Guest Author - Lucinda Moriarty

You know you want to write for children, but you just don’t know where to begin. Here are a few tips to get you started in the right direction.

Read. If you want to write for children, you must read. If you don’t know what to read, visit the American Library Association website at www.ala.org and choose a few of the books honored with the Caldecott Medal or the Newbery Award. Also, ask your local librarian for recommendations. She can help you find great books and magazines that are most popular with today’s kids.

Besides reading children’s books and magazines, you should make time to read publications that are written for you, the writer. Pick up a copy of the Horn Book Magazine or an issue of Children’s Literature Association Quarterly. For the business of writing, there is Publisher’s Weekly, Writer’s Digest and The Writer.

Review. Start a list of the books you read and write a review about why you liked or disliked the book. This exercise only takes a few minutes of your time, but the benefit is long lasting. It will help you detect flaws that you will not want to repeat in your own stories, and it will expose you to many different writing styles and subject matter.

It will also assist in guiding you down the path that will work best for you as a beginning writer. For instance, if you can’t get enough of picture books but can’t make it through a single mid-grade novel, it becomes clear that you would be happier writing picture books. Bottom line: start by writing what you like to read.

Research. You know you love the internet – now use it to get your career rolling. Check out professional writing organizations like the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators at www.scbwi.org. Also, you can subscribe to free e-newsletters like Children’s Bookshelf offered by Publisher’s Weekly at www.publishersweekly.com

Register. If you are concerned about your skills as a writer, take a writing course. The Institute for Children’s Literature offers correspondence courses designed specifically for writers of children’s literature. Visit them at www.institutechildrenslit.com

If you feel more comfortable setting your own schedule, seek out one of the many “how to” books that are available.

‘Rite. Certainly a critical component for a writing career is to write. Set up a schedule. Hone your craft. See what you like about writing and what you dislike. It can be very solitary, but it can also be very rewarding.