Info

Writing for Children

Do you want to learn how to write a children's book? Make money writing for children's magazines? Since 1969, The Institute of Children's Literature has taught over 470,205 aspiring writers. Listen to the director of both The Institute for Writers and The Institute of Children's Literature and bestselling children's author Katie Davis host the show as she focuses on the craft of writing for children. She talks about how to write a children’s book, how to write for children’s magazines, how to get paid for your writing, and how to get published in the world of kidlit. There are hard-to-find resources, tips, and links included in every week's show notes. And, don't forget to check out the Institute of Children's Literature where you can be paired with a one-on-one mentor and learned to create polished and engaging projects that publishers are looking for in today's children's market.
RSS Feed Subscribe in Apple Podcasts
2021
May
April
March
February
January


2020
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2019
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2018
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2017
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2016
December
November
October
September
August
July
June


Categories

All Episodes
Archives
Categories
Now displaying: Page 4
Oct 4, 2019

 INTERVIEW WITH SUSAN CAMPBELL BARTOLETTI

Susan Campbell Bartoletti is the author of picture books, novels, and nonfiction for children, including the Newbery Honor book Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow, the Sibert Medal-winning Black Potatoes, and Dear America: A Coal Miner's Bride. Her work has received dozens of awards and honors, including the NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Nonfiction, the SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction, and the Jane Addams Children's Book Award.

We discuss:

  • Research pitfalls and how to avoid them
  • First steps writers just starting out

 

Let a one-on-one mentor help you hone your revision skills and polish your work so it shines in your submissions to agents and publishers! Get started here!

Sep 28, 2019

RESHAPING YOUR STORY PART 2

Last week, we started talking about how to assess your story’s structure, specifically its beginning. You can find that episode at writingforchildren.com/167. Today, we’re focusing on managing the middle of your story and getting to the tidy, yet satisfying, ending.

 

Let a one-on-one mentor help you hone your revision skills and polish your work so it shines in your submissions to agents and publishers! Get started here!

Sep 20, 2019

RESHAPING YOUR STORY PART 1

You’ve finished a draft (or several drafts) of a story you’re excited about. You set it aside to cool for several days, then reread it. While you’re still pleased with the story, you have to admit it needs more work—not just polishing, but re-engineering for better pace, suspense, and focus.

If you’re like most writers, you may also find it’s run considerably over the word length you were aiming for, an important consideration if you’re planning to submit the story to editors.

Today we talk about where to begin reshaping your story.

 

Be sure to catch Reshaping Your Story Part 2 here!

Sep 13, 2019

DON'T REVISE BY YOURSELF

When you’re about to begin revising a piece of writing, it can seem so daunting you may be tempted to bury the darn thing at the bottom of your sweater drawer, then go hide somewhere (say, at the beach) for a few weeks.

But, you’re listening to this podcast, so you’re in luck! Author and IFW Guest Blogger Rita Reali is also a freelance editor and today we bring you her advice on why you should get fresh eyes on your manuscript once you’re ready to revise.  

 

Let a one-on-one mentor help you hone your revision skills and polish your work so it shines in your submissions to agents and publishers! Get started here!

Sep 6, 2019

INTERVIEW WITH RENEE LATULIPPE

Renée M. LaTulippe has poems published in many anthologies including School People (ed. Lee Bennett Hopkins), and National Geographic's The Poetry of US and Book of Nature Poetry (both ed. J. Patrick Lewis) to name a few. Renée developed and teaches the online course The Lyrical Language Lab: Punching Up Prose with Poetry and blogs on children’s poetry at NoWaterRiver.com.

We talk about:

  • What are common mistakes new writers make?
  • How do you eliminate too much description but still give readers the flavor of your character and setting?
  • Should all writers study poetry or just writers writing in rhyme?
  • Favorite revision tips?

 

Let a one-on-one mentor help you hone your revision skills and polish your work so it shines in your submissions to agents and publishers! Get started here!

Aug 30, 2019

GUEST EXPERT PASCALE DUGUAY

Pascale Duguay is a freelance writer, French/English translator, and high school librarian. Her freelance writing includes articles on books, writing, personal essays, children's short stories, games, activities, and more. We talk about:

  • The biggest differences between writing for magazines and writing for books
  • How much research you need to do before querying a magazine
  • How to take advantage of editorial calendars
  • And more!

 

Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our free weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news

Aug 23, 2019

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING TO GO TO A WRITING CONFERENCE PART 2

In last week's episode, we talked about how to choose the conference you want to go to. This week, we'll touch on what to expect when you get there, what to wear, what to take, and what not to do.

 

Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our free weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news

Aug 16, 2019

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A WRITING CONFERENCE PART 1

Many people sign up for writing conferences hoping they’ll send a manuscript home with an editor, or even better, be offered a contract right there at the conference. Has that ever happened at a conference? Probably. But you’re much more likely to come home with a cold than a contract. Does this mean writing conferences aren’t worth your time and money? Not at all. It does mean that you need to know what you can expect to gain from a conference so you can prepare for all it has to offer.

Listen to Part 2 here: www.instituteforwriters.com/setting-conference-expectations-part-2

Aug 9, 2019

PROTECTING YOUR REPUTATION

Whether we like it or not, social media is a part of our current culture. Just like most things in life, social media can have amazing benefits for writers. There are authors whose books were first pitched on Twitter and liked by an editor which led to a book deal. Who knows how many critique groups have formed in writing groups on Facebook. And, of course, let’s not leave out the ability to market your book yourself through your social media channels. The world has opened up for writers in a big way over the last 10-15 years. Today we're going to talk about the downside and how to protect yourself and your reputation.

 

Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our free weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news

Aug 2, 2019

GUEST EXPERT DAVID KATZ

The producer of the Kauai Writers Conference gives tips for attending conferences and the benefits writers get by involved in face-to-face sessions with authors, agents, and editors.


Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our free weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news

Jul 26, 2019

34 THINGS YOU NEED FOR YOUR WEBSITE PART 2

In last week's episode, we talked about the first 17 things you need for your author websites. Part 2 brings us the next 17 things including social media, your about page, SEO, and more! 

 

Listen to Part 1 here: www.instituteforwriters.com/34-things-your-website-needs-part-1/

Jul 19, 2019

34 THINGS YOU NEED FOR YOUR WEBSITE PART 1

Author websites are important in 21st century publishing. Consider your website your business card to the world. So, what should be on your website? Listen to the podcast to get started.

 

Listen to Part 2 here: www.instituteforwriters.com/34-things-your-website-needs-part-2/

Jul 12, 2019

CREATE YOUR AUTHOR PLATFORM

What IS a platform? It’s your visibility. The wider your reach, the more books you can sell. What you do with your platform is try to reach (in an authentic way) your target audience.

It’s all about connecting—with people on a real level and because of your reach, you are able to sell books. It’s not about being in people’s faces and hollering about buying your book.

So, who needs a platform and where do you begin? Let's talk about it in this episode.

 

Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our free weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news

Jul 5, 2019

INTERVIEW WITH JOSH FUNK

Josh Funk writes silly stories and somehow tricks people into publishing them as books—such as the Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast series and How to Code a Sandcastle. Josh is also known for his expertise in social media, building an author platform before he was published, and connecting with the writing (and reading) community.

We discuss:

  • where to find Josh online.
  • how he built his author platform.
  • what he finds most effective.
  • why you need a platform before you have a published book.
  • what to put on your website if you don't have a book published yet!

 

Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our free weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news

Jun 29, 2019

MEMOIR OR BIOGRAPHY?

One of the most common ways to take real life experiences and turn them into stories or books is to tell the stories of our own life. In this episode, we talk about the difference between a memoir and an autobiography and how to decide which one might be best for telling the story you want to tell.

 

Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our free weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news

Jun 21, 2019

BEING INSPIRED BY EVERYDAY OBJECTS

It's human nature to become attached to things. We connect specific memories to objects: when we received it, who we received it from, how we've used it. Also, objects are wonderfully concrete and specific, we feel the weight of them in our hands and see the effects of age on the object. As a result, objects can also make wonderful story and poetry starters.

 

Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our free weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news

Jun 14, 2019

CREATING CHARACTERS INSPIRED BY REAL LIFE

One way to find great characters is to look in the world around you. This seems relatively simple but may actually be harder than it sounds. Why? Because the key to creating vivid characters is writing them objectively and letting the reader draw their own conclusions.

What does it mean to be objective when writing about your characters? In this episode, we work through an ICL exercise to help you see the world, and the characters in it, more objectively.

 

Get a one-on-one mentor to help you get your characters in shape for publication! Get started here!

Jun 7, 2019

AN INTERVIEW WITH JERRY CRAFT

JERRY CRAFT is an author and illustrator who has worked on numerous picture books, graphic novels, and middle grade novels. His newest book, New Kid, is a middle grade graphic novel that has earned four starred reviews, including one from Booklist Magazine that called it "Possibly one of the most important graphic novels of the year."

We talk about:

  • How turning your real life experiences into fiction is different than writing straight to fiction.
  • How to take real life moments and turn them into fiction.
  • How not to make it just a retelling of real life.

 

Let a one-on-one mentor help you get that book out of your head and onto the page. Get started here!

May 31, 2019

POINT OF VIEW AS A TOOL

This and last week’s podcast is based on an article written by author and former ICL instructor Chris Eboch which touches on engaging your reader and gives some strong examples. In our episode 150, we talked about using vivid nouns and verbs instead of vague description to engage your reader in your story. In part two, we’re delving into using point of view for the purposes of showing.

 

Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our free weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news

May 24, 2019

CONVEY THE WORLD OF YOUR STORY

An important part of setting the stage for your story is to convey the world of your story in a way that engages the reader and doesn’t just dump a bunch of facts in their lap. I recently read an article written by author and former ICL instructor Chris Eboch that touches on this point with some strong examples. It’s so good, we’ll be talking about it for two weeks. Let’s get started with part one.

 

Listen to Part 2 here: www.instituteforwriters.com/sophisticated-show-and-tell-part-2

 

May 17, 2019

GIVE YOUR CHARACTERS SOMETHING TO DO

Summed up to its essential core, a plot is the result of applying pressure to a character to the degree that the character must act in reaction to the pressure. The pressure you apply and the reaction to it will be directly tied to the character you’ve created.

An impulsive, brave, active child will take very little pressure to be pushed into an adventure, but an “easy” plot like that is rarely very satisfying for the reader. Let's talk about ways to up the pressure and keep your readers engaged.

 

Let a one-on-one mentor help you get those characters out of your head and onto the page. Get started here!

May 10, 2019

HOW TO EVOKE DETAIL IN YOUR WRITING

Today we’re talking about the art of description. This episode is inspired by Assignment 3 in the Writing for Children and Teens course. We’re going to focus on evoking in detail a particular place you remember from your childhood. That word “detail” is important, because, if you think about it, specifics are what bring a subject to life on the page—and the elements that make for interesting reading.

 

Get a one-on-one mentor to help you write publishable work that agents and publishers are looking for! Get started here!

May 3, 2019

AN INTERVIEW WITH EMMA D. DRYDEN

Emma D. Dryden founded drydenbks LLC (www.drydenbks.com), a premiere children’s editorial & publishing consultancy firm, after 25 years experience as editor and publisher of Margaret K. McElderry Books and Atheneum Books for Young Readers, imprints of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. We are thrilled to bring you her expertise on setting and world building in this month's interview.

We talk about:

  • The best way to help your reader feel like they’re in your world without “telling” and creating prolonged descriptions.
  • Great metaphors for emotions (and a way to show not tell).
  • How to avoid cliched characters.
  • What to do when readers tell you they’re not believing your character.
  • The biggest mistakes Emma often sees when people are trying to set the stage.

 

Let a one-on-one mentor to help you write publishable work that agents and publishers are looking for! Get started here!

Apr 26, 2019

PROCRASTINATION IS A SELF-FULFILLING CYCLE

When we first took over the Institute for Writers, I wanted to help our community of writers—our students—so I polled them and asked, "What do you think the top two reasons are for not starting (or continuing) your book?"

I thought the big answer would be "getting an agent" or “lack of publishing knowledge”, or something like that. The top answer by far was procrastination. Procrastination can grab hold and become a habit. It can allow you to play mind games with yourself.

So, let's talk about nine ways you can keep yourself from getting stuck in your writing.

 

Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our free weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news

Apr 19, 2019

WRITING OFF THE BEATEN PATH

Today, publishing is a massive world of opportunity with options far beyond what we tend to consider. Some writers maintain a narrow view of publishing throughout their career. For instance, I know a few self-published fantasy writers who wouldn't consider any other genre or any other mode of being published. They've found their place, and they love it. So living within a small slice of the vastness of publishing might be perfect for you.

On the other hand, if you feel like you've been running your head against the wall as you look for success, it could be that your view has been too narrow. You might be trying to fit into a niche that doesn't work well for you simply because you haven't considered the other options.

 

Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our free weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news

1 « Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next » 10