Writing For Children: Turn Your Ideas Into A Book
Saturday, August 3, 2002
Turn Your Idea Into a Book
Maybe you’re one of those lucky writers whose head is bursting with ideas. Or perhaps you have one idea that’s been nagging you for weeks, always at the edge of your thoughts. Either way, you’re itching to begin writing. That’s good. But before you rush headlong into your story, stop and ask yourself one question: Is this just an idea, or is it a book?
Ideas, of course, are the seeds of any work of fiction or nonfiction. But until an idea is fully developed, until you can envision its beginning, middle and end, that one idea might not be enough. The experience of writing for pages about an idea and ultimately getting nowhere (or getting a pile of rejections) has taught many writers to outline their books before they begin. But if the thought of an outline sends shivers up your spine, at least thinking your idea through and making sure it merits months of writing can save you future frustration.
Ideas for Fiction
A lot of writers, especially when they’re beginners, get ideas for fiction from their own lives. This can be useful for several reasons: you’re emotionally invested in the topic, you can relate directly to the main character, and if the situation actually happened to you, you’re less likely to be unconsciously basing the story on a book you’ve read. But remember, just because you find this thing that happened to you or your child fascinating, it doesn’t mean it will be fascinating to thousands of potential readers. Very often, a real-life event is just that–an event. It’s a vivid scene you recall with pleasure, or a family joke that’s repeated over and over. It evokes strong emotions when you remember it, perhaps you even look back on an event as a turning point in your life. But only rarely does reality provide a plot.
When writers stick too closely to what really happened they fail to develop the elements necessary for a good story: a believable main character who is faced with a problem or conflict, mounting tension as that character tries to solve her problem and experiences setbacks, and a tension- filled climax followed by a resolution that’s satisfying to the character and the reader. If your main character is really your son, you might not want to get him in trouble or throw rocks in his path. But you have to. It’s the only way you’ll create a story that will keep readers hooked and wondering how it will end.
Speaking of endings, if the resolution of your story comes too easily, it’s probably obvious and predictable. Try mixing up real life and have the situation evolve in a different direction. Surprise yourself, and you’ll surprise an editor.
However you get your idea, focus first on whether it’s a plot or a theme. Many times, an initial idea is really the underlying meaning of the story, what the author wants to convey to the reader. Themes should be universal in their appeal– such as friendship, appreciating one’s own strengths, not judging others too quickly. Then play around with the sequence of events until you develop a plot (what actually happens in the book) that makes this theme clear to the reader. And remember; if you’re using a childhood incident as the foundation of your story, tell it from your childhood viewpoint, not how it feels to you now as an adult.
Ideas for Nonfiction
Your nonfiction book should be based on something you’re truly interested in and passionate about. After all, you’ll be living with this idea for many months. The key to successful nonfiction is to take your idea and approach it in a way that no one else has ever done before. This means doing most of your research before you begin to write. Don’t settle for the most easily-found information on your topic–your readers have probably read the same information. Keep digging until you find an aspect to your subject that strikes you as unique. Then search through the library and book stores to make sure no one else has already beat you to it.
For a nonfiction idea to become a book, you need enough information to fill the number of pages necessary, depending on the age group for which you plan to write. Younger children need a foundation of basic facts, but you can also get fairly detailed within the scope of the approach you’ve chosen as long as you explain concepts in a simple and straightforward manner (how animals hibernate, why insects are different colors). Older readers can draw on a broader foundation of knowledge, and infer connections between your topic and related subjects. A detailed outline of any nonfiction book is essential to help you see if your idea has enough substance and originality, or if you need further research before you begin writing.
Whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, your idea should mean something to you, but also have the potential to mean a lot to your readers. Think it through, add to it, take the nonessential elements away, and make sure it has a beginning, middle and end. Only then will your “idea” turn into “an idea for a book.”
Watch the video related to children books
Help answer the question about children books
children books?What ages do you think bernstein bear books would be good for? My friend is about to graduate from college and is going to be a teacher for grades 1-6….i know she likes those books so i was going to get a bunch of them for her as a graduation gift but she doesnt know what grade she is going to be teaching yet. Shes trying to get either 1st, 2nd, or 3rd. I know that 6th grade is to old for them. So how old are kids before they get past the bernstein bears?
About Author
Laura Backes is the publisher of Children’s Book Insider, the Newsletter for Children’s Writers. For more information about writing children’s books, including free articles, market tips, insider secrets and much more, visit Children’s Book Insider’s home on the web at http://write4kids.com Copyright 2006, Children’s Book Insider, LLC
August 3rd, 2002 at 11:13 am
it’s almost like a photo
great painting 
August 3rd, 2002 at 11:19 am
dude, you own! this looks identical to a photograph
August 3rd, 2002 at 11:06 am
I read a good portion of this, but not all. It seems to me that you are writing about some things you don't know, like four-year old girls (any children around that age), and motels, and perhaps time.
Examples: children that age aren't 'lazy' or 'lying around a lot.' Not at all. Also, there is no way a four-year old could have been in all those different places and even remember them enough for you to write something like 'she didn't want to live somewhere for a whole year.' Kendra would barely know what a whole year feels like.
Also: there are lots of extra 'y' s on words (especially the word 'the'), and you first refer to Eliza's eyebrows as raising 'my single eyebrow'… (see how that sounds?)
And when you mention Kendra's new friend as having something to do with killing, I thought Kendra's mother killed her, not the conclusion your character makes.
And if a motel room is on the third floor, it will not have a number that starts with '1,' nor have I ever heard of any motel or hotel door having a 'cat door' in it. And why does this one?
RE: dreams, staying awake, people to search for or not… The part about each person dreaming the other's life has been almost done in, in movies at least, most recently by one which stars Emma Thompson and Will Farrell, though she is a writer writing his life.
Suggest you stick with things you know, at least in details.
Keep trying… keep practicing, and keep reading.
August 3rd, 2002 at 11:59 am
August 4th, 2002 at 1:23 am
awesome stuff man,….ama practice hard to get to yo level!
August 3rd, 2002 at 6:57 pm
I think it's really good! the idea is actually great! Your imagery totally caught me. I want to read more now! That would be like a great prolouge, then you could start the book. It would really catch me. Sounds like you're doing good!
August 4th, 2002 at 6:30 pm
wich program he is for doing this ? beside a tablet ofc
August 4th, 2002 at 10:56 pm
Preface: The first thing that I noticed with your preface was that you continually say "thing". It's not the repetitiveness that bothers me. Usually, you're going to want to stay away from using the word "thing". It leads readers to believe that you don't know what you're describing. This doesn't mean that your character has to describe it in full, either. It can remain mysterious. So maybe describe it as a moving shadow, or the darkly clothed figure, or a shifting form. I really like the end of of your preface though. The dream stepping into reality. That was a good line.
Chapter: First off, avoid doing the ?!?!?!!?! thing. It looks unprofessional. Stick with the traditional question mark. The "yelled" description will give the readers the same effect as the exclamation point. And obviously you're yelling to someone in particular. You wouldn't just yell for people to be quiet if you weren't talking to a specific person or group of people. Also, maybe try to be a little more subtle with your introduction. I wouldn't come out with all the facts in one blunt sentence. Oh and when you do your introduction you are "talking" to the readers. You do this by saying "you" when you're not talking to another character. That's alright to do, just make sure it fits into your story smoothly.
One more thing would be to always spell out numbers. You don't want to say "5", you need to say "five". Unless you're talking about some ungodly number like 1,567,892 or the time. Then you can just write it out like that. You use the wrong "their/there/they're" sometimes as well. Like where you say: "There soul purpose…" It needs to be "Their".
There are just a few other small errors, but your grammar is great, which is often the challenge new writers face. So though there were some mistakes, this was much more pleasant reading than what I've seen before!
Keep working at it and good luck!
August 5th, 2002 at 11:47 am
i use photoshop
August 5th, 2002 at 11:55 am
HOLY CRAP! Comparing this to the original picture, they’re identical!
August 5th, 2002 at 6:04 pm
Awesome work Williamsshamir
Great video.
Much love Kat
August 5th, 2002 at 8:52 pm
A-W-E-S-O-M-E your works is very awesome! cool!!!! very good
August 6th, 2002 at 7:20 am
véiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, que difuu
August 6th, 2002 at 4:37 am
Supposing the story is of a young girl chasing fireflies; suddenly she becomes tired and sits down, she falls asleep and dreams she has been turned into a firefly. In her dream she is taken to the Queen of the Fireflies with their accusations that she was capturing the Queens servants. Seeing that this young girl, now firefly, is very pitiful, the queen decides to be clement and tells her loyal subjects to restore her to herself again. At that time, the young girl wakes up; thinking it was only a dream she starts home, but once she arrives, she notices the jar is empty i.e. no fireflies even though she had caught some. End with the young girl being bewildered and wondering if this really was a dream.
August 6th, 2002 at 8:59 am
hey
thanks for answerin mine
urs is awesome!
theres a lot of detailed description that isn't at all boring
its very hooking
a lot of interesting action
great adjectives and description
if this is the excerpt i'd like to read more!
keep writing
i'm sure this will be awesome
xx
August 6th, 2002 at 9:22 am
Aw, sounds like a sweet idea.
I'm looking into doing the same sort of thing for a design technology project, and my teacher said that my best bet was to go a printing store or publishers, and they help you put it together and make it look quite professional too
Also, try http://www.cafepress.com or http://www.mypublisher.com
Good luck!
August 6th, 2002 at 2:15 pm
Not good. It's full of spelling and grammatical errors and needs a lot of work.
Don't quit your job at McDonald's!
August 6th, 2002 at 10:34 pm
opinions on what dear?
In theory, you have just as much of a chance of being an author as the next person. It takes heart, a good story, and good writing skills. And a thick skin, as you'll be faced with many rejections before you get one acceptance.
Stick with it!