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The Way to Write for Children: An Introduction to the Craft of Writing Children's Literature |
by: Joan Aiken
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Binding: PaperbackDewey Decimal Number: 808.068
EAN: 9780312200480
Edition: Revised
ISBN: 031220048X
Label: St. Martin's Griffin
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 128
Publication Date: November 15, 1998
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Studio: St. Martin's Griffin
Alternate Versions:
- The WriterÂ’s Guide to Crafting Stories for Children (Write for kids library)
- How to Write a Children's Book and Get It Published
- Worlds of Childhood: The Art and Craft of Writing for Children
- Creating Characters Kids Will Love
- The Business of Writing for Children: An Award-Winning Author's Tips on Writing Children's Books and Publishing Them, or How to Write, Publish, and Promote a Book for Kids
- see more
- Books > Subjects > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( A ) > Aiken, Joan
- Books > Subjects > Reference > Foreign Languages > General
- Books > Subjects > Reference > Foreign Languages > General AAS
- Books > Subjects > Reference > Writing > Children's Literature
- Books > Subjects > Reference > Writing > Writing Skills
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com Review:
Nearly everyone who has curled up with a child and a book has had the thought that he or she, too, could write a children's book. Joan Aiken, in a revised and updated version of her Way to Write for Children, cautions that it's not so easy. While books for the youngest readers may be simple, the best ones are far from simplistic. In this slender volume, Aiken alights on topics relevant to the writing of books for tots, 'tweens, and teens. And, as Jiminy Cricket is for Pinocchio, she acts as a conscience for children's book authors. "Since each child," she intones, "reads only about six hundred books in the course of childhood, each book should nourish them in some way." And if you're writing for teens? They are under enough pressure as it is to partake in adult activities, says Aiken. "Let not the fiction they are offered add to the pressure."
Aiken is adamant about what children's books shouldn't do (they cannot be boring, they must not condescend, and they shouldn't include bridge passages or flashbacks) but not prescriptive about how they should be written. Just keep in mind, she says, that reading, for children, is serious business, and "it is the writer's duty to demonstrate to children that the world is not a simple place." As for subject matter, says Aiken, there are enough alphabet books and animal stories to go around. Instead, she recommends, try to observe small children and their interests with the same intense concentration that they employ. "Stairs, cupboards, blankets, sinks, ovens, soap, shoes, clocks, knitting, paper-bags--all these can be full of mystery, excitement, and beauty." --Jane Steinberg
Product Description:
In addressing "the way to write for children," Joan Aiken starts at the beginning. Is writing a children's book as simple as it looks? Do you want to write for children or about them? Do you want to write a picture book for young children, a book for new readers, or a chapter book for preteens? Why is Beatrix Potter so beloved? E. Nesbit? A. A. Milne? Maurice Sendak?After more than fifteen years as a writing shelf classic, The Way to Write for Children has been completely revised and updated. From analysis of what makes the best-loved children's books so successful, to where to look for inspiration, to practical advice on how to structure a plot, Aiken delivers an extremely useful book for anyone who's ever considered writing a children's book.
Average Rating: 
Rating:
- Excellent bookHaving only recently been a child, I found this to be a wonderful book. It explain how children's books differ from adult books and elaborates on different types of children's books. This is not a book of how to write and use grammar; it rather explains how to tell a story. This advice is amazingly accurate and was more helpful to me than several other books I have read. The book is brief but well-well written and reads smoothly to the end.
Rating:
- Just my cup of tea.A friendly warning to readers: Even though "The Way to Write for Children" is very precise about what SHOULD NOT be in children's books, it is quite the opposite about what SHOULD be in them.
On the very first page of the text, Joan Aiken bluntly informs readers that "there is no _one_ way in which to write for children." In another chapter, she explains the futility of dividing child readers into age groups and trying to target a single age. Throughout the book, she gives examples of ... Read More
Rating:
- But we are not children...gee, I bought this book to help me learn to write for children, not to be talked down to by the author...which is what happened. A shoddy, simplistic, overly "this is how I believe it to be" approach that lacks the the clarity and educational value I was looking for when I purchased it. Dated examples and poor type face and formatting doesn't help. I'd avoid this one.
Rating:
- Misled by previous reviewI bought this book based on the five-star reader review from December 2000 and I was sorely disappointed and wishing I'd saved my $10 plus shipping! This book is outdated, sketchy (barely touches on YA novels) and very British. Her writing examples rely heavily on Dickens and the like, which didn't exactly bring me up to speed on the last 20 years of children's literature. I'm still searching for a good guide to writing children's fiction that is in print!
Rating:
- a rare treat for writersBeautifully written and full of real insight, this astonishing little book will do more for the creative flow of aspiring writers than most books in the field. Its focus is on children's writing, and it offers the wisdom of an outstanding and very succesful author. Her love of children's writing is contagious, her advice is sound, and this excellent help will inspire many generations to come. In a league of its own.
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