Today's blog is a simple lesson, although its title may at first appear confusing. Today, I am going to talk about time. It is absoloutley fundemental when writing for children that you give them a clear understanding of the books setting in time if it has an emphasis on the development of the story. It is all very well writing a book for an adult that describes scenes in such a way that a period can be imagined. However, when writing for children, the writer needs to make the reader aware of the period that the book is about very early on. Children always assume that a book is about the present. So, if you reveal that the period of the story is a hundred years in the past (or future) half way into your book, you will lose your reader as they have already created a mental imagery based on the present, and you have just scuppered them of it. They are not prepared for a time warp and will tire reading further. Bad writers do not receive even the slightest of praise from children - books to them are good, or not good.
There is of course no need to mention time at all and allow the reader to set their own time for the book. The simple rule is to either mention time and space early, or simply don't mention it at all. These and other tips can be found at write for children.
Wednesday, 17 August 2011
Monday, 15 August 2011
Childrens Books Are Not Short Stories
Short stories are not necessarily easier to write than novels or children's books, and besides, there is only the tiniest proportion of space for them on the market. Anyone that has tried to sell a short story will know that they are generally met by a closed door.
Short stories do not carry marketing power, they are difficult to turn into film or drama adaptations and whenever they have been, the result has been relatively dull, drawn out and a box office slump.
That said, there is nothing wrong with chasing a dream to become a well known short story writer. If that is your path, this blog is not for you. Writers using a short story format quickly become entailed in limitation that not only hinders the exploration process to develop character and theme, it curtails the newly trained mind to limits that prevent the depths of creativity needed to write a powerful and thought provoking read.
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Those gifted with the skills of short story writing are best suited for plays or TV soaps where a story can develop and resolve within a few scenes or a few parts of a number of episodes.
Consider this. When telling friends and family about an event that occured on holiday, the descripion is relatively brief, but the listeners will already be aware of the characters you travelled with, the style of holiday, the sort of things you are interested in, and the expected hazzards or discoveries you are likely to land on. Your story just fills in the gaps that they have already created in their imagination. Writing a short story does not fill in the gaps. Writing a complete book provides the tools for you to set your scene, develop your characters and lead the reader to the events that occur.
Short stories do not carry marketing power, they are difficult to turn into film or drama adaptations and whenever they have been, the result has been relatively dull, drawn out and a box office slump.
That said, there is nothing wrong with chasing a dream to become a well known short story writer. If that is your path, this blog is not for you. Writers using a short story format quickly become entailed in limitation that not only hinders the exploration process to develop character and theme, it curtails the newly trained mind to limits that prevent the depths of creativity needed to write a powerful and thought provoking read.
.
Those gifted with the skills of short story writing are best suited for plays or TV soaps where a story can develop and resolve within a few scenes or a few parts of a number of episodes.
Consider this. When telling friends and family about an event that occured on holiday, the descripion is relatively brief, but the listeners will already be aware of the characters you travelled with, the style of holiday, the sort of things you are interested in, and the expected hazzards or discoveries you are likely to land on. Your story just fills in the gaps that they have already created in their imagination. Writing a short story does not fill in the gaps. Writing a complete book provides the tools for you to set your scene, develop your characters and lead the reader to the events that occur.
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