Friday 5 September 2014

Writing for Children - Tip 12 #writetip



Children don’t just want to be told a story, they want to experience it. They want to feel as though the tale is taking place in front of them.

Crisp writing with lots of action will enable young readers to ‘see’ the events unfolding.

They love words that bring the action to life. The louder and faster you can conjure the imagery, the better. Doors slamming, cars crashing and dynamite blasting are all strong images, but it is possible to make them stronger still.

Tip 12 – Strengthening Your Storytelling Skills

If you use similes to enhance your narrative, it has the effect of painting a word picture for your readers. The noise of the slamming door reverberated around the bedroom like a demented cannonball is easier for a young reader to picture than: the noise from the slamming bedroom door was loud.

Another tip is to use metaphors in your writing to give a greater feeling of action. Look at the difference between the car flashed past and the car, a bolt of lightning, flashed past.

Using dialogue to explain what is going on gives the action more urgency. “Mom, Mom! Come quickly, the fridge has exploded and there’s cream dripping from the ceiling,” yelled Allie, carries more emphasis than: Allie yelled to her mother to tell her the fridge had exploded and there was cream dripping from the ceiling.

Try to use lots of strong verbs rather than relying on adverbs. He ran quickly isn’t as descriptive as he raced or he sprinted. The car hit the wall hard isn’t as picture forming as the car smashed into the wall.

Try making use of words such as flashed, raced, thundered, roared, catapulted, hurtled or exploded.





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