CWG Newsletter #2

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Know Your Audience

Children are people, too. As my mom used to say, they are born with all the brain power they’re likely to have; all they’re lacking is education and experience. In short, they’re not dumb. So the first thing to keep in mind when writing for children is this: Don’t talk down to them. They’re likely to become bored quickly and think the author is the “dumb” one.

Get to know your readers. Start with the children in your own family, your friends’ kids, and their friends. Volunteer at your local library, school, or church. Observe and interact with the kids. Hone your listening skills! If you are a parent, or teacher, try not to let your writing be too influenced by any grown-up “judgment.” What do kids talk about? What issues are important to them? What do they read? What kinds of shows do they enjoy watching on TV? How can your writing compete with all that sound, silliness, and color? How can you reach your readers without preaching to them?

I’ve read a lot of “children’s stories” here on Writing.com that are more about children than for children. Cute anecdotes, for the most part, but they are aimed at the adult reader. Write what a child wants to read. Get to eye level with your audience and write from their point of view.

Think back to when you were a child. If you are writing for the pre-teen age group, try mentally reliving some of the moments from your own pre-teen years. Never mind that the adult you thinks you have a great story to tell. What does the twelve-year-old in you think of it?

Read the books your readers read. What makes them successful books? Why do kids like them? What is it about Harry Potter that makes it so wildly popular with all ages?

“User testing” is a concept borrowed from programming and product manufacturing, but it’s worthwhile for writers, too. You do that when you post your writing on Writing.com. But are your readers here the same readers in your target age group? Go back to those kids in your family, your friends’ kids, and their friends - ask them to read your story and be totally candid with you about what works and what doesn’t. Make sure they understand that you mean it - that you’re not looking for kindness or flattery, and that by telling you honestly what they like or dislike, they may be able to help you to become a published author. Promise them an autographed copy of the book, should it ever make it into print! With some kids, this is a sneaky but effective way to learn if they would even want to own the book.

Captivate the Reader Quickly

Not all kids have short attention spans. But just about every child I’ve known has a low boredom threshold. To write a successful children’s story, you need to catch and hold their interest. “Once upon a time…” doesn’t cut it these days. If you start with action, you’ll stand a much better chance of captivating the young reader and holding his interest. You can literally start with a “Bang!”

Whatever you do, avoid clichés and stereotypes. Young readers are too savvy for this. General principles of good writing apply double for children’s literature.

Avoid being “preachy.” I don’t care if your story is a lesson about God’s love, you don’t have to shove the message down the child’s throat with every sentence. Let the action, the characters, the story itself unfold to demonstrate God’s love. Want to write a story with a moral? What to use it as a teaching tool? Again, slip the message in through action, dialogue, believable characters, relevant situations - be clear, but subtle. Entertain as you teach.

Challenge Your Readers - But Not All at Once

Use language that speaks to your readers. Outdated expressions and hard, overly academic words will lose that attention you so carefully grabbed and are so desperate to hang onto. Don’t ditch all the “hard words,” though. An occasional challenge is fine; I can’t tell you how many early reader books I’ve seen with “she exclaimed” as a dialogue tag. “Exclaimed”? For a four year old? Well, why not? I was just entering First Grade when I asked my dad, “What’s the longest word in the English language?” He told me it was
“antidisestablishmentarianism.” I insisted that he teach me to spell it, just so I could show off. He insisted that I learn its meaning, as well, so I wouldn’t be merely “showing off.” Learning new words is fun for most kids. Just don’t overload your reader all at once, and be sure to explain or provide plenty of context clues to meaning when introducing new vocabulary. In general, keep the language appropriate for the age and educational background of your target audience.


Your Co-Captain,


Holly Jahangiri
[10/01/2003]



Help (re)Launch the CWG Newsletter and WIN!

Subscription Drive! (Open only to current subscribers.)

We need new subscribers, and you can help. For every person who signs up to receive the CWG Newsletter during September, and gives your name as the referring subscriber, you’ll get points – the subscriber with the most points at the end of the month wins a prize!


There were NO winners this month so the gps stay in the bank. WHO wants them next month? It would have only taken ONE referral to win this month.



WINNERS Galore!

First: "Invalid Item" 

1st - 10,000 gp prize

2nd - 5,000 gp prize

"Joy Dances in His Heart"   by Izzie, cc_s princess

3rd - 1,000 gp prize

HM's - 500 gp prize

"Randy's Trip"   by Vivian

Second: We had a group only contest and the winner was... Holly Jahangiri , who won 5000 gps! Second place went to marcilynn, who won 2,500 gps!

Congrats to all the winners!


Featured Stories and Poems for Children

These are all entries in the many contests we sponsored this month! Winning entries on top.

Joy Dances in His Heart  [E] #745957 The Seven Sacred Teachings. Part 4: RESPECT by Izzie, cc_s princess

Randy's Trip  [ASR] #740319 A child's trip in a semi-truck by Vivian

Invalid Item  [] # by A Guest Visitor

POST: "Invalid Post"  

The Old Tattered Doll  [E] #724100 The Seven Sacred Teachings. Part 3: HUMILITY by Izzie, cc_s princess

POST: "Invalid Post"  

Invalid Item  [] # by A Guest Visitor

Invalid Item  [] # by A Guest Visitor

Writing.com Resources for Children’s Writers

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Invalid Item  [] # by A Guest Visitor

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Off-Site Links

http://www.underdown.org/



Creative Sparks & Inspirations

Write something silly! Try a silly character, setting or plot. The sky's the limit! IF YOU try this prompt, please submit what you write in the submission forum listed below and you could see it featured here next month!


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