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It's Showtime!

Don’t you just love it when a writer makes you feel like you’re right inside the story? You are THERE, in the scene with the characters. Next time you read something that transports you, stop and take a look at how the writer practiced the skill of SHOW DON’T TELL. Telling, instead of showing, comes out flat. For example: It was a windy afternoon with a dark and threatening sky. The clouds were thick and grey over the canyon and soon it began to thunder. Showing makes it more alive: The wind roared up the canyon that afternoon, whipping dry cottonwood leaves into dancing whirls of yellow. Dark clouds rolled in soon after, bringing deeper and deeper rumbles of thunder.   Here are some ways to SDT (Show Don’t Tell): USE VIVID, ACTIVE VERBS: Notice in the second selection the verbs: roared, whipping, dancing, rolled. See how they replaced the weak use of the “to be” verbs? You can’t always avoid using ‘was,’ ‘were,’ ‘is’, ‘are,’ in your writing, but watch for...
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Welcome!

Welcome to The Kidlitter! This blog is partnered with my Writing for Children workshop, but it's available to anyone who wants to check the posts. Hope you find some nuggets you can use here! Our young readers deserve the very best of our efforts. Writing for kids is not preparation for writing for adults. It’s a special skill with special needs. Many of the same techniques apply, but there are important differences. For one thing, you never have to ask, “How old is my reader?” when writing for adults. But reader age level is very important when writing for kids. Reader age will determine your subject matter, your word choice, your sentence length and overall word count. If you market your work to a book or magazine publisher, you’ll need to know who your target reader will be. The writer needs to meet the reader at the right level and not ‘talk down’ from an adult perspective. So, let’s look at the different kinds of children’s books which target variou...
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Hitting the Links

This post will grow as more links are added. Wondering how many words a chapter book or novel should have? Use this link to enter a title of an already published book and find out how many words it has. This is a good guide to show you if your project is in the ballpark. http://www.arbookfind.com/default.aspx Find great articles and interviews on all aspects of writing for kids. From the home page click on RX for Writers, then click on Topical Index. At the Writer’s Store you can order copies of their market guides for book and magazine markets.   http://www.institutechildrenslit.com Want more info about writing for children’s magazines? Scroll down to the A to Z listings of magazines where you’ll find guidelines, sample copies and editor comments.   http://www.evelynchristensen.com/mags.html Interested in an online critique group? Check out this site: http://www.critiquecircle.com THE professional kid-lit organization: The Society o...
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