How to Write a Children's Short Story

Although children's publishing is a tough field to break into most editors agree they are constantly looking for new voices. When writing for children, there are some things you need to keep in mind and some basic guidelines to follow. These guidelines apply to all children's fiction. First and foremost, according to Amy Shields, the senior editor of The Millbrook Press, is to remember that children are not little adults. Most editors agree that researching the market, the magazines, and the publishers you would like to write for is the first place to start. You can log onto magazine and book publisher's websites to find out what they are looking for at any given time including age group, content, genre as well as what they pay for a piece.

Things You'll Need

• a fresh vision
• a good command of language

Instructions

1. First of all you should read stories in children's magazines. Some magazines you might consider looking at include National Geographic Kids, American Girl for girls ten and older, Wild Animal Baby for children five and under, Highlights, and Highlights High Five to name a few. You might be able to find excerpts from the magazines, on-line, or an on-line version in order to save yourself the expense of buying the publications

2. Whether your stories will be fiction or non-fiction you need to research and write about topics of interest to children, and when writing remember not to talk down to children as this makes them appear as less than capable.

3. You need to be clear and succinct in your writing along with using a sense of fun and wonder. Have a passion for what you are writing about and remember that cashing in on current trends will not necessarily signal success or make your story more publishable.

4. Suzanne Smith the former editor of Ideals children's books, as stated in a Writer's Digest article. Ms. Smith said that if an author does write a story with a topic, etc. that is all the rage to give the piece a fresh slant if you want to get it published.

5. When writing stories for children in different age groups or educational levels be aware of the child's cognitive ability. For children seven and under, and especially for children who are three to six years old, use simple words with a lot of repetition. You want to avoid most compound words.

6. Make sure your stories have a captivating beginning that hooks the reader in quickly, clear middles, and high-impact endings.

7. Make sure you know the audience you are writing for and what their interests are. According to author JLD, you should always show not tell and avoid the overuse of adjectives.