Writing for Kids and Tweens

Why did I start writing for children? Partly out of cowardice! I didn’t think I had the stamina to write a full-length adult novel, but I could manage something shorter. And I didn’t think children would be such critical readers as adults. (Wrong – as I discovered when reading aloud to my own kids.)

 

My first book was rubbish. Even I knew that. But I was attending a creative writing class (something I’d recommend very highly – you can’t improve your writing without feedback) and the teacher encouraged me to start again.

 

The second book worked its way through the slush piles of at least 8 publishers. At last I tried Scripture Union, which I’d avoided because I didn’t want my book to be filed in the Religious section, although it did have Christian undercurrents. The editor liked the style of the book, and said that if I developed the Christian theme, she would look at it again. And so, 3 years after I started writing, my first book was published.

 

After the first one, it gets easier. I now have 13 books in print, mostly aimed at children aged 10-14. ‘Fiction with a message’ has a great precedent in the parables of Jesus. It’s good that Christian fiction is now being written for adults as well as kids.

 

Like the parables, the story has to hold the attention, otherwise the message won’t sink in. It has to be exciting, with believable characters, and situations a child can relate to. The vocabulary should suit the age group; the Christian content should be at the right level, not too preachy or patronising. Above all, it mustn’t be dull! Children nowadays have a short attention span.

 

Those are the limitations. But it’s also quite liberating. You can go out as far as your imagination will take you, and children will follow you all the way. Their minds are highly receptive; you can teach them truths they’ll always remember. The books I loved in childhood are much clearer in my memory than those I read later.

 

I love this work. It will never earn me enough to give up the day job, but I feel I’m using my ‘one talent,' not burying it. Some day I might try a big, grown-up novel – if I’m brave enough.