Writing Children’s Stories Part 1
Methods to Writing a Children’s Story
There are a number of different ways that children’s authors get their stories out of their heads and on to paper. Here is the first method.
During this series of articles, you'll be learning about the various methods writers of children's books use to get their stories on to paper. The first method is straight writing.
Straight writing is the act of writing your story straight from your head, without the use of outlines or note cards. It involves the writer having actually played through his story, thinking through the twists and turns of his plot, and making his characters come alive in his mind.
More experienced writers are able to sit down with only a basic plot idea and write their story from start to finish, following their main character's lead and imagining how the main character will react to each new situation.
To a beginning writer, this way of writing out a children's story may appear easy, but it's not. Straight writing requires numerous drafts to make the story work. This method is good, however, for those who have a basic story in their head and want to write it all down before they forget the details they thought out.
There are several things to keep in mind when straight writing. The first two things to be mindful of are the story's plot and sequence of events. Don't worry about extra details when writing the first rough draft of the story. Get the basic thread of the story written, and go back later and add in the extra details. Also, don't get caught up in spelling errors and sentence structure. You will smooth out your writing in a later draft.
Finally, when practicing straight writing, always remember that your rough draft is not your final draft. One of the biggest complaints I hear from editors is that inexperienced writers send them their rough drafts as a final copy. After you've written your first draft, shelve the work for a few days, a week, or a month. Work on another manuscript and, when you're ready, pick up your rough draft and read through it. Embellish the work, add more details, reword paragraphs and, yes, even toss out whole chapters. When you're finished, shelve the work again until you are ready to begin the next rewrite.
