Writing for children: Mistakes to avoid
Starting a mini-series on rookie errors to avoid with your children’s books, Amy Sparkes starts with the writing itself
The whole process of writing a children’s story can be mindboggling. Will children like it? Are the characters original? Is the word count okay? Is the language age-appropriate? What should you do when you finish your story? Send to an agent? A publisher? Your mum? And when your story is published, what then?
This month marks the start of a three-part series, looking at 10 Mistakes Not To Make: Writing, Submitting, and After Publication. Being aware of potential pitfalls should help make the whole process quicker, smoother and a little less bogglesome to the mind.
1 Don’t read widely
When you come up with an idea, stop. Read. Researching what’s already ‘out there’ will show you what publishers like, the length of books, the type of vocabulary used, and a feel of whether your idea has already been covered. Reading also generates new ideas. This isn’t cheating – no-one will send the Gruffalo after you for being inspired by another author.
2 Create something familiar
Creating something truly original is difficult. There are, after all, a limited number of themes in fiction. What’s important is how you creatively interpret and communicate these themes. As you develop an idea, consider whether it seems familiar. Are you following in the inksteps of a popular author, hoping to attract a publisher? The world doesn’t need their stories again. It needs YOUR story.