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If you’re striving to develop a career as a children’s writer, one of the things you need to be doing is creating an identity and online presence for yourself as a writer.

One of the best ways to do this is through article marketing.

Accept the Lieurance-King New Year’s Article Challenge that starts this Thursday, January 17, 2008, and we’ll help you learn everything you need to know about effective article marketing.

Sign up to accept the challenge here.

If you meet the challenge, you will win the Golden PJS Award!

Just think, by accepting and meeting the challenge you will become an award-winning writer by March 2008!

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Become a member of the Children’s Writers Coaching Club today and tonight you can learn how to write nonfiction for children’s magazines by attending our special teleclass with children’s nonfiction writer Pat McCarthy.

The teleclass starts at 7:00 (CST) and lasts for 55 minutes.

Club members also receive a CD of this recorded event in their membership packets at the end of the month.

McCarthy is the author of over a dozen nonfiction books for kids.

Plus, she has written all sorts of nonfiction - everything from articles to quizzes and puzzles - for a variety of children’s magazines and other publications.

And tonight she’s going to talk to members of the CWCC and offer tips for how they, too, can start writing a variety of nonfiction pieces for the children’s magazine markets.

We also have 2 more special teleclasses planned for CWCC members this month. Plus, members are invited to weekly professional manuscript critique telesessions every month.

If you’re looking for a way to jumpstart your career as a children’s author, what are you waiting for?

Join the Children’s Writers Coaching Club today and get the help you need to make that happen.

Join here.

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by Contributing Editor, Maurene J. Hinds

One of the best ways to enliven nonfiction is by “borrowing” techniques used in fiction. This includes, when appropriate, opening with a high-action scene, building suspense, using plenty of “showing” description, and including dialogue to break-up the narrative. The only caveat is that actions and dialogue must be “true,” in that it accurately (word for word in the case of direct quotes) portrays events or people. What if you are not writing a biography or historical piece? You can still use these techniques by interviewing professionals, showing people in action, and determining an interesting point of view from which to write about your subject.

Kids love to learn about topics that interest them. For writers, this is good news, because it can often be “easier” to sell nonfiction than fiction–easier in the sense that many editors are looking for quality nonfiction. However, this also means that it is a competitive market, and only the best nonfiction writing will sell. You can make your nonfiction stand out by incorporating the techniques mentioned above, among other things (choosing and focusing on a specific, interesting topic also helps!).

Just as you need some type of “hook,” in fiction, so too should you use one in nonfiction. Even if your topic follows some type of chronology, consider opening with a significant event, fascinating fact, high-action event, or unique dialogue. Bring the reader in and then fill-in the details. What is an exception to this approach? Younger readers require more structure than older readers, in which case beginning in the middle of your story might not work. Straight chronologies work better for younger readers.

Fiction techniques can enhance your nonfiction

Use the idea of beginnings, middles, and ends as you craft your nonfiction piece. Just as fiction builds to the climax of the story, so too can you arrange your information in a way that builds to an interesting ending. Are you writing about a real-life mystery? Consider dropping clues along the way so your reader can try to solve the problem.

What if you are not sure of the best structure for your work? In many ways, you have more flexibility with nonfiction in that you can structure your piece in a way that best fits your material. Perhaps including the most exciting information first, rather than last, works best for your topic. Maybe the middle of your piece is full of action, which you then lead the reader out of to explain the significance. No matter how you structure your piece, remember that it needs to have some type of logical order (remember that bit about young readers?). As always, keep your reader in mind.

Dialogue is a great way to add interest to nonfiction while also breaking up longer sections of text. If you are writing a historical event or biography, search for actual words said by the people involved. If you cannot find this, you might be able to quote a newspaper article or some other source from the same period. If no quotes are available, or if you are writing a different type of piece, consider including excerpts from interviews. Experts add authenticity to your work, and some interesting quotes from experts can add that special, human touch.

As you develop your piece, look for ways to make the writing as interesting and “alive” as possible. Kids do not like to wade through dry, stale facts any more than (many) adults do. Think of ways to put those facts into context. Show the significance of the information, and present it in forms that kids can relate to. If you use the many ways to add sparkle to your nonfiction, you will help increase your chances of publication while providing fun, fascinating reads for your audience.

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With so much going on here at the National Writing for Children Center, it’s sometimes impossible to post ONLY once a day to the site. Especially when contributors are submitting articles, we’re lining up children’s authors and illustrators for our teleclasses, plus talking with children’s authors, teachers, librarians, and parents across the country almost every day.

Here’s a short update on what’s happening this week at the Children’s Writers Coaching Club:

Every week, members of the CWCC have an opportunity to visit the coaching gym for a manuscript critique session. This is done via teleconference, so members get to actually TALK to each other about their manuscripts. Also, there is at least one published children’s author (sometimes more) on these calls, so members not only learn what might be needed to make their work a better story or article for children, they also learn what might make it more marketable to children’s magazine or book editors and publishers.

On Mondays, members of the CWCC are emailed a short lesson for the week and a short assignment. Members can choose whether or not they want to complete the assignment. Still, they are given the opportunity to do so each and every week, so, as personal schedules permit, members are able to take advantage of these weekly lessons and assignments.

This week’s lesson was about writing nonfiction articles for children - so it only seemed appropriate to include an excellent article by fellow children’s writer, Pat McCarthy, with tips for writing articles for kids. Scroll down this page to read her article.

CWCC members are also invited to two special 55-minute teleclasses per month.

One of these teleclasses provides tips for writers from a successful children’s book author.

The other teleclass provides tips and other information for children’s illustrators from a successful children’s illustrator.

Members may attend these LIVE interactive teleclasses.

However, they are also send CDs of these two events at the end of every month, so they may listen to them and learn at any time.

Additionally, members of the CWCC are provided with many other networking opportunities, so they learn how to market and promote their work effectively.

If you’re looking for a way to create your own career as a children’s writer and/or illustrator, we hope you’ll join the Children’s Writers Coaching Club, where you’ll receive daily tips, other information, and personal support.

Find out more about our club HERE.

Have a great day and thanks for dropping by!

Suzanne Lieurance
Founder, Director, and Coaching Coordinator
The National Writing for Children Center
Home of the Children’s Writers Coaching Club

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The Lieurance-King Spring Article Challenge starts next week, on May 1st. Find out how article marketing can help you become a better children’s writer and be used as a way to promote your current and upcoming books and other products for children or other children’s writers.

Join Yvonne Perry on Writers in the Sky Podcast as she interviews some of the writers who took part in the Lieurance-King New Year’s Article Challenge and find out what participating in this challenge did for them.

Listen to Part 1 here:

Listen to Part 2 here:

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