Essential Skills for Children's Writers.
The skills that are needed to write a quality children’s book are:
1) Empathetic understanding of a child’s world - what is important and interesting to him/her.
2) The ability to write a story which “sees” “hears” and “feels” the world through the eyes of a child.
3) Imagination, in bucketloads!
4) Humour - the younger the child, the more obvious and slapstick the humor should be. Think bodily functions or humor that is naughty - tummies rumbling, snoring, farting, seeing the baddies fall over, and so on.
5) Writers of children’s books need to be aware that young children’s attention spans are shorter. Therefore, the ability to make smooth, relatively swift transitions from scene to scene, to write clearly, simply, and at a good pace is important.
6) Characterisation and character-led stories work very well indeed in children’s books. The ability to create larger than life, lovable heroes and heroines is the essence of a good read for children. It’s good to have baddies, too. Larger than life characters work - ones that kids want to hug, and ones that they love to hate! Think pantomime!
7) Young children adore animal and nature stories so a knowledge and love of animals and nature is very useful to a writer of children's books.
8) Writers of children’s books should have a good ear for their story. All books should flow, and sound good, but with children’s books, this is all the more important if they are the kind of books that are read out loud.
9) Unless the author illustrates their own books, authors of children’s books need the ability to communicate their ideas to their illustrator in a visual way. Illustrations in young children’s books help to convey information. Having a good rapport with an illustrator collaborator is essential.
10) Excellent artwork is at the heart of good children’s books.
11) Voice acting ability is very useful to writers who narrate audiobooks and/or do readings of their books. Personal warmth, a liking for children, and the ability to have a rapport with them is essential.
Authors of children's books need to be entertainers and educators. It is a great responsibility writing children’s books which will influence a generation growing up, and many generations to come.
Copyright Suzy Davies, Author, "Luna The Moon Pig," "Snugs The Snow Bear" 2018. All Rights Reserved.
1) Empathetic understanding of a child’s world - what is important and interesting to him/her.
2) The ability to write a story which “sees” “hears” and “feels” the world through the eyes of a child.
3) Imagination, in bucketloads!
4) Humour - the younger the child, the more obvious and slapstick the humor should be. Think bodily functions or humor that is naughty - tummies rumbling, snoring, farting, seeing the baddies fall over, and so on.
5) Writers of children’s books need to be aware that young children’s attention spans are shorter. Therefore, the ability to make smooth, relatively swift transitions from scene to scene, to write clearly, simply, and at a good pace is important.
6) Characterisation and character-led stories work very well indeed in children’s books. The ability to create larger than life, lovable heroes and heroines is the essence of a good read for children. It’s good to have baddies, too. Larger than life characters work - ones that kids want to hug, and ones that they love to hate! Think pantomime!
7) Young children adore animal and nature stories so a knowledge and love of animals and nature is very useful to a writer of children's books.
8) Writers of children’s books should have a good ear for their story. All books should flow, and sound good, but with children’s books, this is all the more important if they are the kind of books that are read out loud.
9) Unless the author illustrates their own books, authors of children’s books need the ability to communicate their ideas to their illustrator in a visual way. Illustrations in young children’s books help to convey information. Having a good rapport with an illustrator collaborator is essential.
10) Excellent artwork is at the heart of good children’s books.
11) Voice acting ability is very useful to writers who narrate audiobooks and/or do readings of their books. Personal warmth, a liking for children, and the ability to have a rapport with them is essential.
Authors of children's books need to be entertainers and educators. It is a great responsibility writing children’s books which will influence a generation growing up, and many generations to come.
Copyright Suzy Davies, Author, "Luna The Moon Pig," "Snugs The Snow Bear" 2018. All Rights Reserved.
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