by Simon Rose In your children’s science fiction or fantasy novel, even if the setting is in a different time period, in outer space, or in a world completely unlike our own, it’s imperative that the young characters in the story overcome their adversaries through their own efforts and find solutions to the problems and…
by Simon Rose, Contributing Editor (this post is an excerpt from Simon’s book The Children’s Writer’s Guide) Magic plays a big part in children’s lives as they grow up. Santa Claus is a very familiar figure to millions of children, along with all the magical things associated with Christmas. This magic is something many children…
by Karen Cioffi Sitting at the computer with a blank word document in front of you may be intimidating for a writer. You just finished one manuscript and need to start on another, or you’ve hired out to ghostwrite a story. Whatever the reason is, you need to begin writing a children’s story – you…
Even though many children’s magazines and even children’s book publishers do not require a bibliography of your sources, you as the author need to develop a system of tracking where your research is from.
by Maurene J. Hinds Part of the writing process is experimenting. Writers differ on their opinions about outlining–some love it, some hate it, and some are mixed. The decision to outline is a personal one. You need to determine what works best for you. Some writers cannot write without an outline, while others like to…
Have you been thinking of creating your own stories for children, but you just don’t know how to get started? Then here are some tips to help you start your own career as a published children’s author: 1. Join your local chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Authors & Illustrators (SCBWI) and then…
Can a little house on a hill smile happily while watching the sun and moon and stars all through the changing seasons? Can a little train engine talk herself into pulling a bunch of heavy cars up a steep hill by repeating, “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can?” Can…
by Renee Kirchner Teaching Tips Contributing Editor Learning how to identify the main idea and supporting details is an important reading skill that children must develop. It helps them to create meaning as they read. Teachers can use a variety of strategies to explain main idea. Basically, the main idea is the main reason…
by Renee Kirchner Teaching Tips Contributing Editor Learning how to identify the main idea and supporting details is an important reading skill that children must develop. It helps them to create meaning as they read. Teachers can use a variety of strategies to explain main idea. Basically, the main idea is the main reason the…
Since I proof, edit, and critique several manuscripts for students, clients, and coaching club members each week, naturally I come across a variety of elements that make a story or article less than it could be.Here are just a few of the most common problems I see, and tips to avoid or correct them: 1)…
All writers get rejection slips. It’s just part of writing if you submit your work to publishers. But if you’ve been seriously writing fiction for quite a while, yet ALL you’ve received for your work are rejections, then take a closer look at one of your short stories. In fact, do you really have a…
by Renee Kirchner, Teaching Tips Contributing Editor A rebus story is a story that is not just made with words. It is a story that combines words and pictures. The picture can represent an entire word or part of a word. The reader will have to sound out each syllable of a word when…
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