Courses > Writing for children

Our Children's books course is made up of ten lessons that cover the following topics. Click on a link below to find out more about a lesson. Each lesson is accompanied by exercise work and you will be invited to work on your own ideas as well during the course.

• Lesson 1: How publishers categorise children into age ranges
• Lesson 2: Thinking about language
• Lesson 3: What do children want to read?
• Lesson 4: Where do ideas come from?
• Lesson 5: Where is the beginning?
• Lesson 6: The importance of strong characters
• Lesson 7: Fantasy and reality
• Lesson 8: Your responsibility as a writer for children
• Lesson 9: Writing non-fiction books
• Lesson 10: Other outlets for children's material

See also: How much our courses cost.

Lesson 1: How publishers categorise children into age ranges

This lesson covers:

• Deciding which children you want to write for
• How to do market research
• Exercise work

Lesson 2: Thinking about language

This lesson covers:

• Vocabulary, syntax, sentence structure
• How children learn to read
• Getting the language level right
• Exercise work

Lesson 3: What do children want to read?

This lesson covers:

• What children want from their reading matter
• What you must always do
• Exercise work

Lesson 4: Where do ideas come from?

This lesson covers:

• Thinking about topics
• Working out themes
• How do you know what your story wants to say?
• Exercise work

Lesson 5: Where is the beginning?

This lesson covers:

• Hooking the reader
• Keeping something familiar
• Maintaining interest
• How do you end?
• Exercise work

Lesson 6: The importance of strong characters

This lesson covers:

• Building your characters up
• Motivation
• Fixing them in your mind
• The matter of identification
• Exercise work

Lesson 7: Fantasy and reality

This lesson covers:

• Fantasy and reality - how you have to make the connection between them work
• How it can easily go wrong
• How not to ruin a story
• Exercise work

Lesson 8: Your responsibility as a writer for children

This lesson covers:

• Why political correctness is important to publishers
• Children and empathy
• Children living vicariously through your pages
• Judging the responses of children you know
• Exercise work

Lesson 9: Writing non-fiction books

This lesson covers:

• How publishers create series
• How non-fiction books work
• Looking for a gap in the market
• How to format your content
• Exercise work.

Lesson 10: Other outlets for children's material

This lesson covers:

• How to write for comics and picture strips
• Writing for radio and TV
• Looking for opportunity
• The one thing you always, always, always have to do
• Exercise work