Learn more about how to create thoughtful and memorable books for children.
Designed by professional writers, Stratford's Writing Stories for Children course can help you develop the qualities needed to write a good children's book or story.
This course delves deeply into the entire process of writing a children's story from idea generation to publishing. Students can learn how to write for varying age levels and gain a valid understanding of how to work toward a career as a children's author.
Get started today and help children develop the same love of reading and writing you enjoyed as a child and now as an adult.
Bonus! Upon graduating you will receive a copy of Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market...at no additional cost to you!
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the median annual salary for writers and authors is $73,150.* A writing salary can vary depending on the place of employment, educational attainment, and the specific duties performed.
Writing for Children and Young Adults • Principles of Good Writing
• Defining Young Adult Literature
• Storytelling
• Novel Writing Procedures
• Crafting Strong Story Concepts
• Creating Multidimensional Characters
• Developing Powerful Plots
• Developing Strong Scenes
• Pace and Prosody
• Voice and Points of View
• Crafting a Good First Chapter
• Writing Speculative Fiction
• Polishing and Revision Techniques
• Routes to Having a Book Published
Writing Picture Books • Picture Book Target Audience
• Formats and Points of View
• Types of Voice and Correspondence
• Tense, Time, and Location
• Creating Characters
• Opening and Attention-Getting First Line
• Three-Act Structure
• Action
• Writing Scenes and a Strong Ending
• Rhyme and Rhythm
• Poetic Tools
• Figures of Speech
• Word Count
• Grabbing the Reader with a Great Title
• Making a Dummy Book
• Sharing Your Story
• Researching and Priming
• Selling Your Manuscript
Children's Picture Books •A Brief History of the Picture Book
•Learning to See
•Thinking Through Drawing
•Visual Communication and Educational Development
•Analyzing Response
•Word and Image Interplay
•Wordless Books, Graphic Novels, and Pictorial Text
•Assessing Content Suitable for Children
•Print Processes and Styles
•Narrative Approaches to Nonfiction for Children
•The Publishing Industry and Process
•Digital Content and the Future
•Case Studies
Revision And Self-Editing • A Philosophy of Self-Editing
• Characters
• Plot and Structure
• Point of View
• Scenes and Dialogue
• Beginnings, Middles, and Ends
• Show vs. Tell
• Voice and Style
• Setting and Description
• Exposition
• Theme
This educational program is an introductory course designed to help students gain knowledge necessary for the vocational application of this subject.
We take great pride in providing you with the most up-to-date textbooks and equipment. One or more of the above-mentioned subjects may, therefore, change if updating becomes necessary during the course of your studies. The order in which the material is presented may vary.
*Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2021 Edition
