The most important thing to remember before you begin to write for young children is to get an equal balance of entertainment and simplicity. You want to engage them without being condescending or making the storyline too complicated. The first and most vital thing to do before you even write one word is to read.
Read and research your subject. This is key for any author, but especially for children’s books. What children and young adults find entertaining is a forever changing subject. So, it is important to read the top selling novels of authors in your chosen age group. Many new authors will write in a style and tone of the classics they read as a child, but the children of today may not even be interested in that type of book. Will a child be as engaged with the adventures written by Anna Sewell or Enid Blyton today? Would they be able to relate to the story or characters?
The dialogue must be authentic for today’s generation. Watch how children communicate and connect with each other. What language and mannerisms do they use?
Decide what age group you are writing for. An eight-year-old will want to read a totally different book from that of an eleven-year-old. Younger children prefer a little safety and happy ending in their books, whereas an older child will be more engaged with a plot that has danger and suspense. Explore the children's section of a book shop, and read the synopsis on the back cover of your chosen age group. This will be a great indicator of what children are reading.
Children do not understand the concept of reading a book that does not instantly hook them. If they are not absorbed as a reader they will discard the book and probably never read a book by that author again. The story must be fast, exciting, and constantly moving the plot along. This should be a key factor in any novel, but especially a children’s book.
Never patronise a child through the story or dialogue. A child is very intuitive to this. The plot must be simple and easy to follow, with characters that they will relate to. Do not overcomplicate the plot or use a huge amount of characters. A child will not waste their time trying to work out a vastly complicated storyline.
Remember a child has a different sense of humour to you. A good way to find out what certain age groups find funny is to watch a comedy film together and take note when they laugh.
Create authentic characters that children can identify with, and make your action scenes visual and vibrant. A child is not interested in the characters' history or why they behave in a certain way. They want excitement, and to be able to relate to the character immediately.
To be able to write for a child of any age, read and research. Spend the same amount of time researching children’s behaviour and the characters they love as well as reading the current best sellers.
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