• two little girls and little boy in a tent decorated with fairy lights and reading a children's book; how to write a children's book

    How to Write a Children’s Book

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    Writing a children’s book may be the most fun a writer can have, but there’s a lot more planning and research that goes into children’s books than you might think. From deciding on your reading audience to making the story age-appropriate and dialing in your story to the right Flesch-Kincaid reading level, we’re covering everything in this article that you need to know about writing a great children’s book. There are five things every children’s book writer should keep in mind: 1. Decide On the Audience for Your Children’s Book Sometimes the book idea comes first, and the idea will…

  • a little boy and little girl reading a children's book in a tent at night surrounded by white fairy lights

    How to Write for Kids When You Aren’t One

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    To write for kids, while often thought of as easy, is more complex than writing a book for adults. The reason for that is due in large part to the specificity of each reading level. A picture book with less than five hundred words will occupy a toddler, but a first grader will better interact with a book that is considered an “easy reader,” and shows signs of a plot and loveable characters. By the time children are in second or third grade, they’ll have graduated to early chapter books, which will need stronger plot points and easy to read…

  • Creating a cast of characters for your novel? Free tips on characterization from our staff in honor of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)!

    Novel Writing: Creating a Cast of Characters

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    Hello writers! Hopefully, you’re each waist-deep in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). If you haven’t started yet, or have fallen off the wagon just a bit, just jump right back on! The only thing standing between you and a finished novel is your hesitation. And you, sweet writer, have nothing to lose! As you pound away at your 1,667 words per day, start thinking about characterization. That may sound like a complicated term to some, but it’s simply the process of creating characters in your story. Give them depth, quirks, and their own unique imprint in the storyline. There are…

  • Happy NaNoWriMo!

    Happy NaNoWriMo!

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    November is a busy month for writers: it’s National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo. What happens during NaNoWriMo? It’s simple really. To celebrate the only official book-writing month of the year, writers are encouraged to spend 30 days putting their fingers to the keyboard, completing a 50,000-word book by November 30th. One month. Boom. Done. You’re one step (a first draft) closer to becoming a published author. If you have struggled with finding the time and discipline to finish your book, this is one of the easiest ways to jump those hurdles. Your word count can vary from day-to-day,…