Writing Childrens Books

Avoid Alfie Ant when writing children's books.

You can almost see it: you at a desk, writing childrens books, spinning each fantastic tale that comes to you, and parents reading your book to their children every night before bed. This vision can become a reality if you really are serious about writing children's books. Even the greatest authors once had this dream, now its your time to realize it.

Writing childrens books might seem easy, but once you sit down at that desk you've envisioned, it becomes a little harder. When writing children's books, an author must remember that the story requires character development, some good surprises and a hook; grab those kids in the first few paragraphs or else they're attention spans will not outlast your tale.

There are several hot trends in the publishing industry to remember when you are writing children's books. Multicultural themes are wildly appealing to children, and publishers are looking for writers who use such themes to frame their stories. Children 8 years old and up are begging their parents to buy them books that have spooky ghost-story-around-the-campfire-like plots, and also seem to be devouring books that have short chapters about nonfiction subjects.

Some things possibly avoid in your writing have become something of a publishing industry cliché: talking animals named (with names like Alfie Ant) have been done before. If an animal is central to your plot, make sure the character is fully developed and unique. Other things to stay away from when writing children's books include first pages that are a yawn and too-obvious morals at the end; if your story has a message, weave in in throughout the book.

So be sure to check out our pages on Book Writing Tips, How To Write A Fiction Book, Writing Childrens Books, Writing Fantasy Books, and Writing A Book Proposal elsewhere on this site.