Writing a children's story requires a vivid imagination,
enthusiastic creativity and the ability to put yourself in the mind
of a child. For many writers, writing children's books successfully
will require some effort to step back into the shoes of the very
young and to see world from a very fresh and curious perspective.
For those who are always young-at-heart, writing children's stories
can be a very satisfying craft. And if you are a child author
reading this article, (and many child authors have published
stories), then these characteristics will be second nature to you
but you will still benefit from the steps on how to write a
children's story well.
Steps
- Brainstorm story ideas. The story is perhaps the most important
aspect of a good book. Consult some of your favorite books
(children's or not) for examples, but try to be original. Choose a
story that fits your interests and talents, such as action,
fantasy, or mystery.
- Develop your characters. In order to have
a good story, you need some interesting characters. Who
is the main character of the story? Is there more than one? Are the
characters human, animal or fantasy, or do they include elements of
all three? Before you begin, it is best to make an outline of the
characters and how they fit into the story.
- 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:
- Introduce your characters with descriptions of physical and
personality traits, their surroundings, and those with whom they
come in contact.
- 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.
- Write the climax of the story, which will include the main
character(s) coming face to face with the conflict.
- Show how your character(s) resolves the problem, and what
happens next.
- Add 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.
Tips
- Keep it simple. Depending on the age group you are trying to
engage, you don't want to make your story too complex and difficult
to follow, because younger kids will quickly lose interest.
- Please use humour. We all have it. Focus on 'silly' things that
will have both the child and the adult reader laughing together.
Use made-up words and rhyme: Dr Seuss knows, it's much easier and
more fun to read aloud.
- Whenever possible, show the character's personality through
speech and actions, not bland statements like "Sally is selfish".
Try to differentiate between different characters by having them
react differently to the same situation, for a start.
- Make sure your diction (level of word usage) and storyline are
audience-appropriate:
- Age 3-5 years: Slightly larger storyline. More complex
sentences explaining the motivation behind actions shown on the
page. Adventures. Getting lost and finding your way home. Fighting.
Being brave in spite of fear. Telling the truth. Thinking of others
before yourself. Explaining how you feel. Learning to spell.
Learning to add. Telling parents if someone hurts you or makes you
feel bad. How to resolve arguments (though they still need a lot of
help at this age, they can be introduced to healthy argument
resolution, especially the idea of sharing and thinking how others
feel). Disappointment.
- Age 5-7 years: overcoming challenges. Learning new
skills. Understanding good reasons to do something and bad reasons
to do something. Magic. Confusion. Books long enough to read over
two or three nights. Use bigger words but be careful to explain
them, so as not to frustrate new readers.
Warnings
- Avoid using slang words or inappropriate language/situations.
The writing should be of the best quality, to encourage young
readers to love their language and to want to read more.
- Try not to give the characters long names, or name them similar
or even starting with the same letter. This may confuse the child
and make the story harder to follow.
