Children’s Writing Web Journal

Editors are sometimes too polite to tell writers what they need to hear.  So we’ll do the job for them!

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Interested in learning how to write a book and send it to children’s book publishers? Come on over to The CBI Clubhouse for audios, videos, insider writing tips and much, much more!

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.

Happy Monday! We start your week off with a cool selection of posts from the Kidlitosphere.

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Motherreader: Holidays Around the World

Drenched in Words:Authorial Intrusion - S.A. Bodeen

Help Me With My Book:Let’s have us a vigorously mindful Monday

The Paper Wait: How Many Times Can I Revise 500 Words?

Writer Beware:Publishing’s Week of Gloom

Some mid-week goodness for you, and a very eclectic bunch of blog posts indeed.

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Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent  Will Write for Food

piccalilli  The Journey Continues…Book #3

Abby (the) Librarian  Twelve Days of Giving: Books for Babies and Toddlers

Book Dads  Pick of the Literate

mama needs a book contract  Can you step back from your online life?

Happy December!

Back with more great posts from around the blogosphere.  If you’re enjoying these videos, please spread the word.  Click here and tell some folks.  Also, sign up to follow us on Twitter and you’ll get instant notice when each new video is posted.  Our twitter address is http://twitter.com/jonbard

Big A little a:  Interview with Judy Blume

Jen Robinson’s Book page: Children’s Literacy Round-Up: December 1

Publisher’s Weekly: Children’s Book Reviews

The Swivet: Why you shouldn’t panic about the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt buying freeze.

It’s Wednesday and time for more great blog posts!

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Now, here’s the video (if you have any trouble playing it, go directly to the Youtube page).

Finding Wonderland: The WritingYA Weblog:  The WBBT, Day Two: D.M. Cornish

Class of 2K8: The Perks of Being a Librarian

Bees Knees Reads: Cowboy Andy

Vintage Kids’ Books My Kid Loves: The King, the Mice and the Cheese

Miss Erin: WBBT Interview: Tony DiTerlizzi

It’s Tuesday, and time for another great batch of blog posts from the world of children’s books!

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Now, here’s the video (if you have any trouble playing it, go directly to the Youtube page).

Kidlit Central News: Meet and Greet Monday: Laura Manivong

I’m Here. I’m Queer. What the Hell Do I read?  What Do You Do When You Don’t See Things The Way Your Parents Do?

Bookie Woogie: Review #3: “Little Hoot” and “Little Pea”

Chasing Ray:  Winter Blog Blast Tour Schedule

A Fuse #8 Production: WBBT Interview - Louis Sachar!

Happy Monday, everyone. We’re back at you with four great posts today — and the video quality is officially new and improved!

Thanks again for all the great feedback. If you’re enjoying these videos, please spread the word. Also, sign up to follow us on Twitter and you’ll get instant notice when each new video is posted! Our twitter address is http://twitter.com/jonbard

Now, here’s the video (if you have any trouble playing it, go directly to the Youtube page):

Direct Links to posts:

Editorial Anonymous: How Many Legs in “Buffalo”?

Patrick Rothfuss: Heifer Fundraiser: More Prizes, More Questions

Suzanne Young: How to Impress a Girl

Just One More Book: A Roving Rover: Owney the Mail-Pouch Pooch

Back again with a fresh set of posts.  And we have some history — our very first repeat blog!  Yes, wow-Women on Writing is just that good. 

Also, many thanks for the kind notes.  Laura and I are so glad that folks are enjoying these videos so much.  It’s really our pleasure to give such excellent blogs the exposure they deserve, and we’re grateful that so many of you have taken the time to let us know that you’re benefiting from our efforts.

Now, here’s the video:

How Publishing Is Like Fashion Or What I Learned from Daniel Vosovic…

Tuesday Memory Challenge

When Writing For Children. . .

The Secret Life of Bees Movie/Book Comparison

Back again with more terrific blog postings for you. There are clickable links to each of today’s featured posts below the video.

The Way We Were?

How to Break Through Mental Barriers

Five Favorite Fictional Rooms From Children’s Literature