Why is Episode 4 of Writing for Children called

“Don’t Tell Us a Story?”

One of the toughest things for newer writers to learn to do is create a story. A story is a specific kind of thing. It isn’t a synopsis, like the work stories you tell over the dinner table. It isn’t a vignette, like the funny story you tell of your daughter’s vocabulary gaffe. Writers aren’t born knowing what a story really is. Stephen King once wrote about his lack of success selling one of his early story attempts. He couldn’t understand why it wouldn’t sell at the time. An editor finally told him that he was a talented writer but that the piece wasn’t a story. As Stephen King came to understand stories, he agreed.

So, what is a story? How do you know if the characters and circumstances you have created come together to make a story?

Listen to learn more!

The tips in the show notes which you can download at writingforchildren.com/004 include:

Twitter Picture Book Pitch Party - Resources for Picture book Writers about Pitches, Agents, and Editors

A Twitter Pitch Party Calendar - Don’t miss a pitch party! This site has a whole calendar of pitch parties for all different genres and the appropriate hashtags for the parties.

YouTube Video on Why Writers Need Social Media 

Twitter for Beginners - Specifically for writers who need help getting started on Twitter.

Our listener question of the week is from Kimberley Moran, who asks,

“How do you know when you’ve hit the right audience age range? Do you need to have kids in that age group or just read a lot of books targeted to that age?

The Institute of Children’s Literature faculty answers!

You can ask your question at speakpipe.com/wfc.

Have feedback? Leave us a review HERE on iTunes!