Photo: My friend’s daughter, Sophia. Too cute!

Today, I’m sharing kid lit wisdom in the form of “Threebies,” a trio of kid lit insights and quotes from veteran authors & illustrators. Enjoy!

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“I write and illustrate picture books because I’ve never outgrown a deep childhood urge to enter a magical world.”

~ Elisa Kleven

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WHEN I’M STARTING A NOVEL, I’m like a dog circling and circling before it settles down to sleep. I might circle for days, weeks, or months before dropping into the focused, dreamy state in which a story becomes so engaging and alluring that it pulls me along. Sometimes it feels like a fight to find the main thread of a story, and during those times my writing schedule is more erratic. But overall, I’m very disciplined, in the sense that once I commit to a story I see it through, no matter how long it takes.

~ Deborah Davis

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Select excerpts from Aaron Shepard’s intro chapter in his book, THE BUSINESS OF WRITING FOR CHILDREN

DANGEROUS MYTHS AND TERRIBLE TRUTHS
By Aaron Shepard

MYTH: Children’s books are easier to write than adult books.
TRUTH: Good writing is difficult no matter what the reader’s age—and children deserve the best.

MYTH: Picture books are the easiest children’s books to write.
TRUTH: Picture books may be the hardest—because they demand conciseness, simplicity, and a visual sense. Also, the competition is greater, because more people try them.

MYTH: A children’s book writer must first write for magazines.
TRUTH: Writing for magazines can teach you a lot, but it is different in some ways from book writing. And though magazine credits may catch a book editor’s eye, they won’t sell your manuscript. If books are your goal, you might do well to jump right in.

MYTH: Children’s stories should teach lessons.
TRUTH: Good children’s stories do not preach. Instead, they educate for life, by exploring significant themes—as do good adult stories.

MYTH: Since my kids/neighbors/students like my story, it will make a great book.
TRUTH: Your kids/neighbors/students may like it only because it’s yours, or because they enjoy your reading. This does not impress editors.

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 15th, 2007 at 1:23 am and is filed under Recent, Ideas, Kid Lit. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.