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Do you have a creative imagination that appeals to children? Want to learn how you can turn your dream of becoming a writer into a profitable career by becoming a children's author?
What a joy it is to write for children: a special skill in its own right. Children's stories must appeal to young lively imaginations, while being easy to follow, but never condescending. The biggest difference between writing for children and writing for adults is that children are often the more critical audience. They are also avid readers, so there is a market in stories for children of all ages.
Different age groups call for different writing styles and construction, which you study as part of your course. You explore the delicate business of distilling ideas and experience into exciting stories for children. You also learn vocabulary and story construction for each age group, study the importance and skills of natural dialogue, learn how to hold children's interest and how to make them identify with your storytelling.
Courses Direct's Writing for Children course will improve your writing skills and teach you the fundamentals of writing for the younger audience. Throughout the five modules and eight assignments, you learn how to write for each specific target age group, and also how to ensure the book captures their imaginations and hearts. From finding ideas, creating credible characters and developing plots, to selecting a genre, presentation and getting published, we teach you all the skills you need to successfully achieve your writing ambition.
GETTING STARTED
We begin with an overview of children's literature, defining the various age groups, and help you identify which kind of children's writing you are interested in pursuing. We introduce you to the basic techniques of writing children's stories, showing you how to identify the techniques and styles used to develop successful writing in this genre.
SEEING WITH NEW PERSPECTIVE
The ability to perceive your surroundings from the younger reader's point of view is an essential requirement for the juvenile writer. This module enables you to get in touch with your target audience. You learn how to collect ideas, develop your story line and create a believable plot. You also learn to develop strong themes and credible characters, using all your sharpened skills to invent a realistic scene or setting. The ability to create the appearance of reality is essential in writing children's fiction.
WRITING FOR PRE-TEENAGERS
Learn the fundamentals of writing for 9-12-year-olds. Children of this age are gaining confidence, beginning to push boundaries and getting into scrapes. This behaviour is reflected in the stories they like to read. While children in this age group feel they are capable of handling anything, they are still reassured by the idea of good winning over evil in the end. We look at the mystery genre from a young person's perspective, taking you step-by-step through character and chapter planning. Your assignment puts your newly learned skills to practical use as you outline your own children's mystery story and start the first chapter.
WRITING FOR THE TEENAGE MARKET
In this Module you will explore the world of teens and learn the difference with this market compared to the other age groups. You will study varied types of writing for this market, from science fiction, teenage romance, historical romance to horror. This will include where to start and the vital component of how to end your story. You will develop an understanding of word length, number of characters and how to portray characters' thoughts, emotions and feelings.
PUBLISHING YOUR WRITING
Sooner or later most writers recognise that publication is the paramount goal of writing, so we advise how you can turn your first draft into a polished and professional piece of material. Develop your editing and proofreading skills, and learn how to market your work and approach publishers. We also give you an idea of what to expect in the wonderful event of your book being accepted for publication.
