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Learning to write is an ongoing process. Those that have the desire to write have usually been writing for years. Scribbling on the back of scrap paper or writing reminders on restaurant napkins is the life of the budding writer. With a story to be told, words, phrases and characters begin to take place as the writer carefully directs these into a plot. When you learn to write for children or young adults you will notice some distinct characteristics that separate them. A clear understanding of their differences will be the deciding point between writing a picture book or including chapters in your book.

Authors usually have an idea of what type of book will best tell their story. As they expand their knowledge about the form and style, they will become proficient in the guidelines for different types of books. For example, picture books have a distinct form that sets them off as books unlike any other. Primarily written for children of preschool age to around second grade, picture books have a limited number of words and pages. They do not have chapters.

The very short attention span and the early cognitive development of this age group, eliminates the need for chapters.Children learn to read at very different rates. Beginning readers need the pictures to help them figure out the words. In the early stages of reading, the pictures are designed to provide reading cues. As their reading skills increase, they no longer need these cues to finish the page. It is at this stage in the child’s development that they start to look for books that are longer, have fewer pictures and have the appearance of adult reading material. It is around the second or third grade that beginning chapter books are introduced.

Understanding the purpose of chapters, will enable the beginning author to learn to write age appropriate chapters for this age group. Children who are used to reading picture books need to feel good about finishing a chapter book. If it is too hard for them, or it looks too hard for them, they will quickly be discouraged. To create a book this age group will read willingly, learn to write by dividing your book into chapters that are short. Each short chapter should create enough interest that the early reader will want to continue reading the rest of the book. Sometimes children will fan through the pages and seeing all the words, decide it is too hard for them.

Books for early readers have chapters that divide the book into small, understandable pieces. Learning to write for this age group will become easier with practice. Try writing short paragraphs that have no more than two or three sentences. As the child is able to finish the paragraphs, they will see themselves finishing the book. Wider spaces between paragraphs and sentences, will give the book the appearance of an adult book. At this age, children are proud to be able to read a book with “lots of pages.”

Learn to write books about any topic or style on the web or in book stores and libraries. Use this information to write books that any publisher would be glad to receive.

Learn to write a children’s book by finding free writing tips at http://www.learntowriteachildrensbook.com Get started writing your children’s book today and meet a successful author of over seventy children’s books. She wants to share her mistakes with you so you don’t end up doing the same thing! Everything falls into place once you have a solid foundation to work from and you will find one here!

Author: Lisa Brunel
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Cellphone, smartphone

“How do you write an outline?”

“How detailed should I make my outline”

I don’t know how many times new writers have asked me that question. But it must be enough to sink a battleship, as my mother would say. Given that I suggest using Content Maps rather than outlines, I can imagine how many similar questions are fielded by people who teach the traditional outline method.

Now, you might think that I never write outlines for books and that I believe that outlines are useless. However, nothing can be further from the truth.

The fact is that writing the book outline has a number of very specific uses. Just not for writing the book itself. It’s not the right tool for that particular job. It’s the slot head screwdriver used on a Philips screw. Yes, it works. But you’re going to ruin the screw and the screwdriver.

There are five very specific reasons for writing an outline for your book. Or perhaps I should say there are five very specific occasions when you want to use an outline.

1. When someone else does the structural edit

Content Maps and their less effective competitors such as mindmaps are great for writing your book. However, unfortunately, most editors today learned to use outlines and to edit after the writing is done. After all, that was the traditional method we all learned in school. Unless you’re under 20 and had a progressive school, of course. Because editors have never used alternative methods, they’ve never learned to visualize the result from a plan. Editors expect to polish a finished piece of writing. One way to overcome this is by converting your Content Map to an outline before you share it as part of your structural edit.

2. When you are trying to sell someone your book

Editors aren’t the only people who have a problem with understanding writing plans such as Content Maps. Writing an outline for your book is mandatory when you are sending out a proposal to an agent or publisher. In fact, you’ll need multiple outlines at different levels of detail for the different audiences involved. The agent and the publisher’s editor for example will need a detailed outline. The publisher’s management on the other hand needs a much less detailed version (one or two paragraphs in fact).

3. When you are storing your book

When you design a book with a Content Map you normally use one or two words to get your concepts and points on paper. Unfortunately, while these short memes are sufficient for a short time, there is every likelihood that you will forget what you meant if you leave the map for too long. Writing an outline for your book is a good way to overcome this memory issue. In addition, it’s much easier to store a word document such as an outline. A diagram tool such as a Content Map (or mindmap) needs to be scanned and then stored.

4. When you are writing your book

You can write your book directly from your Content Map. And it often makes sense to do so. However, writing an outline for your book first is one of the little tricks you may find useful. This is especially true if you have had to prepare an outline for your editor. By splitting your outline into series of single sentences, you’ll have the plan for each paragraph (or set of paragraphs) in front of you as you write. Effectively, you’ll have created a write-by-numbers for your book.

Do you want to learn how to write a book in 24 hours? Take my free course here: http://www.learningcreators.com

Do you want to read more free information like this? Go to my blog: http://www.learningcreators.com/blog/

Glen Ford is an accomplished consultant, trainer and writer. He has far too many years experience as a trainer and facilitator to willingly admit.

Author: Glen Ford
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Netbook, Tablets and Mobile Computing

You have finished your manuscript. Congratulations! Wait; before you take the next step. Is your non-fiction book title a sizzler or a dud? Remember, your title may be 90% of the pulling power for your book. It would be worth your effort to create a sizzling title for your message. Researchers say you have 4 seconds to hook your potential buyer.

An excellent title is short. The top titles are benefit driven. Don’t forget to heat your title up with emotion. Use terms your audience can relate to. Use action words and verbs. Quantify change with ways and time limits. Use one or two word ideas to tell a story. Pledge change. Spark interest.

Instead of choosing to bore her readers with “How to Write an E-book” an author friend after brainstorming chose the title “Seven Secrets to Write Your E-book Like a Winner.” She quantified change, sparked interest and branded her title.

Here are 5 common ways anyone can use to get uncommon book titles:

1. Best Seller List

Use the Best Seller list to brainstorm ideas for your non-fiction book title. Start by looking at the Best Seller list at Barnes and Nobles or Amazon. When Jason Oman and Mike Litman wanted to title their book, they modeled a popular book called “Conversations with God” and came up with “Conversations with Millionaires.” Their book achieved #1 on Amazon. Now it’s your turn; go be inspired by your favorite best sellers list.

2. Tabloids

Have you stood in line at checkout, recently? I know I have. But did you read the tabloid cover pages or picked one up to browse while you waited? The compelling headline on each tabloid is designed to reach out and grab your attention. We all know the tabloid magazines don’t sell because they’re filled with wholesome content. They sell because they’ve mastered the titling aspect of their papers. Next time you’re reading the tabloid cover, examine the titles and begin to brainstorm titles for your non-fiction book.

3. Newspapers

Newspaper headlines are designed to capture your attention. Model and compare your book title with the parts of a newspaper headline. Is your book title short and to the point? Will it capture the attention of your potential reader? When you’re reading your next newspaper, take a look at all the headlines and sub headlines. Notice how the journalist captured your attention or not.

4. Magazines

Magazine cover page article titles are my favorite example of great titles at work. Like newspapers and tabloids they must have titles that entice and pull at your interest to sell magazines. For example, which would capture your attention quicker, “7 Easy Ways to Lose Inches Off Your Waist” or “How to Lose Weight In Your Waist?” Most people are drawn to the specific results in the first title. Go get your favorite magazine and notice the article titles that captivate your attention.

5. Memes

Department stores are great places to visit and brainstorm using memes. Memes are words or visual images that tell a story at a glance. For example, visit Sears and look at the brand names of their proprietary products. The short names of these products are concepts; that tell a story in an instant. At a glance you get it.

You understand the message. Examples include Diehard batteries, Weather-Beater paints and Craftsman tools. Each products name is a concept. Think about it, which product would you be attracted to “Diehard” or “Stop Slow”. Many successful books are based on concepts or memes. For example, “A Happy Pocket Full of Money” by David Cameron tells a story of happiness and money. From the title you know this book is going to be about getting more money in your pocket.

No matter how good your book is, if you don’t title it well you may never sell as many copies as your message deserves. Now go create a book title that stirs your book reader’s interest to read

Are you ready to develop a title for your top selling book? Visit here for a FREE report Book Title Mini Tutorial at Book Title Help from Earma Brown, 14 year author, business owner. Visit her at http://www.writetowin.org for other book writing tips.

Author: Earma Brown
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Pressure cooker

My son’s been taking karate for 4 years, and every time he tests for the next rank (he’s up to his brown now), fewer kids who started with him as white belts test alongside him. It’s not that Matt’s necessarily a better athlete than they are, but karate is more important to him. He likes learning the forms, and he enjoys surviving a two hour, physically grueling test knowing that most of his friends would have been flattened in the first 20 minutes. When aspiring writers start identifying themselves as authors, just as Matt sees himself as a martial artist, they’ve taken that first big step toward success.

But there’s a difference between wanting to see your name on a book, and wanting a career as a children’s book author. Anyone with a few bucks can publish their own story, and many books are perfectly suited to be self-published titles given to family and friends. The career mentality, however, is more complex. Check out some common characteristics below and see how you measure up:

Humility: When I get emails from people saying, “I’m going to be the next Dr. Seuss,” I cringe. Confidence is fine, but don’t compare yourself to someone like Dr. Seuss right out of the gate. In fact, don’t compare yourself to anyone. Work on finding your own style and voice. And know that you don’t have to become a literary institution to be a success. Learning to write well is a lifelong process, and the writers who get published understand that each manuscript, whether it sells or not, teaches them something. They’re not afraid to be critiqued or edited. They’ve put their heart into a book or article, and then removed their ego. They understand that if their critique group or editor says a plot is too predictable, it’s far better to chuck the storyline and start over than to fight to preserve a mediocre manuscript. And they’re grateful for the input that saved them from dozens of rejection letters.

Will Work for Resumé: Successful authors know that their query letters are more impressive if they can list some publishing credits. They’re willing to write for little or no money at first, because the experience of meeting a deadline and working with an editor is invaluable. They may decide to sell one story to a magazine that buys all rights so their next story can be sold to a bigger publication that purchases first rights only. They’ll submit to local magazines, regional publishers and small presses as they perfect their manuscripts intended for larger, national publishers. Well-published authors don’t overlook any market that might be right for a particular work. And when you’re just starting out, seeing your byline in a local parenting publication is just as satisfying as appearing in Highlights for Children.

‘Tensity: Matt’s karate teacher urges him to be intense about his practice, and Matt’s dubbed this mindset “‘tensity.” The prolific writers I know think the same way. Though most have families and jobs, they live, eat and breathe writing. Any spare moment is devoted to working on a manuscript. Free weekends are spent at conferences and workshops. When they’re not writing, they’re reading children’s books. As soon as they get one manuscript in the mail, they start the next one. In fact, super successful authors work on several manuscripts at once. If they’re uninspired to revise a scene from their novel, they’ll write a query for an article idea or do research for a picture book biography.

You don’t have to maintain this level of activity to become published. Most writers don’t. But if you want to make a living as a children’s book author, if you want your web site to list 50 or more books in print, then it’s practically required.

Plays the Field: Well-published authors don’t limit themselves to one genre. They’ll write picture books, novels, short stories for magazines, poetry, nonfiction, and material for adult markets such as parenting magazines or writing newsletters. After one book comes out they don’t wait for their editor to ask for another manuscript; they create what inspires them and if it’s not right for their current editor, they market it someplace else. In fact, it’s more difficult to get widely-published if you only write one type of book. A publisher carries a limited number of titles per season, and the editor of your middle grade novel might not appreciate your having another novel for the same age group come out with a different publisher simultaneously. But a magazine article or nonfiction picture book won’t compete with a book for older kids, and still gets your name in front of reviewers and book buyers.

Successful authors don’t dabble in writing now and then, they embrace it and do whatever it takes to get published because it’s what they want more than anything else. So dive in, work with ‘tensity, and send us a quote for our web site when you hit the jackpot.

Laura Backes is the Publisher of Children’s Book Insider, the Newsletter for Children’s Book Writers. Want to learn how to become a successful children’s book author? Come hang with the Fightin’ Bookworms at http://cbiclubhouse.com. Whether is writing picture books, chapter books, young adult novels, finding children’s book publishers — or anything else — you’ll find all the answers at the CBI Clubhouse!

Author: Laura Backes
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
The economics of product pricing