Читать книгу Writing Children's Books For Dummies - Peter Economy - Страница 13

By making sure your fiction story features these key elements, you can get yourself one step closer to publishing success:

 Memorable characters: Whether it’s a child who can fly, a really hungry wolf, a boy and a slave floating down the Mississippi River, or a smelly green ogre, characters are the heart and soul of children’s books. So how can you create characters who jump off the page and into your readers’ hearts? Chapter 8 reveals how to build and flesh out great characters and how to avoid stereotyping and other common pitfalls.

 An engaging plot: What exactly is a plot, and how do you figure out what constitutes a beginning, a middle, and an ending? We answer that question in Chapter 9, as well as defining conflict, climax, and resolution.

 Realistic dialogue: Kids can tell when dialogue doesn’t sound right. Chapter 10 features tips and step-by-step advice for writing realistic, age-appropriate dialogue for each of your characters. We also look at ways to make sure your characters sound different from one another.

 Interesting settings: One way to engage young readers is to set your story in places that intrigue them. In Chapter 11, we give you some pointers on how to create interesting settings and build worlds that ground your story in a particular context and draw in your reader.

Of course, you also need to consider your author voice or tone. Do you want to sound playful by incorporating word play, rhyming, and rhythm (the music inherent in words well matched)? Or do you want to make youngsters giggle uncontrollably? We give you the tools you need to create your character’s voice in Chapter 12. And if you’re struggling with sticking to a consistent point of view, Chapter 12 can help you out there, too.

Interested in writing nonfiction? Then turn to Chapter 13. It’s chock-full of good advice on jump-starting your nonfiction project by choosing a kid-friendly topic, organizing your ideas into a comprehensive outline or plan, and fleshing out your ideas with all the right research.