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Writers of Children’s/Middle-Grade Books

So…Is Anyone Else On Here?

Viewing 15 posts - 16 through 30 (of 44 total)
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  • #105140
    Abigail Rebekah
    @abigail-rebekah

    @caseybold

    Thanks for sending those through 🙂

    They are really good, but aren’t quite the style I’m looking for. Please pass on my thanks though to your sister for drawing them xD Thanks heaps for asking tho 🙂

    ~ Laugh. Drink Coffee. Smile. And Write ~

    #105144
    Caseybold
    @caseybold

    @abigail-rebekah yeah she doesn’t usually do that style she said, so it was a bit of a long shot. I’ll definitely pass that along! Good luck in your continuing search 😀

    I'm nobody, Who are you? -Emily Dickinson 뜻이 있는 곳에 길이 있다.

    #105145
    Abigail Rebekah
    @abigail-rebekah

    @caseybold

    Thanks heaps 🙂

    ~ Laugh. Drink Coffee. Smile. And Write ~

    #105332
    E. Grace
    @emgc

    @abigail-rebekah

    That’s neat. 🙂 Nope, I’ve never been published before. Not really sure that’s something I’m interested in for right now, but I guess we’ll see what the future holds. 😉

    Good luck publishing your book!

     

    "True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less." - C. S. Lewis

    #105446
    Abigail Rebekah
    @abigail-rebekah

    @emgc

    Yeah…I understand that 🙂

    Thanks…hope your writing goes well too xD

    ~ Laugh. Drink Coffee. Smile. And Write ~

    #116314
    imwritehere1920
    @imwritehere1920

    @abigail-rebekah

    Hi there! *waves back*.  I’m Lily.  I know this is coming really late (I signed up for the forum, oh, about a month ago?  Idk, quarantine has messed up my ability to keep track of time XD).  Anyway, I haven’t really visited this forum much, because it didn’t look like a lot of people used it recently; but then I figured since I’m also a children’s writer, I might as well catch up on some of the conversations that were going on.

    Right, now that that’s cleared up *grins, embarassed* I write mostly medieval fantasy for middle-grade.  Though I would love to try dystopian like The Giver and The Girl Who Drank the Moon.  Also, Ranger’s Apprentice is totally awesome (I think it’s more towards older middle-grade/YA spectrum?)

    If I may ask, how is your book going?  Is this your first book, and do you mostly do picture books?

    We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master. — Ernest Hemingway

    #116326
    Abigail Rebekah
    @abigail-rebekah

    @imwritehere1920

    Hey Lily,

    Nice to “meet” you 😉

    I love your name btw; it’s very pretty!

    That’s all good…I’ve been mainly using another writing website recently so haven’t really done much on here.

    Ooh cool genre! What is your WIP about, if you don’t mind me asking?

    I loved the film for The Giver. Have you seen it? That genre is really cool too. I haven’t tried writing in it, before though.

    Yes, I think Ranger’s Apprentice is geared for older kid readers. It’s also really good, though I’ve never actually proper read the books 😉

    My book is going good thanks – it’s a different one to the one I originally mentioned on here.  It’s my first novella which I recently finished writing; I’m editing it at the moment and adding other bits in which is cool.

    The book I previously mentioned on this post is done to the extent that I’m just needing a professional editor, potentially, to look over it, I think.

    I originally thought that I would mainly write picture books but since writing my first novella, I think I’m going to try and write mainly novellas and work towards a novel someday 😉

    How about you?

    ~ Laugh. Drink Coffee. Smile. And Write ~

    #116336
    imwritehere1920
    @imwritehere1920

    @abigail-rebekah

    It’s so nice to ‘meet’ you too!  Thanks so much!  I like your name too! 🙂

    Which writing website do you use?

    I can’t tell much, but my WIP is about a brother and sister who find a lost phoenix and have to return it home (it’s much more complex than that; this is just the gist).

    And yes, I saw the Giver movie; the visuals and how they imagined what the Community looked like were pretty awesome.

    Congrats on finishing your first novella!  May I ask what the genre and premise is?  Are you going to self-publish your previously mentioned story?

    My WIP is around 44,000 words?  So I guess it could be considered a MG novel.  I grew up on MG books, so it’s my passion 🙂

    What about you?  What first drew you to writing picture books and then turn to novellas?

    Ps. Love your quote!

    We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master. — Ernest Hemingway

    #116382
    Abigail Rebekah
    @abigail-rebekah

    @imwritehere1920

    Aw thanks 🙂

    I use YWW (Young Writer’s Workshop). Are you part of it?

    Ooh cool!

    Yes, definitely…they did a really good job.

    Aw thank you! The genre for my novella is historical-fiction (with a little clean romance in there too 😉 ).

    This is the synopsis or premise:

    World War II is sweeping across Europe, stealing the lives of hundreds of courageous men and women who are willing to fight and serve to protect their country and save those they love. Edith is a young nurse serving in France, trying to survive in the midst of danger and death that surrounds her. Denni is a young soldier whose bravery soon causes him to suffer greatly. When the two first meet, they soon discover that they share something in common; the same faith. A deep bond grows between the two, but then, Denni is badly wounded and sent home. As the war progresses, and Edith continues to serve, she soon realises that she must trust God more than ever before. Will she ever see Denni again? Will she even survive this war?

    Um…I’m not sure…I previously thought I would self-publish it, but now I think I’m going to try and go with a publishing house.

    That’s really cool how many words you’ve written for your WIP!

    What about you?  What first drew you to writing picture books and then turn to novellas?

    Well, I thought they would be a lot easier to write because they are a lot shorter; but it’s harder cus I’m not an artist so looking for illustrators can be a bit difficult. Also, I’m part of a literacy program for a missionary ministry that gets people to write/illustrate/translate etc… books for the people in PNG; I thought it would be cool to do a series of historical books, alternating with different size stories (short stories, novellas, etc…) but then that changed too. When I started writing my novella, which was originally meant to be a short story, it kinda took control and decided to become longer 😉 All joking aside though, I’ve now decided for the time being, that I would like to do a series of historical-fiction novellas because I like the size of them and they are shorter to write than a proper novel but better than a short story. Sorry, that was probably a bit long-winded.

     

    Ps. Love your quote!

    Oh thanks…I rather like it too 😉

    ~ Laugh. Drink Coffee. Smile. And Write ~

    #116403
    Arindown (Gracie)
    @arindown

    @imwritehere1920 @abigail-rebekah

    Hey ya’ll.

    I’m currently working on a YA novel…but I have two MG or Kid’s books that I’d like to finish. Do you guys have any advice you’d like to share for someone who’s just starting?

    My idea is to do something like Chronicles of Narnia, only with more pictures. Something that’s easy to read and exciting for MG but also bright and interesting for littler kids. Do you think that would work?

    Here’s a sample of the kind of artwork I’m thinking of using.

    "If I'm gonna break, I'll break like the dawn." -Nightbirde

    #116419
    imwritehere1920
    @imwritehere1920

    @abigail-rebekah

    Oh wow, the exact same thing happened to my current WIP!  I originally planned it to be a short story of 6,000 words (and I hoped to sell it to a children’s magazine) but after about, oh, 40,000 words, it became apparent that it was going to be a novel XD  And no problem, your explanation wasn’t long-winded.

    Abigail Rebekah wrote: That’s really cool how many words you’ve written for your WIP!

    Thanks!

    That’s awesome that you’re part of a literacy program.  Does someone assign you a story to write, or do you just submit your own written topic?

    I’ve heard about YWW, but no, I’m not a part of it.  Was it created by twin brothers? (Harris?  Harrison?  I can’t recall their names.)  What’s your favorite part of YWW?

    Your historical fiction premise sounds cool!  Thanks for sharing it.  I hope it goes well; and good luck with your other manuscript.  I hope you find a publisher  🙂

     

    We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master. — Ernest Hemingway

    #116428
    Abigail Rebekah
    @abigail-rebekah

    @arindown

    Hey!

    Oh cool…what’s your YA book about? (If you mind me asking 🙂 )

    I’m currently working on a YA novel…but I have two MG or Kid’s books that I’d like to finish. Do you guys have any advice you’d like to share for someone who’s just starting?

    So, do you mean you’ve already started writing them? If so, how long are they so far?

    Well, my advice would be to:

    1. Choose a genre that you want to write in mainly (I’ve chosen to write historical-fiction at the moment for my novella series I’m hoping to do)

    2. Maybe research/have a look at other books in that genre/age range to see what kids that age enjoy reading (for example, my kid’s book is set during WW1 and WW2 so for little readers, it might be too sad or graphic for them (it isn’t really graphic though) – so I came across a problem. I needed to write it so it was understandable for young readers and look for an illustrator who can do the style I’m looking for, but which will hopefully not be too morbid or sad for them, which I haven’t accomplished yet. I decided to make it for an older audience (8+).) I think taking a look at other books in your genre/age range will really help you know what you’re aiming for.

    3. Even if you want to quit, keep writing!

    My idea is to do something like Chronicles of Narnia, only with more pictures. Something that’s easy to read and exciting for MG but also bright and interesting for littler kids. Do you think that would work?

    Your idea sounds really cool. So, what style book are you thinking? Is it going to be a picture book, as in the small picture books you see in the library, or a proper MG novel with lots of pictures in it?

    I think it would totally work; it sounds like it might be harder to write because you’re catering for both MG readers and little kids, though. If it was the pictures that attracted the younger readers and the actual story that attracted the MG readers, I think that could work really well.

    I hope some of these points help 🙂 Do you have any specific questions that you’d like advice on? Feel free to tag me if you ever post snippets of your work on here 🙂

    ~ Laugh. Drink Coffee. Smile. And Write ~

    #116429
    Abigail Rebekah
    @abigail-rebekah

    @imwritehere1920

    Hey again 🙂

    Oh wow, the exact same thing happened to my current WIP!  I originally planned it to be a short story of 6,000 words (and I hoped to sell it to a children’s magazine) but after about, oh, 40,000 words, it became apparent that it was going to be a novel XD  And no problem, your explanation wasn’t long-winded.

    Really? Well, it’s fun when your story takes over 😉  Oh cool, have you ever sold stories to children’s magazines before?

    Oh phew, glad it wasn’t 😉

    That’s awesome that you’re part of a literacy program.  Does someone assign you a story to write, or do you just submit your own written topic?

    Aw thanks – well they have ideas for stories they would like people to write about, but I’m doing my own chosen topics at the moment which they’re fine with.

    I’ve heard about YWW, but no, I’m not a part of it.  Was it created by twin brothers? (Harris?  Harrison?  I can’t recall their names.)  What’s your favorite part of YWW?

    Ok…I’m not sure if it was created by both of them, but Brett Harris definitely did create it, as well as some other people, I’m pretty sure. I love the community on there because there is so many other young writers that you can get help from, show your writing too, ask for feedback and critiquing on your writing, etc…

    I only joined this year, but I absolutely love it.

    Your historical fiction premise sounds cool!  Thanks for sharing it.  I hope it goes well; and good luck with your other manuscript.  I hope you find a publisher  🙂

    Aw thank you. I hope so too 🙂 And I hope your writing goes well!

    ~ Laugh. Drink Coffee. Smile. And Write ~

    #116431
    imwritehere1920
    @imwritehere1920

    @arindown

    Hey there!  Long time no see 😉

    Okay, so first off, who is your main target audience?  If it’s supposed to be MG, then the protagonist’s age is going to be around your target audience’s age (generally the 8-12 range).  Sometimes, your protagonist can be a bit older (think early teens).  But I mostly see that in older MG (think Ranger’s Apprentice, or The False Prince.  Not at all appealing to little kids).  My writing teachers say that kids like to ‘read up’ or read about a character who’s a bit older than them.  I found this true when I was 10-12 yr. old.  It was exciting to follow a protagonist who was around or just a bit older than I was.

    It sounds like your idea would fit younger MG (so the age range would be 8-10 yr. old).

    You said: “Something that’s easy to read and exciting for MG but also bright and interesting for littler kids. Do you think that would work?”  The answer is ‘yes’; it really depends on exactly how old these little kids are.  Normally, younger kids won’t be as interested in stories for older kids because it’s harder for them to relate.  And vice versa.  Think about your favorite story and how you felt when you related to the protagonist.  We as readers want to identify with the main character.  And it’s definitely true of kids.  My sister and our friends loved Narnia when we were younger, because we related to, or looked up to, the characters.  There are some stories that I believe can fit what you’re looking for.  One is Narnia.  The other is The Wizard of Oz.  My sister reads a lot of MG (both older and younger), and when I asked her opinion, she thinks that those two books definitely fit younger MG.

    I was a bit older than middle-grade when my family reread Narnia or the Oz books for my younger sisters.  So, the reason I say that your idea could work is because some families have several children across the age spectrum; and they like to read aloud together as a family.

    So, my advice is to aim for younger middle-grade readers.  Have a protagonist around that age, so kids can relate to them (it’s harder to relate to someone who’s waay older than them, like high school or college aged kids).

    And as a side note, MG can be compelling, but less violent and no swear words (unless it’s older MG; in that case, it varies somewhat).  And the protagonist can have adult help, but ultimately they find a way to overcome the story’s problem.  Read a lot of MG books and early reader chapter books, if you can.  That way, you can get a feel for what works for kids and for that particular genre.

    Sorry if that was a lot to take in.  🙂  I hope this was helpful.

    We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master. — Ernest Hemingway

    #116432
    Abigail Rebekah
    @abigail-rebekah

    @imwritehere1920

    Wow…that was great advice. (You did a way better job than me)


    @arindown

    What Lily said 😉

    ~ Laugh. Drink Coffee. Smile. And Write ~

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