An Introduction to Writing Children's Stories

Why study this course

From creating memorable characters to finding your unique writing voice, from developing exciting and engaging plots to using appropriate, enticing language, you'll be exploring what makes our best-loved children's books so wonderful, and how you can apply these techniques to writing of your own.

More about this course

By the end of the course, you will have a detailed understanding of the techniques used by leading children’s authors in creating some of our best-loved books. You will gain the confidence to start applying these techniques to your own work and if you wish to, the beginnings of a manuscript. You will be encouraged to share and comment on one another’s work, and in doing so, learn by experience how to work collaboratively through the editorial process.

Course structure

Week 1 - Identifying what readers respond to in children’s books: You will be encouraged to discuss your own childhood reading. You will then be given a selection of children’s books to explore and discuss.

Week 2 - Voice: What makes for a unique writing voice? How do you identify your own voice? We will examine a variety of texts and then hone your own writing voice through a series of exercises.

Week 3 - Character: What makes for an engaging main character in a children’s book? We will discuss a selection of the most memorable characters in children’s stories. You will then be encouraged to come up with characters of your own and be shown how to develop your work.

Week 4 - Plot: How are children’s books structured? How does this structure vary across picture books/young fiction/young adult? Can you see books in terms of their structures? How might you begin to apply structure to your own ideas?

Week 5 - Openings: How do children’s authors begin their books? How do writers hook young readers, especially those who may not be confident in their reading skills? We will discuss a variety of texts. You will then be encouraged to write your own story openings and these will be discussed within the group.

Week 6 - Genre: Children’s books come in a number of different forms, aimed at different age groups and in a variety of different styles. We will consider a number of types of book and explore which books you would read/like to write. You will be encouraged to write the same scene in a number of different styles and as a group you will listen and analyze the effectiveness of techniques.

Week 7 - Endings: What makes for a satisfying ending to a children’s book? What journey has a character been on and how has it been resolved? This week will examine chapter endings, cliffhangers and the difference between standalone books and books that are part of a series.

Week 8 - Why write for children? In this final session you will be encouraged to consider the purpose of children’s books. Are they to entertain, to educate or both? What, for them, makes a children’s book a classic? What books would they give to their own children? With all this in mind, how might you reconsider any ideas you are currently working on? You will be encouraged to pitch one another ideas, share what you have been working on, and will finish the course with the tools needed to complete the first draft of your own manuscript.