I think I get a lot of submissions from writers who don’t read many modern children’s books… I could never be entirely sure, of course, but it’s my gut feeling. I’m not unkind to these submissions, and often all they need is a good edit and a re-work to tidy them up a bit. Still, the reality is these pieces are pushed aside for the more polished and refined ones. The ones that have done the homework already. If you feel like this might be you, if you feel like perhaps you have sent Northern Gravy a children’s story without really having read a children’s book lately (one published in the last 5 years), then this is the article for you.
Firstly, it goes without saying that if you want to write for children today you need to read current children’s books. That’s not to say there isn’t a lot to learn from the likes of Sendak, Carroll, Lewis or Tolkien (yes, The Hobbit was a children’s book. I’m dying on that hill) but we all naturally write in a mashed up style of books we’ve taken in over the years. If your last experience of a children’s book is old, it will inevitably make your writing for children outdated. Whether we like it or not, the game was entirely changed when Harry Potter came out, and since then, coupled with a world in which it’s very difficult to pull children away from a screen, keeping the attention of our readers is more important than ever. You can achieve this in part with plot, but you will enhance your writing further with attention grabbing structure.
Recent recommended reading:
This is not an exhaustive list, or even a list of my favourite recent books, but reading and dissecting these books as a children’s writer will help you discover the structure of contemporary commercial series publishing.
- Any of the “Skandar” series by A.F Steadman.
- Any of the “Morrigan Crow” series by Jessica Townsend.
- Any of the “Amari” series by B.B Alston.
- Any of the “Orphans of the Tide” series by Struan Murray.
- The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty (and probably the rest of the series when it comes out).
So, let’s talk paragraphs. This has been covered many times by writers, but the quote that stuck with me was by A.P Winter when he said, “paragraphs aren’t after thoughts, they aren’t something you put in when you’ve finished typing to make it look presentable.” Paragraphs are the core that keeps the attention of the reader and they produce the beats for them to follow, particularly when writing for a younger audience. Where do I think they are most important?
- Action scenes
- To create a purpose within your story
- To provide clarity
- To adjust the pace of the story
Paragraphs make writing palatable. Long drawn out prose is unlikely to cut it when writing for younger readers. You need to find the natural breaks for breath, establishing mini events as you go. The good news is, you don’t need to figure out how to do it yourself… you can do it by READING CHILDREN’S BOOKS.
Let’s look at some examples:
Nevermoor – The kitchen cat was dead, and Morrigan was to blame.
Skandar and the Unicorn Thief – Skandar Smith stared at the unicorn poster opposite his bed. It was light enough outside now to see the unicorn’s wings outstretched mid-flight: shining silver armour covering most of his body, exposing only his wild red eyes, an enormous jaw and a sharp grey horn. New-Age Frost had been Skandar’s favourite unicorn ever since his rider, Aspen McGrath, had qualified for the Chaos Cup three years ago. And Skandar thought that today – in this year’s race- they just might have a chance of winning.
Orphans of the tide – The City was built on a sharp mountain that jutted improbably from the sea, and the sea kept trying to claim it back. When the tide rose, it swallowed up the City’s lower streets. When the tide fell, it spat them back out again, but left it’s mark. Fresh mussel clung to windowsills. Fish flailed on the cobblestones. That grey morning, once the tide had retreated, a whale was found on a rooftop.
As you read on you will discover, more or less, the following:
- All of these move on to the next paragraph before it gets boring.
- You’ll notice that the first few paragraphs amount to a similar number of words. There will usually be no more than 3 paragraphs before dialogue kicks in.
- They all set the scene right away.
- Something is happening, or some sort of interest has been set up right from the off.
- Most have a prologue, which is completely acceptable for Middle Grade no matter what Google tells you.
- The sentences are short, they are not overly complicated and they give us something to imagine.
- They are not dull. They are BIG ideas or moments. First sentences matter.
As you go further into these stories, you’ll find they hold up well. The paragraphs move on before the premise becomes dull, they break after each little apex/interesting points within the story. Nothing lingers without purpose. Scenes end on cliff hanger after cliff hanger. They have pace, unless there is a need to slow down to get the point of the plot across, or to explain (usually with dialogue) a pivotal part of the story.
This is not a simple way of writing, and it’s not easy, putting across big ideas to young minds takes skill. But if you want to write for young minds you should be aware of it. I’ve no doubt that during the edit of these books, lots of things were cut when the editor felt paragraphs were going too long or new and interesting topics didn’t occur in good time. Action, dialogue and images are key.
If I can give you one piece of advice before I bore the pants of anyone who has made it this far, it’s that you need to focus on keeping things interesting, and keeping the attention of the reader. It isn’t about you, the writer, you have to keep the reader in mind. Maybe your character is going to the market, anyone who read Middle Grade knows writers love a good market place, but how do you keep this seemingly simple premise interesting? You create tiny moments of interest, varied moments of problems, emotions, choices, and dangers in a clear and interesting way.
Happy reading.
Jonny
