Have you ever said, “I’d really like to do a children’s book”? Do you find yourself saying it over and over again, while you haven’t started yet? we understand. it’s hard to know where to start. children’s books seem so simple, but when you sit down to do it, what do you do first? It’s only 32 pages! How hard can it be? It may surprise you to learn that creating and writing a children’s book can take as much effort as an adult novel. it is a unique process because the audience is really special. not to worry! Just like adult books, children’s books don’t have to be written in order. you can choose any of these steps below as a starting point, or follow them in order. the important thing is to start!
You are reading: How to start writing children’s books
1. clarify your motivations
Are you writing for some little ones you love? Do you write because you love children’s books? Are you an illustrator looking for a way to put some sketches to work? Are you writing for love, for profit, or both? Who are the children you imagine reading this book? as they are? why are you reading it? sometimes you have to start by thinking a little about why you want to do your book. clarifying this helps the book take shape.
2. write and draw every day
Whether you’re writing or illustrating, all stories are born from hours and hours of practice. One of our favorite children’s books, Animals Under the Bed grew out of a personal challenge to paint animals for 100 days. The more the author Meg Smiley created her animals, the more they formed into a story. many of the characters you create, the stories you think of or the lines you write won’t make it into the final book, but it’s not a waste of time – it keeps the channels clear for your best creative work to flow and gives you lots of practice you don’t even have to write for your project. just keep your pens and pencils moving, because the habit of creating is just as important to making a children’s book as creating the content itself.
3. read a lot of children’s books
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There is a rhythm, a formula and a style that make children’s books successful. there is a pattern to how the stories move. the characters have certain traits in common. Because it’s been a while since you’ve been in the age group you want as readers, you need to spend some time seeing what they see and gaining insight into their communication. explore different genres, observe relationships between words and images. what works well and what doesn’t? what elements do you want in your book? The good thing is that with volumes of only 32 pages, you can read several. If you don’t know what to write, this research phase is critical. and research counts as a start.
4. develop characters one at a time
Before you start putting them into a story, you need to know who your characters are. Are they human or animal or something completely unique? How old is your main character supposed to be? how about your secondary characters? what do they look like? What are their personality traits that identify them? Who in your real life do you know who is like your characters? once you have your characters, your story begins to take shape. if you develop more characters than your story needs, you can use them for your next book!
5. list possible story elements
Where does your story take place? fully develop the world of your characters and create a list of things that could happen. You may also decide to start writing a nonfiction book, and this is the time you’ll think about how you’d like to describe your topic so your young reader will enjoy the discovery.
6. decide on an age group
You may have had a story idea and a character idea long before you considered who might read it. You will need to choose one and check that its story, length and characters are suitable for that audience. children’s books fall into one of these age groups:
- toddler books (ages 1-3) up to 300 words
- picture books (ages 3-5) up to 500 words
- Illustrated books (ages 4 to 8) up to 800 words. these can be fiction or non-fiction
- easy readers (5-8) 32-64 pages and up to 1200 words
7. make a list of concerns, conflicts, struggles, experiences facing your age group
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You may have a particular reader in mind that fits one of those age groups, even before you have your story. If you spend some time thinking about what’s important to your reader, you can develop characters and stories that they might like.
8. play with your characters in different scenarios
What problems can your character solve? What do you fight? Who is with your character in these situations? If you’re starting to write a nonfiction book, consider creating a relatable character who experiences information discovery that will connect with your readers.
9. create a narrative arc
Outline your book with a beginning, middle, climax, and resolution. this applies to both fiction and nonfiction.
10. write
start with your story. make multiple drafts. read it out loud. Get feedback, go back and review your children’s book.
Once you’ve created your story with lovable characters, there’s still more work to do. Head over to our post on publishing a children’s book to learn more about getting your work out into the world.
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