Writing For Children (Rules Of Children's Books)
Hey there guys :) I finished my second exam today, so I feel like I'm in a shape to post another article here now, as I've relaxed from Philosophy subject I was taking this semester ;)
So, let's proceed and see how children's books are being written, why we use certain rules to write proper books for our little readers, and the main thing - how the book should be written for little readers for them to perceive it excellently, so that their psychology develops in a perfect way.
Yes, you didn't miss anything - there are some secret formula to write an excellent book for a child in order to raise them as positive individuals. :)
Well, let's dig in.
First of all, we must understand that writing a children's book doesn't mean we must write as children. No, in fact, little readers often get irritated when they notice the writer perceives them as children, and acts as an elderly person. That said, NO fondling words in children's book! Child mustn't feel as an inferior when they're reading. You mustn't make them feel they don't understand certain 'hard' words so you try to simplify the vocabulary, or you try to caress them through your book referring to them as to babies. No, refer to them as to complete, grown-up persons, with their own opinions, inner worlds, imagination, and dreams. Child is a person, as well as an adult, and they often know a lot more than we do. Briefly, make your little reader feel they're 'old enough'. That said, NO simplified vocabulary! Do the opposite, throw at them as many picturesque words as you find necessary, so that it develops curiosity in your little readers - they must learn to dig up new words in dictionary. It will help them to develop their curiosity and interest, and will help them become greater readers in the future. After all, everyone needs to know that using dictionary while reading is essential. There will never come time when you know ALL the words of a language. No one is capable of knowing EVERY single word a language possesses.
Now let's proceed to other rules.
An important matter is - what should we write for children? In these last years there is an opinion largely spread, that children's books mustn't contain any violence, blood, cuts, fights, etc. They say it will damage their psychics. Is it really true?
Before discussing that, let's say a word or two about how the book itself should look like - are pictured books better, or the ones with less pictures and more interesting plot?
Well, if you want my honest opinion on that matter, despite the fact that a lot of people, children among them, prefer pictured books, I say - pictured books damage the ability of a child to imagine what's happening in the book, and therefore, their imagination is degraded. You see, when a child reads a pictured book, they already see on the pictures how the environment and the characters look like, and then no matter how well you describe the situation within the book, that particular picture will be fixed in the child's mind for the rest of their lives. Nothing will change it after that.
And still, for the children up to the age of 5, the pictured books are essential, but they must be designed accordingly - not the stories adapted to pictures, but some sort of puzzles which show pictures and the children have to find these particular pictures within a big picture containing a lot of items. For example, a book where there are many single item pictures shown, and below each of them there are their names written, e. g. there is shown a door and below it there is verbally written: 'Door'. And then there is a big picture of a classroom, and there is a question: 'Name how many doors you can see, and where they are'.
These kind of puzzle books develop the child's intellect, concentration, and attention. Furthermore, by reading the names of different items some of which they're seeing for the first time, they learn a lot of new words. But the main is that these kind of books should be used only up to the age of 5. To be sincere, that is how I started reading myself. :) And I can assure you by my own experience - these puzzle books are really efficient!
And then, at the age of 6 up to 7, comes the second stage - give children bigger books with less, but still pictures in it. It makes their imagination flow better, and they don't get tired by reading because they can count the pages until the next picture comes (that was the trick I was doing when I was 6-7 years old and got bored by reading x) Until your child learns to love the book itself, they must develop their willpower, and these kind of books help in that).
And here we return to our first topic - about whether to show children the 'violence' or not. Up to the age 5 books, in picture puzzles, of course there must be NO violence shown, not of any sort. But in these books of second stage (6-7 years olds), there must come some action moments, like the descriptions of war, fights, sharp-horned dragons, etc. But of course no mention for blood and pain. Little by little, the child must learn what this world is made of, and by these stages, we help them in that.
And then there comes the third stage - books for children from 8 up to 12 years of age. Here we write action/adventure, a bit of romance (young love, like prince charming, first kiss, having a crush on someone and blush whenever they see them, etc), and of course fantasy. Talking animals are a plus. Here we can already slightly mention the word 'blood' here and there, but so that it doesn't draw too much attention. Fighting scenes will of course intensify here. We will show the problems within the relationships of the friends and lovers, oppositions between protagonists and the enemies, and of course in the end everything ends well - happily ever after, happy family, evil brought down forever, etc.
And then we go to teens' books. These books are free to show fights, cuts, blood, but of course we have some restrictions :3 and by this I mean 18+ ;) But that's out of our concern - 18+ is the world of adults.
There in teens' books the whole romantic scenes unleash - deception, betrayal, love, tears, or the opposite - success, happiness, victory over one's heart... And here the endings can get bittersweet, teens won't mind that. Only, let's keep in mind that teen age is the period when we join a lot of fandoms, so please writers, don't kill the characters our young readers love ;) (unless you find it unavoidable).
So, practically, it seems that avoiding the violent scenes in children's books isn't good at all. By that, we blind the children's psychics rather than protecting it. Children must know what the world is made of - that there is violence, there are fights, blood, and fatal endings, BUT, overall, if they strive, if they do not give up, if they follow their paths to their dreams and overcome ANY obstacle they meet, the children, our little readers, they WILL achieve EVERYTHING they dream of, as in the end, everything in the world is possible. Main is to have enough willpower, and to never back down, even when the situation seems too black. After all, there's no situation that cannot be avoided, no obstacle that cannot be overcome. :)
So, children's writers, the main rule be this: Do not show negativity in your books. The life is bright, and your books must be positive. Let the children feel they can win this battle! ;)
Thanks a lot for reading, and good luck to you all! :)
So, let's proceed and see how children's books are being written, why we use certain rules to write proper books for our little readers, and the main thing - how the book should be written for little readers for them to perceive it excellently, so that their psychology develops in a perfect way.
Yes, you didn't miss anything - there are some secret formula to write an excellent book for a child in order to raise them as positive individuals. :)
Well, let's dig in.
First of all, we must understand that writing a children's book doesn't mean we must write as children. No, in fact, little readers often get irritated when they notice the writer perceives them as children, and acts as an elderly person. That said, NO fondling words in children's book! Child mustn't feel as an inferior when they're reading. You mustn't make them feel they don't understand certain 'hard' words so you try to simplify the vocabulary, or you try to caress them through your book referring to them as to babies. No, refer to them as to complete, grown-up persons, with their own opinions, inner worlds, imagination, and dreams. Child is a person, as well as an adult, and they often know a lot more than we do. Briefly, make your little reader feel they're 'old enough'. That said, NO simplified vocabulary! Do the opposite, throw at them as many picturesque words as you find necessary, so that it develops curiosity in your little readers - they must learn to dig up new words in dictionary. It will help them to develop their curiosity and interest, and will help them become greater readers in the future. After all, everyone needs to know that using dictionary while reading is essential. There will never come time when you know ALL the words of a language. No one is capable of knowing EVERY single word a language possesses.
An important matter is - what should we write for children? In these last years there is an opinion largely spread, that children's books mustn't contain any violence, blood, cuts, fights, etc. They say it will damage their psychics. Is it really true?
Before discussing that, let's say a word or two about how the book itself should look like - are pictured books better, or the ones with less pictures and more interesting plot?
And still, for the children up to the age of 5, the pictured books are essential, but they must be designed accordingly - not the stories adapted to pictures, but some sort of puzzles which show pictures and the children have to find these particular pictures within a big picture containing a lot of items. For example, a book where there are many single item pictures shown, and below each of them there are their names written, e. g. there is shown a door and below it there is verbally written: 'Door'. And then there is a big picture of a classroom, and there is a question: 'Name how many doors you can see, and where they are'.
These kind of puzzle books develop the child's intellect, concentration, and attention. Furthermore, by reading the names of different items some of which they're seeing for the first time, they learn a lot of new words. But the main is that these kind of books should be used only up to the age of 5. To be sincere, that is how I started reading myself. :) And I can assure you by my own experience - these puzzle books are really efficient!
And here we return to our first topic - about whether to show children the 'violence' or not. Up to the age 5 books, in picture puzzles, of course there must be NO violence shown, not of any sort. But in these books of second stage (6-7 years olds), there must come some action moments, like the descriptions of war, fights, sharp-horned dragons, etc. But of course no mention for blood and pain. Little by little, the child must learn what this world is made of, and by these stages, we help them in that.
There in teens' books the whole romantic scenes unleash - deception, betrayal, love, tears, or the opposite - success, happiness, victory over one's heart... And here the endings can get bittersweet, teens won't mind that. Only, let's keep in mind that teen age is the period when we join a lot of fandoms, so please writers, don't kill the characters our young readers love ;) (unless you find it unavoidable).
So, practically, it seems that avoiding the violent scenes in children's books isn't good at all. By that, we blind the children's psychics rather than protecting it. Children must know what the world is made of - that there is violence, there are fights, blood, and fatal endings, BUT, overall, if they strive, if they do not give up, if they follow their paths to their dreams and overcome ANY obstacle they meet, the children, our little readers, they WILL achieve EVERYTHING they dream of, as in the end, everything in the world is possible. Main is to have enough willpower, and to never back down, even when the situation seems too black. After all, there's no situation that cannot be avoided, no obstacle that cannot be overcome. :)
So, children's writers, the main rule be this: Do not show negativity in your books. The life is bright, and your books must be positive. Let the children feel they can win this battle! ;)
Thanks a lot for reading, and good luck to you all! :)
Great post, Tamuna! Since I'm writing a YA book, (I'm assuming it's 12-18?) I was wondering how to capture readers' attention better. I started out with a fairly suspenseful introduction, but at the end of each chapter, it feels like something is missing. I use the first few chapters to drop clues (as it is a mystery novel) but everything only pulls together in ch. 6. Could you give me a few tips please?
ReplyDeleteHey there! :) Wow, it's cool, I was really attracted to mystery novels in my teen age! :D Those kind of novels are exceptionally hard to write, regarding that you already know everything that is going to happen, but you must make the reader feel that they have no clue themselves. So many traps and plot twists should be laid alongside. :)
DeleteBut there still are some tips I can give you: If you want the whole stuff to stay mysterious during the whole novel, and only unfold in the end, not in the 6th chapter, like you say, then it is better to always think of different approaches to your initial plot while writing. Let's say, if you'd like to change anything, drop in another plot twist, etc. When you yourself don't know how everything will end up, it helps a lot to write a mystery novel as it is mysterious to you as well :D That is at least how I wrote that kind of stuff.
The other tip is to try not to give out too much information to the readers - for example, you're writing about a murderer, who is also a young man and seems really nice at first. His victims are girls. You must drop in another young man character, who seems really vicious and that, and along the way everyone thinks he's the suspect, and in the end, he dies too. xD and who killed him? When the novel goes on, the true murderer is caught, and his girlfriend who was said to be his next victim, exclaims: "No way! That cannot be!" and that murderer still has an innocent smile on his face :3
I told you this example I made up because that is the principle Sherlock Holmes: Hound of Baskervilles was written in. :) There the criminal was an innocent butterfly catcher. You would never think he would be the one :)
So the main principle in mystery novels is that the story you're writing should feel mysterious to YOU as well. Because the emotions you write your story with, are then reflected on the reader while reading that same book.
That's all I can say, because in fact I'm not really an expert in that genre. :) Still, I hope my tips will come in handy ^_^ Good luck! :)
Thank you so much for taking your time to reply me! (Especially since you're probably busy with exams) :) So glad that I'm already using some of the elements, but I have to keep more secrets ;)
DeleteHaha that's cool! :) I'm sure you will write awesome novels ;)
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Delete:) By the way, how do you manage college, social life and writing all at the same time? I'm homeschooled right now and ever since a curve in events and when my passion for writing intensified, I've been kind of spacing myself from my friends. I'm usually a very open and social person, but now I feel like I have to choose: ambition or friends. I'm doing okay in school, but as we all know, when we want to maintain friendships, we have to remember important things (things they like, special dates, etc..). So how are you managing all these things? *Note: I deleted my comment because I accidentally typed "mangling" not "managing". XD*
ReplyDeleteHaha :D Well I actually manage to schedule my time every day :) In the morning I decide how I will divide my time between uni work, writing and social life. It also helps that my social life isn't all that fussy - I don't have a lot of friends I can go out with, so I mostly stay at home, especially in exam period. During exam weeks I decline my friends' requests to meet them, etc, and promise to meet up when my exams are over. So that helps me get rid of extra time waste xD and I only concentrate on my studying and writing. And also, most of the friends I can meet are themselves university students, so our exams often match each other and that doesn't cause misunderstandings between us when we don't have time for each other xD
DeleteAs for my writing, I'm used to finishing my homework or revision before starting writing. :) That helps me to maintain focus on homework and do it well, and then, when I'm free, relievedly get to my writing and be more concentrated. :)
And adding to all of that, as I've mentioned, I don't have any special tight bonds with my friends. They more can be called comrades to me. I just like spending time with them now and then, as of their birthdays (special dates you mentioned :D ), Facebook helps me to remember those xD
But, in the end, even when you're with friends you can work on your stories :) I mean, you can plot them in your mind, create characters, etc, and only when you're free, write them down :)
I hope this helps! ^_^
Yes, it did. Thank you!! :)
DeleteHow are you doing, Tamuna? :)
ReplyDeleteWe haven't talked in a long time! I also have one question (I mean, aren't I always asking you things?): How do I write a scene based on meeting a stranger? I find it surprisingly hard to do so for various reasons. 1) The stranger is kind of crazy and eccentric. 2) The person meeting the stranger is a teenaged boy. 3) The stranger had a very difficult past.
Thank you in advance! :D
Hey there! I'm doing fine, have been on a holiday in mountain resort and got back just yesterday! :D I've had a really fun time ^_^ And how about you? How's it going? :)
DeleteIt's fine lol, you can ask me anything, I'm always glad to help if I can! :D
I think you mean bringing in a stranger character in your story, whom another character of your story meets. There are problems with that for every author, for me too it was hard sometimes to get out of the clichés of my previous stories.
There are some ways to overcome those difficulties, though.
1) Imagine yourself in your character's shoes, and think of how would YOU interact with that stranger you met, what would you disclose to them and what not. You see, when bringing in a stranger, their backstory should never be revealed right away. You must add an aura of mystery to them, by describing their gaze, appearance or even items they carry as mysterious or strange. You must show little elements from their backstory, but not explain them, and only later on in the story reveal what stories were those items carrying.
For example, in Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, when the author introduces Anna to the reader, she often carries red items with her. Later on, Anna fatally dies. Thus we get to know that those red items she carried and black dresses she wore at festive balls were the indication of her future fatal death.
Or in reverse, to show the past - Alexander Dumas gave the Count of Monte Cristo a strange appearance as a paled man with merciless gaze and cold eyes, later on revealing he was imprisoned in the dungeon on an isolate island in the past and had spent there many years, and was craving for revenge when he managed to escape.
2) When bringing in a stranger, try to make the character that interacts with them talk few. When meeting strangers the people don't tell them their whole stories. :D This way, it will sound more natural. Make the stranger and the character closer by time, not in mere second.
3) If your stranger is eccentric, try to make the character act natural - they must often get surprised, think that the stranger is crazy, and themselves they must have awkward moments as a result, not be sure what to say and how to respond to the stranger's eccentric replicas.
I hope this helps :) If there's anything more, feel free to ask! :D
:) It does. I also have a series of flashbacks that are kind of "explaining" elements to the story told through the stranger's perspective, and even though there are no quotation marks and just italic passages, the other characters hear them. Do you have any suggestions on how long to wait before this comes in?
DeleteHmm, I as an animation screenwriter can relate that kind of situation more to the scenes Masashi Kishimoto shows in his Naruto anime :D I think his methods are perfect so I'll just tell them to you:
DeleteIn Naruto, the explanations of certain events from different characters' perspectives come either right after the event occurred (e. g. the battle is over in miraculous manner and the character explains how the warrior defeated their enemy, what technique they used, and to every other character it becomes visible and understandable, and to the reader/spectator too), or you can add that flashback after a certain event occurs that is so relevant to the past event that it creates kind of Déjà Vu to the character (e. g. a battle occurred certain years ago and the characters got defeated, however, they had no idea what technique enemy used to bring them down. Then after years they face another enemy who makes them recall that past battle of theirs with their past rival, and they guess that these two enemies fight the same way).
Briefly, the main point is, that those flashbacks you use should be either explanatory elements to the reader, to make them better understand the vague situations even the characters couldn't understand, or certain remembrances, when characters finally get to use their past experience, and so tell in flashbacks what their experience was and how it can be used in present time. :)
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThe comment above was solved~ ;)
ReplyDeleteI hope I'm not bothering you so much, but... Genie, I have three questions:
1) After writing a relevant flashback, should I state the time in bold? (ex: Friday Name's House, 7:51 AM)
2) How many flashbacks is too many?
3) I would say that I'm definitely a young writer and dealing with characters who are around 3 years older than I am... How should I make them realistic to people who are closer to that age? My book is targeted at 13-15, but my biggest characters are 16 and turning 17.
Thanks for all you do. :)
Hey there :) No, you're not bothering me at all :D It's just that my uni started again, so I may reply a little late.
DeleteAnyway, regarding your question :)
1) You don't have to write the time for the flashback unless it's absolutely necessary, you may just put it in in a more beautiful way, than dryly like a diary or a screenplay recording :D (Well unless you're actually writing a diary-like first-person fiction or a screenplay). You can use sentences like "Character X (your character's name), seeing the Scene X (seeing that particular event you're showing at the moment in your book) recalled a certain incident occurred to him three years ago... The one that left painful mark upon him..." and then you can start with that painful flashback xD
But of course, if you find it necessary, you can put in absolute time and date of the flashback event, however, try to put it as a description and not a note. That feels more literary when you're writing normal fiction.
2) Depends on your genre. As for me, there are never too many flashbacks. There is only the word 'enough'. :) And how many is that 'enough' you must decide by yourself, because the writer is you :D and you know your story better than anyone. If you feel a flashback is pointless to put in, just cut it out, but if you feel it's essential, or simply makes the story more beautiful, readable and enjoyable, put it in :) There are some stories, especially fantasy genre ones with their own worlds, which require a dozen of flashbacks so that the reader could grasp the situation properly, and there are some, like historical fiction genres or fable adaptations, that don't even need any flashbacks. :) All of that is upon the author's decision.
3)lol I also write about older people, almost always xD It is nothing to be scared of :) Just try to communicate with the people of that age range as often as you can, and study their habits :) You can also show your drafts to your friends/acquaintances of that particular age range and find out what they think about it. They will tell you if it feels natural or not :) As for that age range you mentioned (16-17 years old guys) I'm always there for you, I've recently passed that age and I perfectly know those elder teens' psychology xD So you can use my help at any time if you need ^_^
You can also read books about the people of that age, or even watch movies, to know how other writers perceive them. :)
Hello, Tamuna. :)
DeleteWell, what do 16-17 year old guys normally think about?
Oh, by the way, I actually went to a writer convention and got interviewed for TV! They even promoted my novel and the host offered to do a book review when I was done. How are you doing?
Hey there :) Sorry for the late reply.
DeleteThat's cool! :D Congrats on getting promoted!
Well, I'm doing fine, doing studies at uni and getting up early every morning, feeling sleepy all days lol xD
There are a lot of psychotypes of 16-17 years old guys. The boys mainly think about women and entertainment :) That is the age they start thinking when and how they will buy their first car and run around the streets :)
Some of boys, however (like my brother at that age :3 ) study hard and think how they will choose university, or how they will get work. Those boys are regarded as 'nerds' by the other type of boys mentioned above.
As for girls, a lot of them think about clothing, shopping, and how to acquire new boyfriends. They often chit-chat about their relationships with boys and how cool those boys were xD
But my type of girls think about university, and future work :) they work on their goals and try to achieve them. We're pragmatic types.
Also, at that age youths join different clubs - girls and boys start being emos or punks, boys start becoming 'thugs' (the street boys, I mean :3 ), girls act like queenies, shy ones just lock up in their houses, watch movies and TV shows, read fantasy books and lament about their loneliness, and some intelligent ones like my brother and I study hard and prepare to stand on the way towards their success and dream future :3
It is the period in our lives when we step in adulthood. Boys advancedly taste alcohol and a lot of them enjoy smoking, thinking it is cool. Others think smokers are lame.
The youths quarrel a lot about music, movies, TV shows, and generally the life style. Girls laugh at each other's appearances. A lot of them dye hair in colourful style - purple, pink, blue, green, and even white. Other girls think they look ugly and cry.
That's practically the summary xD