Writers and Authors On Fire CAN Author Interviews

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Writers and Authors On Fire Podcast Host, John Vonhoff, discusses writing, writing life, writing lessons, and the best tips to be a successful author with his guests. Listen to episodes below by clicking on the link.   Cheri Cowell is an accomplished author, speaker, and owner of EABooks Publishing. Dr. Michelle Bengtson is the author of Hope Prevails, a book about depression. Sydney Avey writes literary fiction about the human experience. Jane Daley has written two nonfiction books about life’s hard issues. Sherry Kyle is an author of novels for women and books for tween girls. Crystal Bowman is a children’s…

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So You Want to Write for Children?

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When people find out I write books for children, their response often goes something like this: “Oh, how fun! I have always wanted to write a children’s book.” Writing for children is fun, but fun does not mean easy. And the more you learn, the harder it gets! If you are someone who wants to try writing for children, here are a few basic tips on how to get started.

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Ten More Tips on Writing for Children

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Hello from Crystal Bowman! In my twenty-plus years of writing for children, I have met many writers who want to write for children because they think it would be fun. Yes–it is fun, but far from easy. It’s a craft that needs to be mastered just like anything else. The more you know about writing for children, the harder it gets. It is very difficult to break into publishing with a children’s book, so the more you know, the more you increase your chances. In January I posted seven tips on writing for children. Today I am offering ten more….

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The Name Game

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Hello from Crystal Bowman! I have been writing books for children for over 20 years and have learned a few things along the way. Writing for children is much harder than most people realize. The challenge is to write an engaging, creative story using limited vocabulary and word count. Another thing to consider is naming your characters. The characters in a book may be animals or humans, but either way, they need names—and choosing the right name is important!

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Seven Tips on Writing for Children

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Hello from Crystal Bowman! I have been writing for children for over 20 years. Before writing my first book, I spent 5 years as a preschool teacher and 12 years as a full-time mom. From my twenties to my forties, young children were part of my daily life. I am now in another decade with grandchildren, so I still have little ones in my world. When I teach at writers’ conferences, or when someone wants advice on writing for children, I always remind them that they have to know kids in order to write for them. They need to understand…

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What Kind of Children’s Book — Part 2

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In my last post titled What Kind of Children’s Book? I explained that it’s important for writers of children’s literature to know what subgenre they want to write for. When presenting a proposal to an agent or editor, writers need to know where their book will fit in the market. I discussed three of the primary subgenres: boardbook, preschool picture book, and the standard 32-page picture book.

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Writing for Children Part 2–Preschool Picture Books

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Last time, I posted a blog on Writing for Children (Part 1), and addressed the challenge of writing boardbooks. The next sub-genre in the genre of children’s literature is what I call the preschool picture book. This is not the 32-page picture book with a full plot and story (i.e. beginning, middle, and happy ending). The books in this category are books that consist mainly of word play. What do I mean by "word play"? Glad you asked.

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The Challenge of Writing for Children–Part 1: Boardbooks

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Many writers want to write a children’s book because they think it would be fun. Writing for children is fun, but fun does not mean easy! In fact, the more you learn about writing for children, the harder it gets. Most writers think of the standard 32-page picture book when they consider writing a children’s book, but there are other sub-genres within the genre of children’s literature that writers need to be familiar with.

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