WRITING FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS

© Julie H. Ferguson 2012

Here are my keepers from Lois Peterson's excellent workshop, Fiction Writing for Children and Young Adults, held this past weekend. In no particular order:

•  There's no perfect kid's book - just do your best. Good timing, some luck, and a fresh idea all play their part, to say nothing of reaching a good acquisition editor who's looking.
• Kids love rhyme; publishers, not so much.
• Read hundreds of books in your category.
• Young adult fiction tackle tough subjects these days and many YAs are also read by adults.
• Kidlit is sold to adults and written for children.
• If you write for girls and your protagonist is a girl, be sure to have a boy alongside her in your story.
• Study boys as well as girls.
• Boys love dystopia and horror and publishers are looking for male protagonists.
• Stories/books do not emerge fully formed. They start with small germs (ideas).
• Lois provided us with a way to capture all these germs on a chart. Connect each germ with an emotion.
• Children's authors are scavengers - attuned to finding story germs.
• If you don't have kids in your life as a parent or grandparent, read children's magazines in the library to learn what is captivating/worrying them today.
• Once your story germ(s) are fleshed out, start writing and let your creativity flow without judgment.
• If you can't sell your picture book idea, sell it as a story in kids' magazines.
• Use several tools to enhance your storytelling. E.g. the Hero's Journey, three act structure, and Freytag's Triangle for escalating tension.



Image via Wikipedia

• Have a system for analysing your first draft and then revise, revise, revise. Lois offered her unique reverse outline, a method that she's developed. (Will work for any fiction.)

In the course of three hours, we learned much more than this. Other writers will have identified keepers other than mine - it all depends on where they are in their journey to publication.

Lois's blog is at http://lpwords.blogspot.com/

QUESTION: If you were at the workshop, what did you find most valuable?