Here are two writing exercises we really like.  They’re both excerpted from our acclaimed guide for beginning children’s writers, Career Starter:

IMPROVE YOUR USE OF POINT OF VIEW & VOICE:

This is a really fun one:  Take a famous story you know well, and rewrite it in first person from the point of view of one of the lesser known characters.  What would the story of Cinderella be like if told through the eyes of an evil stepsister?   Or try re-telling the story of Snow White using each of the Seven Dwarves as the narrator.  Would Dopey and Grumpy see things the same way?  Match the narrator’s sensibility — angry, jealous, scared, joyful, indifferent — with the tone you use.

IMPROVE YOUR CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS:

Describe a child through the objects in his or her bedroom. You can do this two ways: either by showing the child in the room (and told in first or third person), or by having another character look through the room while the child isn’t there. Try to give a sense of the child’s physical characteristics from his or her possessions.   It’s tempting when creating characters to fall back on stereotypes (the jock, the cheerleader, the brain). To break this trap, try starting with a stereotype, and adding a few objects in the room the reader won’t expect  — perhaps the jock still has his favorite childhood stuffed animals, the cheerleader displays a set of philosophy books and the brain owns a bag full of ice hockey gear.

For more information about the Career Starter beginner’s guide, go to http://write4kids.com/starter.html

For much more great information about writing children’s books, stop by the CBI Clubhouse, our new community for writers that’s packed with audio, video, articles, inside writing tips and much more.  We’re at http://cbiclubhouse.com.