Once upon a time…
In the very early 90s, I explored writing for Children. I took a course by mail. I studied. I wrote. I observed.
The thing that held me back in my writing kids’ books turned out to be all of the rules.
The only rule I could go all in with was that if you word could not be found in a middle grade dictionary it should not be used in a story, book or article.
Let’s talk about the Rules, the Age Levels, Subject Matter and all the things we need to consider when writing for Children.
Do you think too many rules, or guidelines, can take the joy out of Writing for Children or for that matter, Young Adults?
The Age Levels for Children’s Books You Should Know
This article does an excellent job of breaking things down and sorting them out.
Reading Levels for Children: Vocabulary and Types of Kids’ Books
This article is an example of what stole my joy and good intentions when I signed up for that class to learn about Writing for Children.