Tips for writing kids books - mhulse/mhulse.github.io GitHub Wiki
Age range
- Board books: Newborn to age 3
- Picture books: Ages 3-8
- Coloring and activity (C&A) books: Ages 3-8
- Novelty books: Ages 3 and up, depending on content
- Early, leveled readers: Ages 5-9
- First chapter books: Ages 6-9 or 7-10
- Middle-grade books: Ages 8-12
- Young adult (YA) novels: Ages 12 and up or 14 and up
– WRITING CHILDREN’S BOOKS FOR DUMMIES CHEAT SHEET
| Category | Age | Word Count | Pages | Illustrations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Picture Book | 0-3 | 0 | 32 | Every Page |
| Young Picture Book | 2-5 | 200-400 | 32 | Every Page |
| Trade Picture Book | 4-8 | 400-800 | 32+ | Every Page |
| Picture Story Book | 6-10 | 1,000-3,000 | 32+ | Every Page |
| Chapter Book | 6-10 | 3,000-10,000 | 32+ | Almost Every Page |
| Middle Grade Book | 8-12 | 15,000-40,000 | 82 | 12+ Illustrations |
– HOW TO WRITE A CHILDREN’S BOOK IN 9 EASY STEPS
Characters
Do you want to use:
- Fruits and vegetables
- Inanimate objects
- … etc.
The sky is the limit, be creative!
Make sure it is relatable to kids and appropriate to children.
Location
Where does your take place?
Tense
Past- or present-tense?
Past-tense is more natural; present-tense is more engaging to children.
Write in both, and see which one you like better.
Don’t change tenses mid-way.
Perspective (POV)
First person or third person?
Is the main character the main focus on every page? Does it make sense to do it through the main character’s eyes? Then first-person is a good pick.
Otherwise, third-person could be good as you can zoom out and maybe have more flexibility.
Character arc
Has the character gone through an experience and changed in end?
Character should learn/grow.
Have clear parts
Beginning, middle and end.
Can you describe your book in three sentences? Describe beginning, middle and end.
Questions to ask yourself to figure out beginning, middle and end:
- What happens to make this a story. What is life like before change; what is the conflict or change that makes story go in a new direction?
- What does your character do or not do about; what happens because of their actions or inactions. What are the end results that wrap up conflict and resolve things?
Tips on story
- If your character talks to self, consider giving them a friend (even imaginary friend).
- If you are bored with the story, they the reader will be too.
No words
A co-worker (thanks Nic!) gave this advice:
Write your story with no words; does it work on it’s own?
Add words to enhance.
Now that your story is figured out …
Hone your writing! Here’s some tips:
- If a sentence does not contribute to plot, arc or character (etc.) then delete it!
- If you have a huge page of dialog, just cut a bunch! Be really strict as to what you allow on page; find words that replace multiple.
- If you have lots of puncuation (exclamation, italics, bold, uppercase), then replace it as you can prob find words to describe those feelings
- Extremes RULE! For kids, the world is pretty black and white; they’ll take things very literally.
- Read it out loud; you’ll hear those weird akward parts
Time
A good story will take time.
Always edit and re-write.
It will take time.
Artwork
- Make it as detailed as possible; kids love reading books where they discover new things
- Run your book by actual kids to see how they respond