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Writing About the Arts

© Sue Reichard

The arts are a very important part of a child's life. Drama, music, learning to play an instrument — all these enrich a child's life. Unfortunately, due to budget considerations, many school districts are cutting back or cutting out the arts. Writing about the arts for children is another way to bring this enrichment to a child. A child who learns to appreciate the arts will often grow to be a supporter of the arts as an adult.

Magazines such as Highlights and Cricket often publish articles on the arts. It is best to write a detailed query to the editor first, before attempting to write a whole article. Do not try to cover a whole field, but narrow your focus. If you want to write about drama, do not try to cover the whole topic of drama, but choose a small facet and write about that.

The arts are also a great way to introduce children to another culture. Egyptian art, African music and dancing from Latin America are three broad topics that would serve both the arts and culture.

Some children's magazines like to focus on art history or music history. These magazines would welcome profiles and interviews with contemporary artists, or biographies of past contributors to the arts. If you choose to write a biography, give it a fresh approach and do not make it just a chronological story. There are some publishers that do series of artists biographies. These biographies include all disciplines of the arts such as dancers, sculpters, poets, scientists, inventors and others.

Millbrook Press publishes books on the arts for schools and libraries. These books must be entertaining and useful in the classroom as well.

There are also publishers who only look for stories about contemporary artists, such as rock singers and current movie or television celebrities.

If you decide you want to write about the arts, make sure your query to the publisher is crystal clear and focused. Make sure to mention your sources and any interviews you will do. Publishers can tell your passion from your query letter. This is, of course, the first sample of your writing a publisher will see.

Check Writer's Market or other publisher resources to find publishers who specialize in the arts. Check Children's Magazine Market for those who publish articles on the arts. When you find a market that interests you, make sure you write for their theme list and guidelines.

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