Would you like to write for children?

 

Many people would, but aren't sure what to do with that desire. Here are some suggestions:

 

* Read, read, read the types of stories, articles or books you want to write.Or, the other way around---ask yourself what you like to read. Many people enjoy writing what they most enjoy reading.

    

* Borrow books on writing for children from your public library.

    

* Browse children's bookstores, library shelves (new, especially), or the  children's section of a general bookstore. What's on the shelves is what's selling now.

    

* Schedule regular writing time on your calendar. If this is a challenge, try

scheduling one week at a time.

    

* Investigate courses at The Institute of Children's Literature (ICL), a

correspondence school at which I am proud to teach. The curriculum is top-notch! Subscribe to ICL's month publication Children's Writer.

    

* Join The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Here you can find critique groups and writers' conferences, information on publishers and agents, apply for grants, receive the bi-monthly bulletin, and more.

    

* Visit publishers' websites and look at their submission guidelines and book catalogs.

    

* Study book market guides such as Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market (Writer's Digest Books), Book Markets for Children's Writers (ICL),

and Christian Writers' Market Guide (Tyndale).

    

* Borrow industry magazines and review media from your library, such as School Library Journal, The Horn Book, and the February and July issues of Publisher's Weekly that announce new children's books.

    

* Visit websites and blogs on writing and children's books. Besides the links above, some good ones are Verla Kay's message board and Harold

Underdown's Purple Crayon site.

    

* Write, write, write.

    

* Read, read, read.