All good children’s fiction contains basic elements around which the plot revolves. Though each story is different, there are certain “checkpoints” found in all novels. Paying close attention to these areas will help you pace the action of your story and keep the plot moving.

The beginning. Your story should start at the point in your character’s life where his or her everyday world changes. Don’t waste the first chapter describing your character or the setting of the book; most of that information won’t be necessary to the story, and if it is it can be worked in later. Begin the book with action or dialogue.

The first chapter. By the end of the first chapter, your readers should know something about your main character and what problem, or conflict, that character will be facing in the book. In middle grade and young adult novels the conflict sometimes changes during the course of the story, but the first conflict (that pulls the character out of his everyday world) should be evident early on. Your readers must know enough at this point to believe the conflict is valid and to care about the character.

Chapter endings. If chapters end in the middle of a scene, your reader will want to turn the page and see what happens next. This is especially true with chapter books for readers ages 7-10. Ending a chapter with action or dialogue helps to keep the momentum of the story going.

The story’s climax. The climax of the book, when your main character comes face-to-face with the conflict, should be a natural outcome of everything that’s happened up to this point. Too many beginning writers draw out the climax, diluting its impact. Ideally, the climax is contained within a scene, or a chapter at the most. The height of the climax, like the peak of a roller coaster, occurs at the end of a chapter.

The story’s resolution. The resolution must be brought about by the main character. It occurs directly after the plot’s climax, and is also contained within a chapter. The resolution must be believable and, ideally, a surprise to the reader.

The ending. The story ends soon after the resolution has been reached. Often the resolution occurs in the last chapter, with only a few paragraphs that follow showing how life returned to normal for your character. Padding the ending is a common mistake with beginning writers; the resolution itself should be a satisfying conclusion to the book, and anything extra will simply take away from all that’s gone before.

Other points to consider. Is the point of view consistent throughout the book? Does one character emerge as the focus of the story? Too often, two or three characters are vying for the reader’s attention, especially in chapter books. And finally, is the conflict important or intriguing enough for your readers to want to see how the story turns out? When in doubt, make the conflict bigger rather than smaller. Remember, you’re asking your readers to invest time and energy in your book. Give them a problem they’ll care about, and they’ll gladly oblige.

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!

One of my favorite bits of wisdom found in William Least Heat-Moon’s Blue Highways: A Journey into America (including the first line: Beware thoughts that come in the night.) is contained in an exchange Heat-Moon had with a man he met in Tennessee. The man asked him, “Where you headed from here?” Heat-Moon replied, “I don’t know.” Grinning, the man pronounced, “Cain’t get lost then.”

There’s something incredibly liberating about not knowing where you’re going. We rarely have this freedom in our daily lives. We have to plan the next project for work, or whose turn it is to drive the kids to school, or what we need to pick up at the grocery store for dinner. So when we have the opportunity to actually let go and float with the current, we should take it. For writers of children’s fiction, it’s essential to embrace the unplotted course.

I can’t count how many manuscripts I’ve read where it’s very clear that the writers began with the ending. They knew where they wanted to end up; the lesson they wanted to teach, or the message they needed to convey. Then they worked backwards, manipulating their characters and plots to arrive at preconceived destinations. This always — always! — results in stories that are heavy-handed, contrived, and often don’t make sense.

Instead, I suggest to these writers that they start with their protagonist, and brainstorm from there. Ask “What if?” What if this character reacted to the problem differently. What if another character worked against him. What if you flipped some character traits, from confident to shy, from bookish to musically gifted, from being a football player to a skateboarder. Where might you end up?

Some authors can’t let go of their ending. It’s too scary, not knowing where they’re headed. They need assurance that their work will have a purpose before they invest the time and effort to write it. What if they try a new direction and it doesn’t pan out? Then they’ll have to start all over again. Or (and this is really scary for some authors), what if they embrace a new direction, and the whole meaning of their book changes? Instead of teaching kids that everyone should be valued for their special talents, their book might evolve into a story about not taking life too seriously. And that’s not the message they want kids to hear.

Sadly, these writers probably won’t get published. To them, the theme is more important than the plot. The message more important than the story. The destination takes precedence over the journey. What they don’t understand is that when a child opens a book, it’s the journey he’s looking forward to. The ending has to be good, but getting there must be great.

Magical, unforgettable journeys aren’t always planned. Sometimes they happen by accident. If you have the heart and soul of a writer, this shouldn’t scare you. In fact, it’s exciting. If you’re open to working a long time on your protagonist, so you know this character inside and out and he has many facets to his personality, then at some point the protagonist takes over. He’ll show you where the story needs to go. If you’re comfortable with brainstorming and actually putting any idea that pops into your head down on paper without editing, you’ll make subconscious connections between ideas that you didn’t even know you had. And if you’re committed to story, not message, you could end up with a book that’s bigger than anything you ever imagined.

We often talk about the structure of fiction: a character who has a problem to solve, a catalyst that gets the plot moving, an ending that resolves the problem in a believable way. These techniques are still a vital part of writing, but don’t worry about them until you know exactly who your protagonist is and what that character needs. If you try to think of a catalyst before you know what your character wants, you can’t possibly put that character in a situation that drastically effects his life. Wander around and explore your options before you worry about your story’s foundation. Let yourself get lost before you find the perfect place to settle down.

What about nonfiction? Surely you need to know where you’re going when you’re writing factual material, right? In this case, you probably will know where you have to end up; what topic you’re going to explore, or what points you want to make. But how you get there is still up for grabs. Do you want to write about medieval life from a humorous perspective, with short bursts of information interspersed with jokes, trivia and quizzes? How about a day in the life of a 12-year-old peasant? Maybe a collection of recipes for everything from celebratory feasts to common dinners to medicinal concoctions? As you’re researching, keep an open mind. You may stumble across a gem that completely changes the direction of your book for the better. Or, you’ll amass so much material that you’ll have a book and five articles, all with a different focus.

One of the perks of writing for children is that your options are endless. Getting there is half the fun. As long as you’re open to infinite possibilities, you’ll never lose your way.

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!