One of the obstacles I found in the writing process for a children’s book was the giant problem of writing small. Sometimes it seems strange to me that this would be my problem, because, though I can be long winded once I get into the flow, I also have a tendency, annoying as it is, to be blunt in my story telling, and tell instead of show.
Example: “A boy is mocked and bullied for not following the rules stereotypical boys live by. Another child stands by him and gives him the moral support he needs and helps him find his own inner courage to accept himself as who he is and not let others force him into the box they have devised for him.”
This is a fine synopsis of my children’s book “Boys Will Be Boys”. I will probably use the same for a jacket flap, when I get it published in hard cover. However, this does not a book make. Not only is it a very short story, it is also a short paragraph. I wrote a longer synopsis for the back of the soft cover version of the book because the description was too concise and blunt otherwise. (Now, this is all just an example of what has taken place during my writing of other stories, some of which are still refusing to flesh out. “Boys Will Be Boys” was used only as an example because it is already published.)
This is how my writing is working out; some stories come out larger than I need, and some come out smaller than I need. Eventually, like with “Boys Will Be Boys”, one winds up being exactly what I need.
Before we go too much farther, let me say this: don’t throw away your ideas. If they don’t work out, set them aside and let them ferment. I have ideas that are still waiting for that moment in which they can become workable children’s books. I have learned that forcing them just seems to cause my head to hurt and smother my excitement. Now, I just have to find out how well the tips, about setting the work aside for a while, works for me. Time will tell, so bear with me.
Some tips I have heard are things like, “Why use five words when you can say the same thing with one.”, “Make sure you don’t repeat yourself.”, and “You don’t have to tell every detail to tell the whole story.”
The best advice I can give you, (while I still struggle with this ‘long story short’ problem, myself) is; do what works best for you. I can think of two ways to handle this situation. Here they are.
1. First, write. Get your ideas out, allow yourself to get long winded. Then, if you have the nerve, cut out your heart; trim off everything that sounds beautiful to your ears, and you poured yourself into, but doesn’t move the story forward at its optimal speed. If you don’t need it, cut it. I feel your pain. I have been there, unwilling to make the brutal cut. Just make sure not to cut too much and leave it bare. You are trimming a garden shrub. There should still be branches left and those should be only the most helpful and nourishing to the story plant.
2. First, outline. Get your pared down version onto paper or screen. Now, fill in the gaps. If it looks like you are rushing over a piece add a little more, being careful not to let yourself go wild, so you don’t get into the same mess as before where you must remove parts that you wept, laughed, and sighed over. When all the holes are filled up and the book is the size you need it, give yourself a hug, a pat on the back… you get the idea.
There might be more methods than the two I just mentioned, don’t be afraid to ask for many opinions and don’t be afraid to go your own way. Writing is supposed to be creative, so… be creative. While looking for help from others do not let their tips become dogma, binding you into another persons creative process instead of your own. It is up to you to decide which suggestions (for that is what they are), you will hold firm, which you will bend, and which you will toss over your shoulder as something that is useful to others, but not to you. My suggestions are no exception.
Here is one more item I want to talk about though it is slightly off subject. I think it needs to be said and this seems to be a fine enough time to say it. This is something I have noted from reading, listening to people talk to children, and watching children’s shows. (Hey, I was a child once.) Please, I can’t stress this enough, in your effort to write simply for the children and shorten your word count at the same time, do not, I repeat, do not talk down to the children. They are intelligent beings. All talking down to them and condescending to them will do is cause them to resent your writing, and/or, much worse, undermine their sense of their own intelligence. As an whole, such things rankle. I still get annoyed by a condescending tone in writing, and I’m not a child anymore. How much more will it annoy the children who know they are being talked down to?
Now, one last piece of advice. I am still following this advice and figure I will continue to follow this advice long into the future. Practice, practice, practice. You can’t expect to get better at anything without continued effort, failures, learning from the failures, and new efforts.
Though it all, remember, enjoy the wonder.
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