Professional Children's Writing

Get a kid's-eye view of creative writing.

Writing for children and teenagers requires a special empathy – the power to see the world from a young person’s point of view.

The Cengage Education Professional Children’s Writing course shows students how to turn this quality into a broad spectrum of literary genres, giving them the grounding they need in both text and graphic styles. You’ll learn in detail how to write teen fiction, non-fiction, storybooks (9-12 year olds), early readers (6-8 year olds), and the special requirements of picture books.

The course also introduces aspiring writers to the business side of writing, introducing them to the basic marketing and showing them how to turn their passion into a career.

On completion of your course:

Upon completion of this course you will be awarded a Cengage Education Professional Children's Writing Certificate.

* Terms and conditions apply
Course Number 90220
Course Type Correspondence
Course Duration Max 18 months
Study Hours Approx 180 hrs
Qualification Cengage Certificate

Learning periods

This course is divided into 3 learning periods.

Assessment details

  • 12 written assessments

Computer requirements

To complete this course you will need access to:

  • A computer with Windows® 95/98 or higher
  • CD-ROM drive

Entry requirements
Cengage Certificate, Statements of Attainment, Certificate I & Certificate II courses

No entry requirements apply to these courses.

English Language Requirements:

If English is your second language and you did not complete the last two years of secondary education in English you are required to provide evidence of English language competence before enrolling. Examples of appropriate evidence are:

Evidence

Example

IELTS

Overall score of 5.5

TOEFL

530 (paper), 197 (computer) or 71 Internet.

Evidence of employment in an English speaking country.

12 month period of employment: Letters of Appointment, Letters of Reference, Testimonials, Performance Appraisals etc

Not sure if you meet the entry requirements?
Please call 1300 853 033

Subjects You’ll Cover

So you want to write for children

  • Can I make a career of this?
  • Research
  • Would I make a good children's writer?
  • Writing skills
  • Assessing your strengths
  • Editors have their say!
  • The different categories of children's books

Generating story ideas

  • Using your skills and knowledge
  • How to find ideas
  • Using ideas in more than one category
  • Viewpoint
  • Pitfalls in writing for children: writing down to children; sermonising; writing in an outmoded style

Picture books

  • Starting with an idea
  • The picture book plot
  • Working with words
  • Writing in rhyme
  • More advice from editors

Story books

  • Short books or long books?
  • Plotting
  • Writing on more than one level
  • Beginnings, middles and ends
  • General tips for writing the children's story book
  • The basics of a children's book

How to create interesting characters

  • Characters make your story
  • Stereotyped characters
  • Create a character file
  • Character tags
  • Sexism and racial stereotypes
  • Describing your characters
  • The difference between major and minor characters
  • Make your characters grow and change

Dialogue and setting

  • What's so important about dialogue?
  • The role of dialogue
  • How do you write effective dialogue?
  • Show, don't tell
  • Do your characters all sound different?
  • Setting
  • Troubleshooting: how to fix dialogue that doesn't work
  • Using a setting information sheet

Writing non-fiction for children

  • Why write non-fiction for children?
  • Finding non-fiction ideas
  • Which age group will you target?
  • Research tips
  • Preparing for interviews
  • Effective chapter hooks
  • An example of non-fiction text
  • Short non-fiction

Writing for teenagers; writing short stories

  • Writing short stories for children
  • Plotting your short story
  • What's different about writing for teenagers?
  • What makes a 'good read' for teenagers?
  • Social issues in books for teenagers
  • Example of a published short story
  • Coming up with a plot for your short story
  • Guidelines for contributors to children's magazines

Genre fiction: all kinds of stories

  • What do you mean, 'genre' fiction?
  • The rules of each genre
  • Science fiction and fantasy
  • Historical novels
  • Mystery and suspense fiction
  • The importance of research
  • Writing about juvenile crime
  • Animal stories
  • Family stories and school stories
  • Humour

Writing for the education market

  • Educational publishers
  • Non-fiction
  • Books for reluctant readers
  • Political correctness
  • An example of simplified language
  • The easy-to-read text
  • Educational publishers and the school curriculum
  • Sample guidelines for a book for reluctant readers

How to make your stories sparkle

  • De-fog your story
  • Use signposts
  • Make viewpoint clear
  • Character motivation
  • Cover letters
  • Query letters
  • Add sparkle, and your writing stands out
  • To control your pace, adjust the length of your scenes
  • The synopsis

Marketing your work and building your career

  • Professional do's and dont's
  • Copyright
  • What if my manuscript is rejected?
  • Business as usual
  • Networking with other writers
  • Your next book
  • Financial records and taxation
  • How to make a living while you're waiting for royalties
  • Building a career
  • Planning for a writing career
  • How to present your work to a publisher

* Fortnightly payment plans also available –     call our Sales team on 1300 853 033.

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