Writing a Children's Book

Lesson 1: Writing for Children

Supplement - Definitions.

In every lesson of this course, there will be a supplementary section like this one. Most of the supplementaries will talk in depth about one of the levels, but this one will cover and define specific terms we will be using in the course, as well as a few terms you will probably hear from other writers and/or editors.

Antagonist. The element in a story that runs counter to the wishes of the protagonist. The antagonist is usually a character, but may be a circumstance. An antagonist is not necessarily an enemy, and is not necessarily negative. Antagonists sometimes become friends, and some of them are friends of the protagonist to start with.

Author/illustrator. A person who writes and illustrates books.

Camera ready. A manuscript or illustration ready for printing.

Carnegie Medal – a British children’s book award.

CBC – Children’s Book Council. A body of people that (among other things) judges the Australian Children’s Book of the Year. CBC Awards.

Chapter Book - Book that is broken up into chapters, usually for preteen readers.

Character. The characters in a story are the people or other living things that drive the plot. Custom demands that characters are sentient. A cereal box on legs could be a character, as long as it is self-aware.

Climax. The climax of a story is the most dramatic point. It usually comes close to the end.

Commissioning editor. An editor who has the power to commission work.

Conflict, external and internal. Conflict is the element that makes a book exciting. Conflict can occur between two characters or between a character and events, or between character and inanimate things such as weather or time. This is called external conflict. Sometimes conflict occurs within the protagonist, usually be cause s/he wants to do something and knows it’s wrong or impossible. This is called internal conflict. Moral conflict occurs when a character is doing something s/he knows is morally wrong, or sees someone else do it and is either unable to prevent it or fearful of the consequences of doing so.

Cumulative story. In a cumulative story, events happen more than once, with slight changes. The Great Big Enormous Turnip is a well-known cumulative story.

CV. This is your writing CV. If a publisher asks for it, they want to know your writing credits, including publications or contest places.

Drafts are the various stages of the complete manuscript. The first draft is the first complete writing of the manuscript. Most writers go through at least three drafts. These days, pure first or second drafts are rare. Many writers edit behind themselves as they go, so the first and second chapter might be second draft while the third is still at first draft and the fourth is unwritten.

Editing is improving a book or story by reading it through and making changes, Structural editing means improving the plot structure, while line editing and copy editing mean fixing small typos and other little errors. Style editing means smoothing out the stylistic problems.

Enemy. An enemy in a children’s book is usually the bad guy, but can also be someone with whom the protagonist has a personality clash.

Galley proof – the printed pages made from a manuscript and sent to the author for correction. Followed by (and occasionally replaced by) the page proof. Galleys and page proofs are sometimes electronic.

Greenaway Medal – children’s book award, named for Kate Greenaway.

Hard copy – a manuscript printed on paper.

High concept. (Also known as a “log line”.) The high concept is the story of your book distilled into a sentence of 25 words or fewer.

Illustration roughs, or roughs. Trial illustrations, sometimes sent to an author for approval.

JCB - Junior Chapter Book. A book that has chapters, and is intended for younger readers.

Kid lit, or kiddy lit. A colloquial term for children’s literature.

Manuscripts are unpublished books. Originally, the word “manuscript” meant “hand-written” (compare the word “manual”), but these days a manuscript can be computer generated. It can be a hard copy (printed on paper) or electronic file (existing on a floppy disk, hard drive or CD.) “Ms” is the usual abbreviation, and “mss” is the plural form.

Motivation. This is the reason why characters do things in a book. The character should always have a reason for behaving/acting as s/he does. Saying “s/he has to do it for the sake of the plot” won’t do.

Newbery Medal – An award given to American children’s books.

Pace. The speed with which story events follow one another in the book.

PB – Picture book or picture story book.

Plot. What happens in a book.

P.O.V. - Abbreviation for Point of View, otherwise known as “viewpoint”.

Precis. A précis is a short paragraph telling what kind of book you plan to write. A very short synopsis.

Proposal. If you’re asked for a proposal, you will probably be expected to write a document explaining to an editor why your potential book would be suited to his/her list. A proposal would contain a rationale, a synopsis, projected readership (such as…”would appeal to readers who enjoy Paul Jennings”) and perhaps a piece about themes and characters.

Protagonist. A protagonist is the main character in a story. Some people use the words hero and heroine, but these are tending to become specific to romances. A protagonist need not be heroic. A secondary protagonist is known as a “co-protagonist”.

Rationale. The rationale of a book proposal is the reasoning that explains why this book should be written or published. It is also the motivation behind some plot points.

Resolution. The resolution of a story is the end of the plot, showing how the main problem/conflict is solved.

RS - Reading Scheme Novel.

Sample and Synopsis. (also known colloquially as “Synopsis and Three”). This means a full synopsis of your novel, plus three sample chapters. These are always the first three. Occasionally only one sample chapter will be needed, in which case you should send the first.

SCB - Senior Chapter Book. A book that has chapters, and is intended for older readers.

Scene - Like a scene n a play. Something that happens to one or more characters in the same place and time.

Sim-sub - Simultaneus Submission. This means sending a manuscript to more than one publisher at a time. It is usually frowned on, but a few publishers allow it. The ones that do so insist that you should put the words "Simultaneus Submission" on the cover page of the ms.

SitNor – Situation Normal. The base state of your characters when the novel begins.

Story Events. The major events that happen in the book. The things that move the plot along.

Sub - Can mean to "sub-edit" but usually this is author-speak for "submission" of a manuscript. Can be used as a noun or verb.

Synopsis. A synopsis can be short or long, detailed or brief. It can be chapter-by-chapter or general. All synopses present the main plot and point of a book, including the major conflict and how it is resolved. Any synopsis must include the ending.

Theme. The non-concrete happenings in a book. The meaning of the book.

W.i.p. is the short form of “work in progress” which means a partially written novel or story.

YA - Young Adult. Teenaged readers.

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