Writing for Children - Tip 24 #writetip

Children use sarcasm to each other all the time. They hear it in films and on television, and then transfer their favourite characters’ expressions into their own way of speaking.

They’ll sigh and roll their eyes and tell their friends the most outrageous things, knowing the sarcasm will be picked up on and understood.

Because of this, you would be forgiven for thinking that they would easily realise when someone in a novel is using sarcasm, but this is not the case.

Tip 24 – How to Use Sarcasm

Children read exactly what is on the page and take the meaning literally, unless there are sufficient signals to the contrary.

Irony and sarcasm have to be clearly signposted so that your young readers are aware that the words are being used in a sarcastic way.

When you want your characters to be sarcastic it is necessary to show the personality of the speaker from the outset.

It isn’t going to work very well if someone who has been meek and mild all the way through the book suddenly becomes the queen of the one-liners halfway into the story.

On the other hand, it is perfectly acceptable to have a character who has been too timid to speak up throughout the novel, finally find the courage at the very end of the book to make one glorious put down directed at his or her impotent enemy.

If you decide to include sarcasm in your novel you must remember to signpost it well and use it sparingly.

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Writing for Children - Tip 23 #writetip

As mentioned in the previous tip, generally children have an extremely low boredom threshold. They want action in their books and not history, geography, or any other type of lesson – not even on subjects that are otherwise exciting.

Tip 23 – Mama Don’t Teach

Let’s say your story is about time travel and your young heroes find themselves back in the middle-ages. Clearly they’ll be wearing the wrong clothes and will have all sorts of adventures.

Don’t be tempted to write long passages on what everyone wore back then – your readers won’t care, they’ll just want to know what happens next in the story. Your audience only needs to be told about medieval clothing as it affects your story.

Let’s take the same tale a little further and have our time travellers landing in France, or some other European destination. As with the clothing, your readers only need to know about the country’s language and geography where it impacts on the characters in your story.

If your time travellers land in a mystical world where everyone can use magic except them, the same rules apply. Show the reader what the magic can do, but don’t bore them to tears with a lesson on how it works.

The exception is when understanding the workings of magic is essential to the story, but do try to keep the lesson short and introduce it through action and dialogue.

Then we come to the time travelling machine itself. Describe what it looks like by all means, but don’t go overboard with long narrative passages about shiny chrome panels and levers.

If it is going to break down and leave your travellers stranded, or a second one has to be built for some reason, give some details about the mechanics, but only what is essential to make the story work.

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Writing for Children - Tip 22 #writetip

As adults we have a moral duty to show children the right way to conduct their lives, to instil a sense of decency that will stay with those in our care until, hopefully, they pass those values on to the next generation.

As a writer of children’s literature, you might be tempted to use your work as a tool to influence young minds in positive ways. There is nothing wrong with this, but do try to avoid leaving your readers feeling as if they are being lectured.

Tip 22 – Papa Don’t Preach

Ethical lessons should be subtle. If the moral of the story is shown through actions, as opposed to the narrator telling the reader what to think, children are far more likely to absorb the message. Talking down to them will switch your readers off, and could even destroy their pleasure in reading.

Try using humour to get your point across. A child will remember a joke months after he first heard it, but will forget to wash his hands before meals, even though he is told the same thing every day.

If you want to write a story tackling depressing subjects such as drug addiction, family abuse or bullying, it is important to write it so that your readers are left with a feeling of hope. Having the hero find a way of dealing with the problems in his life will achieve far more than if your readers are left thoroughly depressed at the end.

Perhaps the best way of dealing with the issue of moral lessons is not to set out to write one, but to allow your story to progress naturally. If there is a moral in your tale, it will find a way to get itself heard and understood.

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Writing for Children - Tip 21 #writetip

Tip 21 – A Cliché is Always a Cliché

If something has become overly familiar or commonplace, whether it is speech, ideas, characterisation, or anything else used in writing, it is classed as a cliché.

Although kids probably won’t mind the odd cliché, and might not even know they were reading one, most publishers have a cliché observation mechanism that remains permanently on full alert. If publication is your goal, it is a good idea to search your writing and eliminate all trace of the offending objects before putting your manuscript in the firing line.

Using clichés could make your writing seem dull, even if the story idea is new and exciting.

Remember also that ideas can be clichéd. If an idea or theme has been used repeatedly, it becomes stale.

It is very difficult to convert a clichéd subject into something fresh and different, but it can be done. It requires you to think laterally.

Look at your writing and ask how it can be changed so that it comes from an entirely new direction. Why not alter things around so that it isn’t the scientist who is mad, but his wife or boss.

One way of using clichés to your advantage is through humour. Try building up your story so that the reader expects certain clichéd events to happen, but the outcome is unexpected and funny.

The one cliché you should always try to keep in your mind (unless you are using them in parody) is this: avoid clichés like the plague!

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Writing for Children - Tip 20 #writetip

Many of the tips so far have been devoted to emphasising the importance of dialogue in writing for children, but uninterrupted dialogue can be as boring as non-stop narrative.

Dialogue should be broken up occasionally by short passages of narrative, called beats.

Tip 20 – Using Narrative Beats

The beats change the rhythm of the words on the page, adding visual appeal. They can be shown as action, gesticulation or internal monologue, and they have some very important roles to play in making the story more interesting.

Use the beat to describe something or someone

“What are you doing, you revolting child?”

Aunt Valentyna towered above him, red eyes glaring, jet-black hair standing on end, her ruby lips curled into a snarl.

“Well, I’m waiting. What is that thing?”

(Vlad the Inhaler)

Use it to add to the characterization of the speaker

Miska offered to go home with them. “I could explain what happened,” she said.

“No!” gasped Bill and Jacqui.

Miska watched them walk away. Oh gringalums, she thought. I’ve done it again. Every planet we land on, whenever I try to help, I get my friends in trouble.

“I’m sorry,” she called after them.

(Miska Messes Up)

You can also use the beat to change the subject or direction of the conversation

“We’d better get them up to the castle and tell someone,” said Harry, pushing his hair out of his eyes, trying to think straight.

“Come – ”

But then, from beyond their range of vision, they heard a yelping, a whining: a dog in pain …

“Sirius,” Harry muttered, staring into the darkness.

(Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)

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