- 1). Determine what age group of children you want to reach with your books. A good book about writing for children will offer details about writing for each age group. Some options include picture books for younger children, early readers for those just learning to read, chapter books for the 7 to 10 age group, middle grade books for kids aged 8 to 12 and young adult novels for tweens and teens.
- 2). Read several books in the genre and age group of your interest. Stay abreast of the popular trends in children's books, especially series stories. Study what makes the characters strong enough to sustain an audience for several books in a row.
- 3). Create a handful of characters who will be featured in each book in the series. Children love to read about kids their age or those a few years older than themselves. Give each character unique names and personality traits so children do not confuse them with one another.
- 4). Choose your setting and time period. Will your stories focus around a school, farm, orphanage or large city? Do you want to write historical stories, contemporaries or futuristic tales? Select a setting and era that gives you plenty of options to work with for future books in the series, or determine to change the location for successive tales.
- 5). Include a mystery in your story. Kids love to solve puzzles, riddles and mysteries. A mystery or a problem that must be resolved will keep them turning the pages long after mom and dad tell them to turn out the lights. Keep them eager to read the next book in the series by making every page exciting.
- 6). Include plenty of realistic dialogue. Don't rely on narrative alone to move your story forward. Fast forward the action with plenty of conversation. Listen to how children you know speak and imitate their style.
- 7). Write every day. Even if it's only for 5 to 10 minutes at a time or a paragraph here and a page there, keep your story moving forward. Leaving a book sit for too long makes it hard to return to. As you write, jot down ideas for future stories in your series.
- 8). Read your story when you're finished and make sure that it has a beginning, middle and end. All stories must follow a natural progression. The ending is just as important as the beginning. End your book with an indication of the adventures to take place in the next book in the series.
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