There is a dedicated writer who sends me manuscripts so regularly that I recognize his handwriting on the envelopes.
I have had to reject every manuscript he has sent.
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| Words Are Like Faces |
His grammar, punctuation, and spelling are always flawless. It’s the stories that are…not what they need to be. It is as if he has no idea how or what to write for children. It seems like he may not have read a children’s book since he last put down a Hardy Boys mystery two or three decades ago. The rejections became so numerous that I felt I needed to send him more than the usual polite refusal. My hope was that if he took my advice, he might achieve his dream of writing a children’s book that will be accepted by a publisher and enjoyed by readers.
My advice to this man, and to everyone who wishes to write a book, is regularly visit bookstores and libraries. If you are writing for children, you need to read children’s books. The same advice goes for writers writing mysteries, romances, or craft books: read the books your audience is reading.
Staff at bookstores will recommend the books they’ve read and enjoyed. Librarians will happily talk to you about what kids like to read. You can look at the sections in bookstores and libraries and see how much shelf space is given to a genre. What kinds of books are on the shelf? Read those books. Borrow lots of library books. Buy books that you admire and keep them on hand. How did that author interest you in opening the book? Why did you turn the page? Why did you keep reading until you finished the book? Give some thought to these questions as you read.
Then go back to your manuscript and keep writing.
—Jacquelyn C. Miller
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