Writing a story for children requires vivid imagination, good dialectics, exciting creativity, and the ability to enter a child's mind. To write a children's story, follow these guidelines.
Steps
Method 1 of 1: Write your own children's story
Step 1. Write down some ideas for the story
The story itself is probably the most important aspect of any good book. Check out some of your favorite books (for kids or not) for inspiration, but do what is your thing. Choose a story that encompasses your interests and talents, such as action, fantasy, or mystery.
- If you have kids, get them involved while you look for ideas. Say something like, “What would you do if you were to put your kitten to bed and she didn't want to? What would you tell him? " or, "What would a dog do to not eat his vegetables?". What will come to their minds could make you laugh, or point you in a new direction and a new level of creativity.
- Part of the fun of children's stories is that they don't have to be realistic. With fabulous exceptions like "The Lord of the Rings", this is the biggest difference between children's books and adult books. Of course you can write about a talking mongoose! And you can even write about a man with a dog's head and three legs! Children will appreciate these nonsense.
Step 2. Develop your characters
To have a good story, you will need some interesting characters. Who is the protagonist of the story? Is there more than one? Are the characters human, animal or fictional or do they have elements of all three types? Before you begin, write a track of the characters and how they will fit into the story.
You can also take inspiration from J. R. R. Tolkien or J. K. Rowling, and create a whole world that your characters inhabit. While much of it won't appear in your story, it will give knowledge to your characters and make their actions make sense (even if it doesn't make sense - just as long as it is consistent with that piece of the world you created)
Step 3. Make sure your style is age appropriate
For example, young children prefer stories with simple or non-existent plots and words (for example a repeated phrase like, "No fat cat! Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!"). On the other hand, older children will want a more intricate texture and tone that doesn't make them feel like children. Since it's harder to put yourself in a very young child's shoes, consider some of these guidelines and examples of stories for very young readers:
- 'Ages 3 to 5: Use sentences with a low level of complexity that explain the rationale behind the actions shown on the page. Themes include: adventures; get lost and find your way home; to go to sleep; fight; be brave; share; tell the truth; think of others before yourself; explain how it feels; learn to speak; learn to count; how to tell parents if someone hurts or hurts you; resolve conflicts; disappointment; deal with the loss of a parent, a brother, a sister.
- Ages 5 to 7: Use more complex words but be careful to explain them so as not to frustrate readers. At this point the books may be long enough to read in two or three evenings. Themes you can use include facing challenges; learn new skills; understand what is right and what is wrong; magic; confusion. You can also tickle their rebellious instincts, with stories of escaping home to join the circus, fly an airplane, or steal an ice lolly.
Step 4. Write a track if necessary
Unless you are writing for very young readers, for which there is no need for a traditional storyline (eg "The Chocolate Girl"), it is best to plan the structure of the story in advance. Use some notes, start drawing it, or write a standard track. The important thing is to have a general idea of the beginning, the course and the end of the story and how the characters will interact and evolve. Here's how to do it:
- Introduce your characters with descriptions of their physical and personality traits, what surrounds them and who they come into contact with.
- Create a problem or conflict. It could be between two people, an internal conflict, or something where the main character overcomes an obstacle in the world.
- Write the highlight of the story, which will include the character facing the conflict.
- It shows how the character solves the problem and what happens next.
Step 5. Make sure you have style
Use humor where possible. For young children, focus on the silly things that will make them laugh with adults; use invented words and simple rhymes. Dr. Seuss knew this made reading aloud easier and more fun for both children and parents. Does "The Cat and the Mad Hat" mean anything to you?
- Whenever you can, show the character's character through speech and action, not with phrases like "Sally is selfish". Instead, write: “Sally took Tommy's bucket. "Now it's mine!" She said.".
- Try to distinguish different characters by making them react differently in the same situation. Seek inspiration by watching children in action.
Step 6. Consider whether or not to add drawings
If you are a professional illustrator, adding your own designs could add a level of interest to the story and make it easier to follow. In any case, if you are not a professional, publishers will not be interested in your works and will replace them with images created by another illustrator.
Advice
- Describe characters and places as best you can, so your young readers can imagine them however you want. However, don't get lost in complicated descriptions - it could confuse them and distract them from the story. For example you could write. “She walked bravely in the stinking green forest, and sneezed loudly.”, But you would never write: “She walked boldly through that thick sun-dappled forest, which smelled of rotten bark and dead leaves. His sneeze shook the foundations of the forest itself."
- For many writers, writing successful children's stories takes an effort to put yourself in the shoes of the little ones and see the world from a fresh and curious perspective. For those who are always “kids inside”, writing these stories can be a very satisfying project. If you who are reading this article are a young writer - many young writers have published stories - these characteristics may be in your nature, but you too can benefit from these tips on how to write a story for children.
- Most children's stories must have a happy ending; kids don't like to see their favorite character go wrong. They remain bad for him and are disappointed by the whole story. But the reality is that it doesn't always end well, and a well-orchestrated sad ending can gently help children face life's harsh lessons. One word: Bambi.
- The world described in most of the children's stories is bright, colorful and upbeat; the character of the main character should have many positive traits, such as courage, intelligence, sympathy, beauty and so on. Anyway, note that classic children's books like "In the Land of the Wild," the Goosebumps series, and traditional fairy tales have "dark" characteristics. And what about the Brothers Grimm? Definitely dismal. Don't automatically discard dark stories, but decide how far you can push based on the age of your readers.
Warnings
- Avoid using language or situations that are inappropriate for younger readers. The writing should be of quality, to encourage readers to love their language and to read more.
- Try not to give your characters long names, unless they are fun and memorable, such as Rumple. Also, don't use similar names or names that start with the same letter. They could confuse the child and make the story difficult to follow.
- Scary stories, even if they have a happy ending, may not be suitable for very young readers. Avoid them if you're writing for kids ages 3 to 7, but if you decide to do so, consider giving the hero the skill and courage to solve the problem, or the character the child might relate to.
- War is not a good theme for a children's story. Readers may begin to worry that what happens in a war could happen to them.
