Category: Free Writing Tips for Christians Who Write for Children and Young Adults

Being a published author is the aim of many writers, but you don’t have to go down that route. You can have your book printed yourself, print your story off and have it spiral-bound, make it into an ebook, put it on audio, have it serialised in your church magazine, give your children the story printed out on A4 sheets of paper (don’t forget to number them!), or . . .

The first draft of our novel is there to be improved.

When you are going over it, looking for ways to add pace, interest and atmosphere, here’s a tip: look for stronger, more descriptive words . . .

Stories are usually narrated either in the first person (I, me, we, us) or the third person (he, she, it, they). Neither is right or wrong; they are just different.

Here is an example

Children love secrets, and a secret or a mystery can make a great plot, or add to one. Even if your main plot has nothing to do with a secret, it can add . . .

If we are going to write engaging and relevant Christian stories for children and teens, we need to be able to express deep emotions in the characters we create.

Some of us are afraid . . .

Freewriting is a technique where for a set period of time you sit down and just write. Continuously. No pausing, no editing. It’s a great way to write the first draft of your novel, but ten to twenty minutes freewriting every day on a different topic is a great way to get into the swing of writing . . .

I’ve recently been (slowly!) putting together 50 of the top tips from this blog into a little ebook. I thought it might be helpful to have some of the most useful in one place, to easily refer to? What I’ve done is pick out the ones I think would be the most helpful, edit them, improve them and in some places put two or three together. It’s been a nice little project . . .

We all need encouragement. Sometimes our encouragement comes directly from the Lord and his word. Sometimes his encouragement comes indirectly through other people. Sometimes we have to do what David once did when faced with a difficult situation . . .

Metaphors and Similes . . . what’s the Difference? You probably use both in your writing without even thinking . . . but if you did think about them, maybe you could use them in even better ways? (Plus of course you can dazzle your friends at parties with your knowledge, hehe!)

Most of you will know that similes and metaphors are a form of figurative language, used to build up a picture in readers’ minds, create atmosphere and add interest. The Bible is full of both. But do you know . . .

In stories for children and young adults, it’s important that it’s the young people themselves who win through, with little (or no) adult help. They are the ones who should be . . .