Tales for children are generally very light, educational and short readings; But they have to meet several criteria, to guarantee editorial success, to please the younger ones and above all, to captivate the greatest ones, who will choose whether or not to buy it.
Writing is not an easy task, often the inspiration disappears or the theme does not awaken as much interest as expected. However, there are a number of guidelines or rules, and tips that will help you achieve your goal. If you are determined to become the favorite little writer, this article is for you.
The first thing to do to write a children’s tale will be to search for references. No writer of any kind has written without reading the other authors or without being influenced by all or part of a book.
Begin by reading many children’s stories by analyzing each theme, how the characters interact, what is the morality, what is the language, what words the author uses to express himself.
Analyze even the colors of the pages, the illustrations, the size of the text: in a children’s tale everything has been reflected and, believe it or not, but the result is the most demanding and sincere also.
To write a children’s tale, it is also recommended to share time with children. Talk to your children, nephews, cousins, it is important to be attentive to their conversations, their ideas, to the things they love and the way they think life works. Observing their behaviors, behaviors and noting their preferences may be the key to finding the theme of the children’s story you want to write.
Do not leave the house without a notebook. On a daily basis, there are situations, conversations, landscapes, drawings and even unknown children, which can provide you with a moment of inspiration or reference to start writing a children’s tale.
Note on your notebook everything you think is useful for your stories, the name of a character, the physical characteristics of the protagonist, the place where you want the facts to take place … Going out for a walk is an ideal exercise for Discover and invent stories.
Each tale has a beginning that invites the reader to know the subject of the book. Then there is the development of the story in which the dialogues between the different characters appear and the events happen, and where conflict usually appears. Finally, there is the end where conflict is resolved and gives rise to morality. It is very important that at the end the reader understands the exact message of the teaching you want to convey.
Here is the classic structure found in all tales:
- The initial situation: it is the setting in which the characters have always evolved, their daily life, empty of action and adventures.
- The trigger: something disturbs the balance and forces the hero or heroes out of their routine and goes on an adventure.
- The adventures: a series of tests that will have to pass the hero or heroes. The main character meets mediators and enemies: some help him while others try to make him fail.
- The fall: it is the climax of history; The hero faces the final test and is about to succeed.
The final situation: the return to calm and the new balance. Try to make the end happy for the kids.
To write a children’s tale, you must make a diagram of the characters. Write the story of each one separately and begin to describe and know them. The age they have, what they like, where they live, how they interact with each other, why they know each other, whether they are human, whether they are animals, Information about your characters should appear on this diagram, which will allow you to speed up the writing and use of connectives and adjectives in the story.
To write a children’s tale, remember that it is a tale and not a book. Long and complex texts are not the favorites of the smallest, so do not exceed the two pages of text. This does not mean that your children’s story will only be two pages long, remember that it will be accompanied by drawings and illustrations.
You must also choose to whom you are going to write your children’s tale. This is very important for the realization of narration and dialogues. Writing to the first, second or third person is the author’s total decision, but it is recommended that the narrator introduces the reader into the story and conversations of the characters. The narrator must also highlight morals.
When you have resolved the above details, you can start writing. As you write your story, it’s likely that you decide to make changes, add or delete characters, change names, or even start over again, more than once. This is quite normal. It is important to remember that to hang the reader, the narration and information contained in the first two paragraphs of the story are very important.
When you have finished writing your children’s story, you must read it again several times. This will allow you to correct mistakes, change some parts of the story, change the words and check that everything is perfectly understandable. Telling your story to a child and ask him his opinion will help you. Finally, you have to find a designer to illustrate the pages of your tale and a publisher who wants to publish it. Good luck, and the inspiration is always with you.