Writing a Children's Book
Lesson 4: Shaping and Pacing.
Specific level - Senior Chapter Books.
Senior Chapter Books come in between JCBs and YA novels. They are almost always longer than the JCB, but not necessarily shorter than the YA novel. The length is fairly elastic, and seems to have as much to do with fashion and different publishing companies as anything else.
SCBs can be 20,000 words or 70,000 words or even longer, but many of them, including "Alien Dawn", fall in the 40 – 50,000 word area, which makes them just a little shorter than a 55,000 word category romance.
JCBs often fall into the 64 or 128 page range, but SCBs are inclined to be 200 pages or more. “Alien Dawn”, for example, is 214 pages long.
The extra length allows for more complex plotting, more characters and more complicated themes. Characters can have more shades of grey in their makeup, and moral issues and physical danger can be more extreme.
Fantasy (with the exception of books about witches and wizards, which might still upset editors) can be stronger, and fantasy themes and concerns can be treated with less explanation.
The readers of SCBs not only tend to be older than the children reading JCBs, but they have more experience of a wider range of subjects. They have encountered more different kinds of narrative, and should have begun to think analytically and objectively. Their imaginations are still free ranging, but they are able to put themselves more securely in others’ shoes.
A seven-year-old JCB reader might imagine herself flying with birds, but the SCB reader will see the dangers and difficulties as well as the fun.
A SCB can have a multi stranded plot, and it can be told from multiple viewpoints. First Person narratives are still popular at this level, but so are Third Person viewpoints. Older characters can be presented from the inside, as readers should understand that adults have feelings, get frightened or worried or lonely just as children do.
Animal characters are quite popular. Sports and group events like performances are interesting. Mixed groups of girls and boys can be used in the context of school activities, or in cases of siblings and cousins, but it’s less likely that a boy and girl will become friends spontaneously in a realistic story. If you are writing a fantasy or adventure, girl/boy companions can still be used, especially if they are thrown together without their consent. There is no need to go into the sexist routine of boys not wanting to associate with girls, but in real life most friendships at this age group tend to be single sex.
I say most because there are always some boys who actively seek feminine company when they’re eleven or twelve. They seem to relate well to female teachers, too, so it isn’t romantic attachment. Conversely some girls will associate with boys because boys are more likely to be interested in the activities they find congenial.
There are also rare cases of boyfriend/girlfriend relationships between children of eleven or twelve, but these are usually between children who are teenagers in everything except actual years.
It is tempting to write about the latest crazes and interests in the preteen sets, but with the long gap between a novel’s conception and its publication, (even if it is accepted by the first editor who sees it) this can result on your book being out of date before it hits the shelves. It is better to get the overall impression of interests and relationships between the 8-13s than to use too many specifics.
If possible, you should observe a wide cross section of children in your target age group. See how they treat one another, how they interact with older and younger people, and whether or not they have begun to develop an interest in physical appearance.
See whether they go about in groups, pairs or singly. If you see them out with their parents, see if they seem happy in older company, or if they constantly hang back. If you see a girl shopping with her mother or father, watch to see if she helps put things in the trolley, or if she argues or distances herself.
By noticing a wide variety of real older children, you will begin to get a fix on the modern child’s attitudes, interests and appearance.
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