Children's Stories

How to Write Children’s Stories

1. Brainstorm Story Ideas – The story is perhaps the most important part of a children’s book.  Choose a story that matches your interests and talents.

2. Develop your characters – In order to have a good story, you need to have some interesting characters.  Who is the main character of the story? Is there more than one?  Are the characters human, animal or fantasy, or some of all three? Before you begin, it is best to make an outline of the characters and how they fit into the story.

3. Make a story outline - Use note cards, draw it in picture form, or write a standard outline. The important thing is to have a general understanding of the beginning, middle and end of the story, and of how the characters will interact and evolve. A good story usually has some sort of conflict or obstacle that the main character has to resolve, after which everyone lives "happily ever after". Here's the breakdown:

1. Introduce your characters with descriptions of physical and personality traits, their surroundings, and those with whom they come in contact.
2. Create a problem/conflict. This could be between two people, an internal conflict, or one in which the main character overcomes an obstacle in the outside world.
3. Write the climax of the story, which will include the main character(s) coming face to face with the conflict.
4. Show how your character(s) resolves the problem, and what happens next.

4. Add some pictures - Everyone loves pictures. They can add to the interest level of the story and make it easier to follow. You may like to include a few funny cartoons or pictures in your story. Make sure that you use bright happy colors or sad dark colors depending on the mood of a story

5. A children’s story doesn’t have to be realistic!  That is the difference between children's and adult books (with exceptions like the Lord of the ring, etc). Of course you can write about a talking mongoose. Sure you can write about a human with a dogs head and 3 legs. Children can enjoy it, but adults can't very often just let the story sink over them.

THE 5 MOST COMMON MISTAKES MADE BY NEW WRITERS:

• Poorly conceived Talking Animals. Editors are sick of Sammy Squirrel and Max Mosquito. The same goes for Claude the Cloud, Billy the Button or any other inanimate object. Talking animals aren't completely taboo, it's just that most writers don't do them very well. What's important is that your animals have completely developed, unique personalities and characteristics. You need to develop these characters just as carefully as if you were creating human characters. And give your readers some surprises. For example, a rabbit might not be cute and cuddly; he may be absentminded, selfish, or cunning. "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White (a middle grade novel) is an excellent course on how to create unique animals characters.
• Single-spaced Manuscripts. Manuscripts should be typed, double-spaced, and sent with a brief (less than one page) cover letter. No exceptions.
• Treating Kids Like Babies. Don't talk down to your readers. Use rich and interesting language that evokes strong visual images, not baby talk.
• Preaching. Your job as a writer: entertain. If your story has a message, tell it through the plot and characters, not by a "moral" attached to the end.
• Weak Beginnings. Grab the reader in the first two paragraphs or you're doomed. Begin fiction with an action scene, nonfiction with an event or interesting facts. Don't start your book with Chapter 2, wasting the first chapter with character description and background, setting, time period, etc.

http://www.right-writing.com/in.html

Basic Writing Tips for Children's Writers

By Jill Esbaum

Here are some of the most important points to keep in mind if you want to write for kids:
* Every story must have a central character with a problem that he solves himself. Having a wise parent (or other elder) step in to help is a no-no. Period.
* Begin your story on the day that is different - when life, as your character knows it, is about to change.
* Stick with one viewpoint. For beginning writers, viewpoint can be a tricky beast. Just remember that your story is unfolding through one person's eyes, feelings, thoughts. The third person omniscient voice doesn't work well for kids unless you are a really really talented writer (and if you were, you wouldn't be reading this). :) If your novel is begging to be told from more than one viewpoint, switch at chapter breaks.
* Don't get lost. If you get off track and your storyline is wandering, boil your theme down to a one-sentence summary. Keep it taped to your computer and refer back to it often. Theme is what you're trying to say. Plot is how you choose to say it.
* Show, don't tell. Think of your story as a series of scenes, each of which should reveal character or move the story forward. A scene should come alive for your reader, make her feel as if she's there.
* Develop an ear for "real" dialogue. Don't have your characters talk in stiff, perfect sentences. Real people often speak in fragments and interrupt each other. And keep in mind that what characters do often reveals more than (or even contradicts) what they say. Become a student of body language, then use it in your dialogue tags.
* Use strong, active verbs. Find exactly the right verb to convey your meaning, and you won't need many adverbs. Try writing poetry to hone this skill.
* Be unique. Avoid cliches. Strive for original similes/metaphors, not the first one that pops into your head.
* Be descriptive - but don't get carried away. A few words or lines of description can certainly help set the scene for your reader, but a little goes a long way. Keep things moving. When in doubt, simplify.
* Don't talk down to kids. Resist the urge to preach (even in religious stories). You needn't hit kids over the head with a message. They'll get the point - and appreciate your respect for them - if you're more subtle. However...
* Your main character has to learn or grow or come to some new understanding by the end of the story. Otherwise, what's the point?
* Revision is our friend. When you read a story, it's easy to believe that the author just sat down and wrote it the way you see it. Not true. Stories and books are revised again and again (and again). When I get discouraged (in the midst of my 53rd revision), I look at the Phyllis Whitney quote on my bulletin board: "Good stories are not written. They are rewritten." Learn to look at your own writing with an objective eye. When you think a piece is finished, put it away for a while. When you come back to it weeks later, I guarantee you'll find ways to improve it.
* Read. Immerse yourself in reading and language. Make it a part of who you are. Read children's poetry, novels, nonfiction, picture books, or whatever it is you are interested in writing yourself. Read for pleasure, to learn, and to absorb a feel for language. Then put it to work and practice, practice, practice. 
* Never give up.