Writing for Children: Part 1

The Adventure of a Lifetime

 

Are you considering writing a book for children? Maybe you have a young child in your family that loves to be told stories? Or you work with children at a school and they love storytelling time? Or you volunteer at a library and you help out by reading stories in the children’s area?

 

Well, whatever the reason that drives you to consider writing a children’s book, I say go for it!

 

For some years now I’ve been writing and reading my stories at the Children’s Library in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. When we all get together for a storytelling session, I find myself being completely transported into a place of wonder, just like all the children. It’s fun!

 

Conceiving and writing a children’s story will be challenging and to get it just right you will go through dozens of drafts. Yet, it’s very rewarding because when you are reading your story to a group of children and you see on their faces that they are fully onboard, then, at that magic moment, you will realize that you are on the adventure of a lifetime.

 

 

Let Your Main Character Find You

 

How do you start writing a children’s story?

 

Well, I say, first, don’t worry about the level of difficulty of words or length of sentences or who will do the illustrations for your book. Just relax because those things will fall into place.

 

What you do need to do first is to let your main character find you! Yes! Let the character into your life and run with it! Let the main character take you by the hand and guide you through your storytelling adventure.

 

This is a process that has happened to me a couple of times. Let me explain.

 

 

Never say “NO” to a Story Idea

 

In 2015 my first book for children was published. It’s a bilingual edition titled in Spanish, Nena se va de camino con sus amigos, and in English, Nena Goes for a Walk with her Friends.

 

In April of 2019 my second children’s book, also a bilingual edition, was published: En barco de papel: La aventura de María Angelina y su papá Eugenio María de Hostos/In the Paper Boat: The Adventure of María Angelina and her Papa Eugenio María de Hostos.

 

Both books came to me in unexpected ways. For the Nena book, a good friend from the Dominican Republic who is a biologist and mycologist asked me if I could write a story for children about mushrooms. He told me he wanted children not to fear wild mushrooms as “poisonous” but see them as “friends” and as “recyclers” of organic matter. I confess, I had no idea how to do this, but I didn’t say “NO” to my friend’s request, instead, I agreed to think about it, actually, just keep the story idea in the back of my mind. That’s it because I didn’t really think anything was going to happen here since my knowledge of mushrooms is limited to the ones I buy at the supermarket plus I had no formal training in writing for children. But was I wrong!