Writing for the Children's Book Market

Become a Published Writer
Every year about two thousand novice children's writers become successful authors. They see their names on a published children's book for the first time. Yet they are no different from you. They have no special talent, no natural gift, no literary flair. Their secret is the knowledge of what to write, how to write it, and how best to get it published.

All you need to know
It could take many years of bitter experience to gain the knowledge presented to you in the course. The choice is yours. You can learn from many mistakes and rejections or you can enrol for this specialised writing course. It tells you all you need to know and enables you to pack years of experience into a few months.

Designed and taught by experts
You will learn the easily mastered techniques used by professional writers for children. Your tutor will be a published author who will guide you every step of the way along the road to success.

Structured Units
The whole purpose of the course is to make you a successful children's writer. It is carefully structured in a series of ten fascinating and easy-to-understand units which make learning easy. You discover how to write for a specialised market and how to get your work published. You quickly learn writing techniques which you never knew existed. Before you realise it, you are writing professional children's stories.

What you Receive
The Writing for Children course has been produced as a result of over two years' thorough research into children's books. Written in an easy-to-read style, it contains up-to-date information, carefully structured to make learning easy.

SYNOPSIS OF THE COURSE

Unit 1
The Essence of Writing for Children
Qualities needed for a children's writer . Analysing your aims . How to structure your work . The importance of detail in your stories . Getting to know your readers . The role of your reading audience

Unit 2
Emotions, Themes and Plots
Getting your readers attention . Producing a desired response . The importance of the theme . How to produce variations in the plot . Writing towards a climax . How to give your plots originality

Unit 3
Plot Development
Where to get your ideas from . The need for imagination and observation . From rough outline to plot synopsis . A foolproof formula for successful plot development . How to write the opening . Continuing the action. How to deal with the ending

Unit 4
Characterisation
The importance of characters to your story . How to create realistic characters making characters come alive . How to deal with the hero . The role of the villain . How to use the minor characters . Telling the Story through the characters

Unit 5
Dialogue
Creating action and interest through dialogue . Using dialogue to develop characters. Dialogue as a way of opening . Dialogue for atmosphere . Emotions and humour through dialogue . Use of dialect and slang . How to set out dialogue

Unit 6
Writing for Young Children
The particular needs of younger readers . Getting down to their level . Choosing your subject matter . The use of illustrations . How to write the reading-aloud story . How to write to a word limit . How to write within a restricted vocabulary . Writing the first reading book

Unit 7
Writing Non-Fiction
The market for non-fiction . Giving an old topic an original slant . How to choose your subject . Researching your material . Planning your material . Finding a writing style to suit your topic

Unit 8
Special Areas of Writing
Writing a play- from idea to finished product . Writing the easy reader - special techniques to make your story appeal . Writing for the comic strips - method and layout . Writing the mystery story - how to create suspense

Unit 9
Publication
How to check your work . Preparing your manuscript for publication . The importance of studying your markets . How to deal with publishers . Proof reading . Contracts and Royalties . The rewards of being a published writer

Unit 10
Learn from the Experts
A study of what famous writers say about writing for children . Catherine Cookson . C.S. Lewis . J.R.R Tolkien . Rosemary Sutcliffe . John Rowe Townsend . Maurice Sendak . Aidan Chambers . Ivan Southall.