Children’s Writing Web Journal

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When we write fiction, we see the story in our mind long before it’s down on paper. We know why our characters are acting the way they do because we are familiar with their past and in control of their future. We understand the significance of every event in the plot. But sometimes we forget to tell our readers.

Successful fiction is dependent on a logical progression of cause and effect. In real life nothing happens in a vacuum; feelings are a response to an event, action is followed by reaction. The same is true in fiction. Three areas where cause and effect are most important are in the presentation of the main character, the structure of the plot, and the story’s resolution. (more…)

Picture books aren’t read, they’re performed. The very act of reading a story out loud to a child forces the reader to add inflection, dramatic pauses, and even ad-lib some commentary. Where the pages are turned can add (or detract) as much from the experience as the quality of the story itself.

Picture books are almost always 32 pages long. There is no mysterious artistic reason for this; it’s simply how the printing presses work. If the book is longer, it will go up in 8-page increments, but most publishers don’t care to spend this added cost on new authors. The 32 pages includes the endpages (the white or decorated pages at the beginning and end of the book), the title page, and the copyright/dedication page. So the author has an average of 26 pages to tell the story. In general, the first page of text is a righthand page, and the last page of text is on the left. Once you’ve written your story, it’s useful to break the text into 26 sections, type each section on a separate piece of paper, and staple those pages together like a book. Now read your story as you turn the pages. Does each spread (two facing pages) encompass a different scene from those before and after? Are your characters doing something the illustrator can draw? Finally, is there a reason your r! eaders will want to turn the page to see what comes next?

Talented picture book writers consider pacing when they’re revising their texts. Here are four page-turning methods that work: (more…)

A remarkable — and free — event is coming June 6 for those in the New York area.  The New York Institute for the Humanities is holding an all-day symposium called Post Bang: Comics Ten Minutes After the Big Bang to explore the growing cultural significance of comics.  The entire day looks great but the highlight for children’s lit fans will be the COMICS AND KID’S LIT panel, set to feature Lisa von Drasek (Bank Street College), Leonard Marcus (Minders of Make Believe), Francoise Mouly (The New Yorker), Mo Willems (Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!), and Sara Varon (Sweaterweather).

Check out all the details at

http://nyih.as.nyu.edu/object/nyih.postbangcomics.html

Children love rhyme. The rhythm of the text, the way the words bounce off the tongue can be especially appealing to young children who are mastering language and reading. There are two vehicles for verse in the children’s market: poetry and rhyming stories. Both have special guidelines.

Rhyming Stories. Often at writers’ conferences editors will say they don’t like stories with rhyming text. That’s not exactly true — rhyming stories are published all the time. What these editors are really objecting to is bad rhyming text. Too many writers try to copy Dr. Seuss, the master of the rhymed story. They imitate the form of his work but not the substance. The rhyme is a vehicle to tell the story, not the other way around. It must still follow all the rules of a good picture book: a strong opening, believable characters, an interesting plot, a satisfying ending. Every word must advance the story - you can’t throw in extra phrases simply to complete the rhyme. Consider the opening lines of The Cat in the Hat. In eight short lines Dr. Seuss establishes setting, mood and conflict. Few books written in prose do so much with so little. (more…)

Our little company was born 18 years ago in a Jersey City apartment, and, against all odds, it’s paid our mortgage, put food in our dog’s dishes and baseball cards in our son’s pockets.  If we’ve learned anything about building a business during this time, it’s this:

I didn’t always buy into that notion.  When we first put our website up (way back in 1995) it seemed crazy to give away so much information and I had to be dragged along kicking and screaming.  But, wow, I’m sure glad I got on board.  Since that time, we’ve given away a lot of stuff, asking only goodwill in return.  I have no doubt it’s one of the big reasons CBI is where it is today.   If you’re struggling to make it as a writer, I urge you to consider a similar path.  Give of your talents, help others who need it and be a mentor — and the big wheel o’ karma will surely spin your way.

Right.  Time to get off the soapbox and give you what you came for — free stuff!  We’ve got all kinds of goodies scattered around the web site and they can be tough to find.  I bet, for example, you didn’t know that we have a free ebook called Robert Louis Stevenson on the Art of Writing. It’s really an outstanding read and it’s waiting for you, along with a bunch of other things that won’t cost you a dime.

Here’s where to go to browse and take:  http://write4kids.com/freestuff.html

Enjoy!

 Admit it , you’ve made some of these grammar mistakes. Lord knows I have….

http://insight.zdnet.co.uk/0,39020415,39273376,00.htm