Writing My First Book For Young Readers
WHAT ARE KIDS looking for when they pick up a book? Do they want to read about adventure, danger, relationships, or superhero animals? Like adults, each young reader is unique, and what they want out of a book will vary from reader to reader.
As a kid, books by Beverly Cleary and Shel Silverstein meant a lot to me. I grew up in a much simpler time, though, when there was adult fiction and children’s fiction, and not much else in between. Today, the literary world has become a complex and confusing place, full of genres and sub genres and writing workshops and targeted marketing.
I published my first book of adult fiction in 2019. That process was exciting and enjoyable, but I wanted my next book to be something a bit different. So, I set my sights upon writing a collection of stories for young readers. With three young children, I thought it would be nice to write a book that they could read and share with their friends in our neighborhood and at school. Kaia and the Whale: Stories was completed over the summer and was published this month.
Below are a few things that I learned during the process of writing my first book for young readers.
Keep It Simple
This piece of advice does not just apply to the actual prose you will write, but it also applies to the concept for your book. I prefer to keep things loose, and to let the stories flow naturally. I do not outline my stories, I just sit down and write them. Likewise, I did not give much thought to genres and sub genres, as I believe that the hyper-classification of modern literature has worked to stifle creativity, resulting in too many books that are lacking in originality.
It is important to keep sentence structure and paragraphs simple. However, I also took into account that kids today are far more advanced than I was in elementary school. They are expected to read more serious literature at a younger age, and they are expected to read more books per month (which is wonderful!). Therefore, I was not completely reluctant to use big words when I felt confident that they would be understood by a reader above the age of eight.
It also seems important to limit the number of characters in any given story, so that a nine or 10-year-old can easily follow along. It is not my practice to use a significant amount of dialogue in my stories anyway, so this was not much of a challenge for my book.
Move Your Story Fast
Kids’ brains are still developing, and if you do not capture their attention quickly, they will close your book and move onto something else. I used quite a few adjectives and lengthy descriptions in Kaia and the Whale, but I made most sections shorter than I typically would in an adult book.
But just because you move your story along quickly does not mean that you cannot write a long story. Two of the stories in my book ended up being longer than 50 pages, and could have been published as standalone novelettes. What is important is that something new and exciting is happening on each and every page, as if you are writing a book for adults that is being processed at double speed.
Line Spacing, Font, and Book Size
Typically, my preference is to publish a book that is 6” x 9” in size. But with children, their hands are small and a book that size would be difficult for them to hold. Therefore, I chose to publish Kaia and the Whale in paperback, at 5” x 8”.
Pick a font that is easy to read — size 12 is good. For my adult fiction books that are 6” x 9”, I prefer Georgia font (what you are reading now on Medium). With a smaller book, however, Georgia font was too large, so I went with Baskerville Old Face instead. There is nothing wrong with going with traditional Times New Roman, as well. Just make sure to use a font that kids can recognize and read easily.
As to line spacing, I think it is important to avoid single spacing, so I went with 1 ½ spacing. I use 1 ½ spacing for my adult books as well, as that is my personal preference as a reader. If there is sufficient space between lines, the book will be easier to read and will be less intimidating for a young reader, especially if your book is on the longer side (Kaia and the Whale is 256 pages).
Take Chances, But Be Cautious
No one wants to read a boring book, especially a child. At the same time, the writer must always remember that the book is being written for a young person with a developing brain. If you think that one of your stories is a bit much for a young reader due to the content, err on the side of caution and rework the story.
For example, one of the stories in my book is entitled Little Stevie and the Crow. That story is about a boy who finds a dead crow on the sidewalk one day when he is walking to school. He then devises a plan to jolt the dead crow back to life, and the crow then becomes his buddy and pet. I was a bit concerned that the concept of the death of an animal could be inappropriate if written the wrong way, but I reworked the story until it was tasteful and charming (that was my goal, at least!).
Stay Loose
I am not a big fan of the current level of stifling categorization in modern literature. The goal of any writer should be to leave behind a good body of work, and to create something new and original. I often found it helpful to simply close my eyes and pretend I was an 11-year-old boy again when I was working on these stories.
So if you set out to write fiction for young readers, stay loose, have fun, and let your inner child carry your mind along the way!
Are you looking for a fantastic Christmas stocking stuffer for middle grade readers in your family? Check out J.S. Lender’s new book “Kaia and the Whale: Stories.”
Copyright 2020 J.S. Lender
