Are you drawn to Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Dork Diaries?  Do you enjoy reliving the angst of the middle school years? In recent years, writers for tweens have developed a new genre: the cartoon novel (which is usually written in diary form). Young readers feel like they’re reading a notebook or diary that is illustrated with cartoon sketches. So, have you ever considered writing a cartoon novel? Why not give it a try?  Here are a few tips:

1. Find an interesting premise. You’ll need an interesting idea to draw readers in.  Before you begin writing, think about the storyline.  What will your cartoon novel be about?  Why will it stand out in the crowd?

2. Find a compelling voice.  Cartoon novels are usually written in the first-person narration, and they are generally marketed to the 8-12 group.  When you read cartoon novels, you'll see why young readers fall in love with Greg Heffley from the very first lines, "First of all, let me get something straight.  This is a JOURNAL, not a diary."

3. Read the first lines of cartoon novels. The voices of main characters emerge quickly and boldly on the page. For instance, Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl opens with the following line, “I can’t believe this is happening to me! I’m in the girls’ bathroom FREAKING OUT! There’s no way I’m going to survive middle school.” Young readers are immediately thrown into the angst and frustration of the character’s life; the author establishes the voice, setting, and situation in the first lines of the book. Can you draw readers in this quickly? Or should you appeal to readers with a less dramatic approach? Make a decision and start writing.

4. Try writing in your character's voice.  Whether you are describing the horrors of fifth grade or surviving high school as a zombie, you need to write with gripping, believable details.  Start writing a daily entry in this voice.  Can you pull it off?  Now, compare your journal entry to Dork Diaries and Big Nate: In a Class By Himself.  Does your voice compare?  Are you able to pull off this format?  Consider buying a diary and writing in it directly instead of typing the entries.  Remember, you want to feel like you’re in the character’s skin.

5. Invent a catchy, appealing title.  Cartoon novels usually have fun titles like Wonkenstein: The Creature from My Closet and Tales from a Sixth-Grade Muppet.  Don't make your title too long or complicated.  Experiment with a few possibilities, and consider how your book will be marketed to the general public.

6. Draw a few cartoons.  With a few diary entries under your belt, you need a nifty drawing style.  If you can only draw stick figures, you’re better off submitting the manuscript without illustrations.  Finding your inner artist isn't easy; the illustrations need to work with the tone and landscape of the story. Draw something funny!

7. Read cartoon novels.  Before trying your hand at this genre, read some of the books kids love.  My Life as a Book, Dork Diaries, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid are particularly popular.  Is your idea original enough to compete with these hits?  Consider whether it is essential to write your story as a cartoon novel.  Study these books carefully, and you'll see that humor and compelling characters are the backbone of a good cartoon novel.

7. Start writing your book.  Once you've developed a voice and premise, it's time to dive in.  Whether you are drawing readers in with a personal crisis (Dork Diaries), the day-to-day experiences of a wimpy kid (Diary of a Wimpy Kid), or an unconventional storyline (Wonkenstein: The Creature from My Closet), you need to get the ball rolling.  Create an authentic voice, and you'll win the hearts of young readers forever.

8. Ask young readers to look at your text.  Sometimes the toughest critic is a 10 year old, so ask kids if you've hit the mark – or missed entirely. Edit and revise.

Now continue writing. Have fun drawing pictures and writing text. Whether you are describing the antics of a fifth grade werewolf or the anxiety of a young vampire, have fun telling your story. If you are lucky enough to get your book published, you’ll be able to tell people (at the next cocktail party you attend) that you write cartoon novels for a living. What could be better?

Dr. Suzanna E. Henshon teaches full-time at Florida Gulf Coast University.  She is the author of several books for young adults, including Mildew on the Wall (2004) and Spiders on the Ceiling (2006).

Acclaimed children's book authors Maurice Sendak, Dr. Seuss, and Shel Silverstein all have new books coming out this month (and yes, Seuss and Silverstein have passed away, making their new offerings even more magical than usual). But these three publishing powerhouses have something else in common; they helped children's books evolve from lesson-driven stories that modeled perfect behavior to tales that entertain and celebrate all messy, wild and self-absorbed aspects of childhood. In short, they were subversive, offering a window into the world that kids knew existed and grown-ups hoped to ignore. The Children's Authors Who Broke the Rules from The New York Times is a great article that celebrates these three game-changers, who thankfully paved the way for the books we have today.

What are the qualities that cause some books to become classics, and others just beloved for one generation? This is the topic of a recent post on the blog for Lemuria Bookstore in Jackson, MS. To me, a classic infiltrates the consciousness of a culture in a way that it becomes a common reference. The other day, I referred to boisterous twins in a coffee shop as Thing One and Thing Two, and my friend immediately channeled Dr. Seuss. But classics also have to be timeless enough that they're kept alive and passed down to each new group of readers. Some wonderful books are such a product of their time that they're only meant to exist for 10 years or so, and then disappear. And that's fine too.

What are your favorite classics?

Here's yet another innovative way authors are using the Internet to explore their writing and connect with their readers. Dear Teen Me is a blog featuring published and unpublished young adult authors writing letters to their former teenage selves. The posts — some funny, some poignant — show how the details of teen life may have changed, but the angst remains the same. The blog is dedicated to modern teen readers, but it's also a treasure trove for aspiring authors wanting to reconnect with their adolescent voices. Check it out.

Publishing can be a dog-eat-dog world (or, as one editor once said, bunny-eat-bunny). It's not a place for the fainthearted–if you want a spot on a publisher's list, you have to be willing to stand up and fight.

I'm exaggerating, of course (just a bit, anyway). But young adult writer Frankie Diane Mallis took this attitude to heart when she went after landing her dream agent. She outlines her attack in four stages (Training, Weapons, Battle Plan, Winning the War) in her article on the Guide to Literary Agents blog. No, she's not dangerous, just very determined. And her plan worked, so maybe it will work for you too.

I was recently reminded that the simplest writing tips still bring the best results. I stumbled across a blog by Carolyn Jess-Cooke, an Irish writer living in England whose first adult novel, The Guardian Angel's Journal, was just published in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. I was impressed by how this young writer relies on tried-and-true techniques for getting the juices flowing. Her blog post "How You Are Being Massively Productive by Doing Absolutely Nothing" shows us that creativity occurs in the moments when we least expect it. Her article "How 1 Dollar Could Make You a Bestselling Author" on the Guide to Literary Agents blog underscores the age-old writing practice of keeping a notebook available at all times to capture those fleeting inspirations. In a high-tech world, it's nice to remember that low-tech still works.

What do Dr. Seuss, Maurice Sendak, Margaret Wise Brown and Beatrix Potter all have in common? Other than being beloved authors and household names, none had children of their own. And yet that didn't stop them from creating books that children have cherished for generations.

There's a difference between having a child, and having a childlike sensibility. Simply being a parent doesn't mean you can effectively tell a story from a child's point of view. Sure, having kids can help, and if you're paying attention you'll gain valuable insight into their world. But I've read lots of manuscripts by parents and grandparents who feel it's their job to teach a lesson to the world's young ones (and their own offspring in particular, who simply won't listen when it's time to turn off the TV and do their homework). Not to mention that they have to work all five of their children's names into the book, as well as the family dog.

Personal stories don't always make for fiction that's universally appealing. There are plenty of gifted writers with loads of children, and I hope their kids appreciate the great stories Mom and Dad are telling them. But having kids doesn't necessarily give you any special writer-powers. And if you're not basing your story on your child, then you're free to change the character, send the plot in a new direction, and use every bit of your imagination. If you can do all that and be a parent too, good for you. But if you're using your childless status as an excuse for not getting published, you'll have to scratch that one off your list.

What do you think?

Have you ever looked at a shelf full of vampire novels and wondered, "Is this a trend, or is the lure of the sexy, fanged love interest here for good?" Middle grade author Laura Toffler-Corrie deftly defines the difference between a trend and a writing style in her article "Examining Trends vs. Style in Children's Books" on the Guide to Literary Agents blog. She also advises ignoring the former and following the latter, especially for new authors. Check it out.

Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers is someone who truly gets it.  Rather than run from the future, he's embracing it — and he's got some great advice for writers who want to succeed in this changing landscape.

He recently sat down for a fascinating interview with David Siteman Garland on his web show Rise to the Top.  It's well worth your time, as it's filled with tremendous insights and encouraging words.

Some examples:

• On his outlook for the future: "This is the best possible time to be in the publishing business"
• On why social media makes it easier to find readers and buyers "Now, you can know who they (your readers) are, you can connect with them directly.  It's unfiltered and, best of all, it's mostly free."
• On e-books vs. printed books:  "I'm format agnostic. I just want to get the content to the most people."
• On what he looks for in new authors:  "After content, I look for the authors 'platform'"   (He's referring to the author's reach through blogging, Twitter, Facebook, e-mail lists, etc.   That's important to know — publishers will look kindly on authors who can reach buyers quickly and in large numbers.)
• On his philosophy: "Change is inevitable.  You can lean into it or lean away from it."  Needless to say, he's a big fan of leaning into it!

Watch the interview here:  http://blog.therisetothetop.com/2011/01/michael-hyatt-on-the-future-of-publishing-publishers/

If you've been thinking about subscribing to Children's Book Insider, The Newsletter for Children's Writers, joining the Fightin' Bookworms of the CBI Clubhouse and getting your hands on all the children's writing goodies we offer, your big moment has arrived!

For one week only, we're making public  a special private offer we recently made.  It's as good a deal as we've ever offered.  How good?  How about more than half off the total value of the package!

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• Full access to the CBI Clubhouse (http://cbiclubhouse.com), loaded with audio, video, ebooks, articles, message boards and much more.

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