Imagine you are a child who wants to read a book. What are the things that come into your mind? What do you want to read in a story? What do you expect as a result? There are many things that should be considered before sitting down and writing a children's book. The writer must always remember that he/she is writing not to please himself/herself but the writer is writing for other people.

Here are some suggested tips for writing children's books:

Consider the publisher.

Always bear in mind that you are not writing only for the children but you are writing to find a publisher to publish your book. Read about the publisher and the kind of works that it publishes. Before writing the book, always have a publisher in mind.

Read many children's books.

It is important for a writer to read children's books so that he/she will know what kind of books are good for the children. Children love books that transport them to another land. They want to read books that give them something that they cannot see in real life. Most children love fantasizing and they could only find that fulfillment when they read a book.

Offer something new.

While children's books are almost all the same, you as a writer can think of other variations to make the children enjoy the story more. Children love being entertained and they love finding out something new in the story. As a writer you must always provide something that the children will really be excited about.

Put your toes in the children's shoes.

You are the writer but when you are writing you must put yourself in the story. Pretend that you are the one portraying the character in the story and you will find out that what you wrote is something different and satisfactorily accomplished. A writer must always be part of the story whatever kind of story the writer is writing.

Use words that children could understand.

Children would be bored if they cannot understand what they are reading. Always put yourself in the children's place so that you can judge if the words you are using are appropriate for the age you are writing for.

Write stories that arouse the children's interest.

Children will not read stories that are boring. The characters must be active and always moving so that the children will enjoy following the characters. The way the characters act and react will determine how much the children could enjoy the story.

Be inspired when you write.

There is no such boring story as something written by a bored writer. The writer's mood always reflects in his/her work. This means that being a writer is not just writing a story but being inspired and alive so that the mood will show in the writer's work. When a writer writes a story that inspires him/her, the story will turn out to be a good piece.

Writing children's books must be taken as an inspiration and at the same time a challenge to the writer in order for the writer to write good children's books. It is said that whatever you do, whether it is writing, driving, cooking or any job, you must always put your heart in the job so that you will be able to accomplish the job efficiently. As a children's books writer you should have a heart for the children. You must love children. You must be able to identify yourself with them. More importantly, you as a writer must know what and who the children are.

Learn more about this author, Felisa Daskeo.
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