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

We all know there’s no point wasting our time submitting a proposal for a picture book to publishers who don’t do children’s stories, or a novel for teens to a publisher who only publishes adult fiction. And completely pointless if they don’t accept unsolicited manuscripts at all. But how do you go about finding a suitable publisher for your novel?

Before you put your precious manuscript into the envelope, there are 5 things you need to do . . .

This week, instead of a writing tip, here’s an exercise: Listen to a group of children talking – but don’t let them know you are . . .

The Bible encourages us to comfort each other with the comfort we ourselves have received. What is the worst thing you have had to face? The time you felt like Job? How did you get through it? Could you include something of your own victory in . . .

In case you hadn’t guessed from the title, this writing tip is about the passive tense! Whether you are writing in the first person (I, me) or the third person (he, she or they), you want to get this right . . .

I had a rather witty reply to last week’s writing tip (about tapping into your readers’ fears) from a writer who admitted that her greatest fear was that nobody would read her stories! I think we can all identify with that at some level . . .

Fear is a powerful force in our fallen world, although as we know, ‘perfect love drives out fear’ (1 John 4:18). Here are some common fears: being alone, being lost, the dark, evil forces, death of a parent, spiders and snakes, watching loved ones suffer, being trapped/locked up, feeling out of control, being chased and unable to run fast enough, unable to live up to expectations, humiliation, physical pain, an abuser, fear of having shameful acts uncovered . . .

Although you might want to wait until nobody else is around, reading to the wall is an extremely valuable exercise for when you have finished your first draft, then your second and third drafts . . . well after every draft . . .

What are your protagonist’s flaws, strengths, likes, dislikes and motivations? Doing this fun exercise will help to crystallise your thoughts and create a well-rounded character.