you in ensuring that your idea is solid:
- What is the purpose of telling this story?
- Is there a story behind my story?
- Will children be able to relate to this idea and theme?
- Can it be marketed, and is it unique?
Children’s book Descriptions:
You may find it helpful to recall what books you enjoyed reading when you were their age if you are having trouble coming up with a book idea. There is no better critic than a child! See what your friends’ children like when you bounce ideas off them. The most important thing is not to be afraid to change things. Keep an open mind to suggestions and different creative possibilities, even if you think your plot is set in stone.
3. Decide your Target Age Group and Market:
The first step in writing your children’s book is identifying your target audience. You can write children’s literature for various ages, from babies to young adults. Therefore, your target age range may vary from 0 to 18. To reach your target audience directly, you need to know how old they are.
Children’s Books Ideas: Must Element
There are other factors involved here, in addition to age. As well as considering the topic, length, style, and complexity of your writing would help if you thought about what your readers would expect from you. To write a book that will sell, you need to understand these factors clearly. Below is a brief overview of the main types of children’s books and their target audiences.
Types of Children’s Books:
Children’s picture books (ages 0-6) | Children’s book word Count
In the publishing industry, a picture book defines as a book in which the story is told through illustrations and words. Due to the nature of picture books, their word count will be pretty low (500 words or less); board books for babies and toddlers are even shorter. It must be noted, however, that all picture books must still have a compelling story, so do not mistake them for being easy to write. We have provided a guide on how to write a picture book where you can learn more.
Here are some examples of classic picture books:
- The Very Hungry Caterpillarby Eric Carle
- Where the Wild Things Areby Maurice Sendak
- Green Eggs and Hamby Dr. Seuss
- The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
Suitable for early readers (ages 6-7) | Children’s book Word Count
A category of early reader fiction follows picture books: books for children who have graduated to more words than pictures but have not yet reached the stage of tackling long blocks of text. Word counts for “early readers” range from 2,000 to 5,000 words, although illustrations are still included. Kids can also build their reading skills by devouring these early readers one after the other in a series.
Here are some examples of early readers:
- Elephant & Piggieby Mo Willems
- The Animal Arkby Lucy Daniels
- Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
- Horrid Henryby Francesca Simon
Children’s chapter books (ages 7-9) | Children’s book Word Count
As children progress from early readers to chapter books, they will likely recall their earliest experiences with book reports. The word count of chapter books is slightly higher than that of typical novels, approximately 5,000 to 10,000 words per book. Pictures in chapter books are still prevalent, but they are less common and are often sketched rather than illustrated in full color.
A few examples of chapter books are as follows:
- Junie B. Jonesby Barbara Park
- The Magic Treehouseby Mary Pope Osbourne
- The Boxcar Childrenby Gertrude Chandler Warner
- Diary of a Wimpy Kidby Jeff Kinney
The Middle Grades (ages 9-12) | Children’s book Word Count
Kids interested in middle-grade books want something a bit more advanced in terms of prose and storyline. There may still be some pictures in these books, especially to accompany chapter headings, for fully independent middle-grade readers. They usually take on books with 30,000 to 50,000 words and include fewer illustrations than their predecessors.
The following are examples of middle-grade fiction:
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
- Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snoggingby Louise Rennison
- Percy Jackson and the Olympiansby Rick Riordan
The young adult (ages 12-18) | Children’s book Word Count
Lastly, juvenile readers reach young adult literature: the last transition between children’s and adult literature. Most YA novels have a word count of between 50,000 and 100,000 words, or, in other words, the same length as any other novel. It is nonetheless likely that the subject matter will have a distinct adolescent orientation: often focusing on life-changing issues and discovering one’s true self.
The following are examples of books for young adults:
- The Fault in Our Starsby John Green
- The Hunger Gamesby Suzanne Collins
- Divergentby Veronica Roth
- The Hate U Giveby Angie Thomas
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Distinctive Voice to Appeal to Readers:
While story writing for kids, having a distinctive voice will help you stand out from other children’s books from the very beginning. As children’s books are often read aloud, your authorial voice is what will speak to them.
Don’t worry if you are concerned that you will not be able to find your voice immediately. Fortunately, just as no one has the voice of Dr. Seuss or Roald Dahl, no one has the voice of you. It takes practice and dedication, as with any other writing endeavor. It would help if you dug deep into your writing to discover what makes your words unique – and where your strengths are on the page. During the process of honing your skills, keep the following in mind.
4. Be sure not to use a condescending tone:
Your distinctive voice will make your book stand out from the start if you are doing story writing for kids. Children’s books are typically read aloud, so the author’s voice will speak to them.
Vocabulary should be age-appropriate
Remember that your target audience’s vocabulary is different if you’re writing middle-grade or YA fiction.
Talking down to children is never a good idea. The context of a book can be an excellent teacher for kids, says Jenny Bowman.
Reading other kids’ books in your age group can help you navigate this delicate balance. A great way to gauge what language they will enjoy is to speak to them.
Repetition is powerful
It must repeat words and phrases in picture books and early readers to make them easy to understand. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is so popular because it repeats an exciting phrase.
The use of repeated situations as plot devices is also effective. Jack and Annie travel back in time or to another country in every Magic Treehouse book. While each book has a different setting, the first chapter is familiar to kids.
5. Make your Characters Memorable
Children’s books are full of iconic characters. Think Matilda, Pippi Longstocking, Harry Potter, or The Cat in the Hat. Characters so timeless: how did they get created?
Children often look to their older siblings for role models and exciting adventures.
As long as the characters’ experiences are not so different, they don’t lose their relatability: Ramona gets 7-year-olds hooked because third grade is pretty similar to second grade.
Story Writing for Kids – Strengths and flaws in kids’ characters
Creating less-developed characters in a children’s book is not okay. Great children’s book characters come with fully developed strengths, weaknesses, conflicts, and motivations, which make them compelling to readers. Characters they recognize help children connect.
6. Revise and Write:
Do you want to write a standalone novel or a series?
Writing a series will benefit you in the long run since kids, parents, and publishers all love them.
Plot out a compelling story
The length of your book shouldn’t make you skimp on the plot. Make your readers turn the pages (even if they’re cardboard) by creating tension and excitement.
7. Condescension should be avoided:
Talking down to kids or patronizing them is not a good idea. Unless your story is relatable to your readers or you sound like you understand them, you will lose them.
Make your voice your own. Make sure you listen carefully when you read your book aloud.
- Is the story well-written?
- Is the dialogue convincing?
- Is it interesting to you?
It is possible to read aloud even older children’s books in libraries or classrooms.
8. Take a Brutal Approach to Self-editing
You should first perform a self-edit on your children’s book. Middle-grade and YA writers would benefit from that guide, as their plots, characters, and themes tend to be more complex. The only thing you need to do when editing a picture book or early reader is cut it down to the bare essentials.
Most kids are honest, so you’ll be able to get the most helpful feedback from them. Ensure that you incorporate as many of their suggestions as possible, and then send your book out for more rounds of feedback! It would help if you considered publishing your manuscript after you have received positive feedback from all your beta readers.
9. Ending of the Story:
It is imperative that your readers do not feel disappointed at the end of your book for it to be a successful ending. Avoid rushing the conclusion by omitting critical details that explain why this is the conclusion. If you are ending the story on a happy note, explain to your readers why your character is more comfortable now than when the story began.
Conclusion – Writing Stories for Children:
If you have forgotten anything earlier on, such as side characters who have disappeared or a minor conflict that has not been resolved, the ending is a good place to close any gaps. The reader needs to know who your main character is at the end of the story. Otherwise, the conclusion is pointless.
Last but not least, the central conflict in your story must be resolved in some way, regardless of how the story is concluded. Irrespective of whether it is a good solution or one with terrible consequences, the end of the conflict must be demonstrated. In addition, a good ending almost always contains a memorable line at the end.