RKA Writing

Writing for Children


Hometown History Leicester
Why I love writing for young children

When you write for children you can go anywhere and do anything. You find yourself on an adventure where you can enter a different world with every tap of the keyboard and where the normal rules of life need not exist. Children willingly accept the magic of walking teddies, talking dogs, unicorns who want to rule the world... It's the way children view life with awe and wonder that makes them so special and makes writing for them so very rewarding... 

...but don't just take my word for it. I interviewed an expert, Pippa Goodhart, who has had over 70 children's books published (You Choose has sold almost 1 million copies!) You can read her thoughts on writing for children on my blog posting called The Challenges of a Children's Writer.


Children's picture books

I particularly enjoy writing in children's picture book style. I grew up in the black and white days. TV, films and even my story books
portrayed the world in shades of grey. I can remember the excitement of going to the cinema to see a film in glorious Technicolor.
If only my childhood books had been in glorious Technicolor too. 
Bathtime Rap Picture Book

Some tips I've picked up for writing in picture book style

  •  Look at the world through children's eyes. Use your memory as a resource.
  • Think visually as if a cartoon is playing inside your head.
  •  Leave the pictures to tell part of the story.
  • Tell the story in less than 1,000 words, 500 words if possible.
  • Avoid rhyming text as this is hard to translate. Picture books are expensive to produce and publishers rely on foreign markets to make a profit.
  • A successful picture book story will be read out loud by an adult over and over again so it helps for the writing to have an easy-to-read rhythm and for their to be a second level of story to provide the adult with some enjoyment.

 


Rosalind Kathryn Adam

 

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