Some input on writing a children's book

[Lady Blue03]

<font color=pink>We're studying Children's lit in english right now, and for our last projecto f the year we're to compose a 12-20 page childrens book complete with illustrations. Heres our choices:

<font color=white>1. Re-tell a famous fairy tale-keeping same focal characters and events, but allowed to change setting(thus leading to new outcomes and circumstances) and narration(thus changing the implications of the story and the viewpoint and conclusions from which the story is told). Must be convincing and logical [img]tongue.gif[/img] </font>
I'm considering this option, maybe do Cinderella Matrix style..dunno if i can make that 'convincing' and 'logical' though [img]graemlins/1ponder.gif[/img]

<font color=white>2. Write a story from scratch-focus on what it is to be a child and what would attract a child(within REASON). Should have a purpose. To get a good grade, can't be vacuous [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img] </font>
Thats a thumbs down for me. Too much thought involved [img]tongue.gif[/img]

<font color=white>3. Re-write one of the works we have studied this year as a children's story. Good children's lit deals with reality of issues we face on a daily basis...Rewrite this novel to make it accessible to a young person.</font>

#3 is the main one im considering. I was thinking maybe re-writing Jane Eyre with mythical creatures..ie Jane can be a pixie or a faerie(something innocent), the Reeds can be dragons, Helen can be a pegasus(kinda like an angel), and Rochester probably a unicorn or some other powerful creature.

Your input and ideas would be greatly appreciated on this! Thanks [img]smile.gif[/img] </font>

[ 05-26-2003, 10:45 PM: Message edited by: Lady Blue03 ]

[Larry_OHF]

<font color=skyblue>Well...I think the third one would work best as well, and as you have been a poster on the RPG forum,,,you understand creativity well enough to get a good grade. If I were doing this, I would aim for the third choice also. I dunno which book to choose from, however. It appears that you already have a brain-storming session going on and have already made the efforts to consider those characters with fantastical counter-parts that would appeal to the imagination of a child. That is the key. The child has to be able to comprehend the imagination you are betraying...and want to! Then, you leave the ball in their park to run with it and dream their own little dreams. I do not have any advice, just reassurance that I think you are capable of doing it.

You could always open some sort of game in the RPG forum and set the rules that would apply to your work, and let other posters give you ideas by watching them play out a scenario. Just an idea that I had just now. When's it due? How much time do we have to come up with a logical story? </font>

<font color=lightgreen>P.S., I sent you an e-mail last week sometime about your pics on Stealthy's. If it did not go through, then all I wanted to say is that your prom dress is dang cool! I have never seen one before that had such a creative design about it. And who were all your peasant-minions? You were obviously the only one that could have been mistaken for royalty. </font>

[Night Stalker]

For choice #1, Through the Looking Glass (Alice in Wonderland) makes a better candidate for a Matrix styling - in fact The Matrix has numerous allusions to Through the Looking Glass.

For a choice #3 option, not sure what you've studied this year, but one of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales makes for a perfect retell as a faerie tale. Any one would do, as they have all the elements common to fables and faerie tales.

Just some musings ...

[Cerek the Barbaric]

<font color=deepskyblue>Also keep in mind that most children's books have a moral to the story. So determine what "lesson" you want your story to teach.

Is there any particular age group this story should be aimed at? Stories like the Matrix and even Alice in Wonderland are too abstract for most children under the age of 9-10 to fully grasp.

I'm also not real sure about using faeries, pixies, and other fantasy creatures. Once again, this depends on the age group, but most young children don't even know what these creatures are.

I have 3 boys (ages 6, 4, and 1). If I tried to read a story to the two older ones, I would end up answering more questions about what a pegasus or a unicorn is and where do they live? Are they real? Have I ever seen one? etc. They would be more interested in the symbolic character than they would the story.

If you're talking about kids around the age of 10 or so, then your current idea should work fine (I'm not familiar with the story your trying to convert). I also like <font color=cyan>Larry's</font> idea of actually "roleplaying" the story (if time permits). This was the method used by Weiss and Hickman for the original Dragonlance series. Their gaming group roleplayed the characters and they wrote the story accordingly. In fact, it was in one of those games that the player with Raistlin first used a low, sinister whisper when talking to Caramon. The group was "blown away" by the impact of that action. They had never even considered having Raistlin talk like that, but when the player did it, it just really seemed to "fit" the character.

Anyway, best of luck with the project. The illustration requirements would "flunk" me automatically. </font>

<font face="COMIC Sans MS" size="3" color="#7c9bc4">
All I know about writing childrens stuff, is that you should steer clear of nudity and foul language but apparently violent gun battles are ok </font>

[Larry_OHF]

Originally posted by MagiK: All I know about writing childrens stuff, is that you should steer clear of nudity and foul language but apparently violent gun battles are ok

<font color=skyblue>Actually...seeing a man's rump is okay for at least PG-13...but we do not yet know the age limit of our selected audience. </font>

[Lady Blue03]

<font color=pink>Hey, this is all great stuff guys! Let me share my views on your suggestions quickly:
This story is for childeren round ages 5-10, mostly.
Cerek-I have a childrens book for 7-8 year olds called "Baby Unicorn and Baby Dragon" and if i remember correctly, the first few words are 'in a magical land', which would possibly help forestall any big questions , plus this isn't something i would publish anyway

NS-I know Alice in Wonderland is better for Matrix, but I'm not familiar with that story at all, except that she falls through a rabbit hole, finds a cat with a big smile and a smoking catepillar...Canterbury tales wsn't something we've read this year either, and our teacher said jane eyre makes for good retelling

This project is due next friday...so i'm not sure if i can get a RP game going...i'll think about it [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Now, i'll be posting this thread constantly throughout my writing so you can critique me, since I know Larry and Cerek are parents, which is great . I'm pretty sure i'm going with the Jane Eyre animal thingy, so if ya want to stick with me, be sure you know the book

Larry-Thanks to my dress. I was so taken by it when i saw it on the manequin
Those peasants are my best friends, but i happen to be the only senior among then </font>

[Aelia Jusa]

Originally posted by Cerek the Barbaric: <font color=deepskyblue> I'm also not real sure about using faeries, pixies, and other fantasy creatures. Once again, this depends on the age group, but most young children don't even know what these creatures are. </font>

I think you're mistaken about this . Enid Blyton books are littered with pixies, brownies, imps, and so on (or at least I think they still are after the recent rash of politically correcticizing [img]graemlins/idontagreeatall.gif[/img] ). They may not know their D&D stats but they have the general gist! [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img]

I agree with Cerek though about having a moral - that's very important, though there's not need to hit them over the head with it . If you redid an existing fairy tale or adult literature there would probably already be a moral that you could use or adapt.

Sounds like a fun assignment! Much more interesting than the 'write the closing argument for the defence/prosecution for Macbeth' we had to do in Senior English

[Lady Blue03]

Originally posted by Aelia Jusa: Sounds like a fun assignment! Much more interesting than the 'write the closing argument for the defence/prosecution for Macbeth' we had to do in Senior English

<font color=pink>We did something similar to that the beginning of last year, except it was for Crime and Punishment [img]tongue.gif[/img]

The only problem I think I may have with this assigment besides my lack of artistic skill is keeping the words and sentences simple and easy for a child to register what they are. My teacher was saying thats why it's more difficult
to write children's lit instead of adult, because you have to look at it from a childs perspective and not your own [img]tongue.gif[/img] </font>

[Aelia Jusa]

Yes that will be a challenge. I think one important thing will be to make sure you know the target audience. 10 year olds will be much more sophisticated than 7 year olds. Make sure you don't dumb it down too much though. Most children understand a lot more than we give them credit for. Perhaps have a look at a Harry Potter book, and see the type of language and complexity she uses.