Your Guide to Writing Children's Books For Beginners

Writing children's books can be especially rewarding because it is often a way to give back to the next generation and allows the author to enter a world of imagination. Every word and picture can also leave a permanent impression on young minds in this place. Whether you're a seasoned author or a beginner, this guide will walk you through the essential steps to create a children's book that resonates with your target audience.

Here is how to write children’s books:

Who Are You Writing For?

Even though we’ve established that we want to write children’s literature, this genre itself has a variety of styles and themes that appeal to different ages.

For example, writing for toddlers would require fewer words and more pictures—anything the parent can use to teach word-image association or how to say words and learn their meaning.

In their early teens, older children can understand more complex storylines and plots. Decide the age group you wish to target so that you can tailor your work to the audience’s expectations and abilities.

This will help you develop appropriate ideas for your work, as we will discuss in the next point.

Choose Your Theme

One of the most critical steps concerning writing, in general, is to choose the theme that will be the central concern of your work.

Knowing ahead of time what you want to write about will help make the writing process more streamlined and consistent.

Is it an alphabet book for toddlers?

Is it a cute story about a child and his pet told with pictures?

Is it a novel about a child going to boarding school for the first time?

Setting the scene is important – whatever your target audience is. There must be an idea behind the book that makes the work purposeful and exciting.

Some children’s book themes include:

• Dealing with loss and grief

• New changes

• Stranger danger

• Learning concepts (alphabets, numbers, etc.)

• Dealing with bullying

• Accepting differences

• Practical skills

• Religious guides

There’s plenty more, but this will give you an idea of what kind of subject matter you can tackle. 

Partner with an Illustrator

Unless you are writing novels for teenagers, it is always important to have illustrations in the literature for younger children.

Some authors even choose to have illustrations interspersed with the general text of the books. If you can illustrate your book, that’s even better!

Ensure that the business decisions and contracts you enter with the illustrator are mutually beneficial and do not leave room for any negative consequences.

Make a Plan

Everyone has different ways of building story structures.

Mind maps, for example, are a great tool to help writers connect the various parts of their book in a visually appealing manner. Something as simple as a list of what you want your book to be about will help you organize your process.

This is the time to think about how you want to segment your novel – is it all in chapters, is each page related to something different, is it a continuous story, etc.

If you are working with an illustrator, give them a general idea of the characters or images they will be working with. This step structures your process so that the act of writing is easier to follow through with.

Mind Your Language

This isn’t just about making sure that you don’t include anything too explicit.

As a continuation to the first point, remember the children you speak to through your books.

Will they be able to understand the word you just used, the sentence you just wrote, the plotline you just introduced?

Make sure your language is suitable to the ages you’re writing for.

Of course, including potentially tricky words can inspire readers to look up definitions. Authors like Lemony Snicket have even included the meaning of specific words in their narration.

Therefore, there are many ways to go about it, therefore, do not be afraid to experiment and find your voice.

Write Your Book!

Now get to writing!

It helps if you set a deadline for yourself or have a friend help you stick to your goals.

Use it as a tool to initiate productivity and keep yourself accountable. Do not be harsh on yourself if you cannot meet the deadline, but make sure that you don’t remain in a state of procrastination.

Figure out a schedule that works for you.

Do you like to write in the mornings, afternoons, or evenings?

Do you write in long stretches, or do you take regular breaks?

Planning out such details can help make you an efficient and productive writer.

Give Your Manuscript a Rest

After writing the book, take time away from your work.

This is to cleanse the palate, in a way, so that you approach your draft with a fresher perspective. Many writers talk about leaving their work at a desk for weeks.

However, this isn’t a rule – it’s simply a suggestion to help the editing process. Time away from your book helps shift from writing mode into editing mode.

Read Your Book Out Loud  

To make sure children don’t have trouble with the way you have phrased things or the words you used, reading your book aloud is an important step.

It will help you notice mistakes on the one hand, and on the other, it checks the readability and accessibility of your work.

Trying to read with a child’s mind is essential because our experiences often bias us. If you read from the perspective of your target audience, it will make it easier to write for them again.

Edit Your Work  

After reading your work out loud, any mistakes and inconsistencies should appear.

In this read-through, make the changes you wish to make.

Finalize the order of your chapters, if you have any. Combine the text with the illustrations, if there are any. You can run the text through grammar and spelling check programs to help correct anything you might have missed.

This step is crucial as it is the last one until your work is finalized.

Therefore, it is essential to go through it multiple times to be sure the book is in line with your vision.

Find Someone To Read It

Find someone from your target audience and let them have a read of your work!

See what they think about it – do they have any criticisms, any questions?

If the child is of an age that cannot communicate yet, note how they interact with your work.

Does it interest them?

This will give you information on the next step:

Editing Your Children’s Books

Editing your children’s books is the same as editing a novel - it takes lots and lots of revisions!

Although a children’s book may not seem like it does not need a lot of editing, you should still pay attention to spelling, grammar, and general syntax.

Your Children’s Book Journey

Writing a children's book is a fulfilling experience that requires a blend of creativity, planning, and a deep understanding of your young audience. This guide has provided you with the essential steps to bring your vision to life, from conceptualizing the theme to the final editing process, but this is just the beginning. Remember, the world of children's literature is as vast and varied as the imagination itself.

So, don't hesitate to experiment, iterate, and most importantly, have fun along the way!

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