In this longer episode, Anne interrogates Jessica about the expectations of YA and Children’s books. They discuss how these books are not “adult light,” talk about considerations made for kids who “read up,” and explore the spectrum of “heaviness” within even the same reading level.

Anne outs herself as That Mom who wants warnings on books that contain sensitive topics, and Jess notes the importance of kids seeing literature that reflects their own experiences, both positive and negative.   

 

QUOTE: “Let’s put it this way: if you are a novelist, I think you start out with a twenty-word idea, and you work at it and you wind up with a 200,000-word novel. We, picture book people, or at least I, start out with 200,000 words and I reduce it to twenty.” -- Eric Carle

 

LINKS:

- Writing Rhyme and Meter

- Josh Funk’s Guide to Writing Picture Books

- Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators

 

CREDITS: This episode of Your Writing Does Not Suck was recorded and edited by Anne M. Belen.