Meet Mitty, the Dreamer
Hi, I’m Mitty. I have big dreams of becoming a published children’s writer.
You too? That’s Great!
Isn’t it exciting to be at the beginning of our journey, with so many possibilities ahead of us? I bet you’re practically bursting with ideas, and can’t wait to start writing.
But, along with that passion often comes something else—fear. And questions:
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- Where do I start?
- How do I know which ideas are good enough?
- How does the publishing process work?
- And when can I start calling myself a writer?
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I get it! Every writer feels like this at the beginning. But lucky for us, the folks at WriteForKids have our backs. They’ve been working with new writers for decades and understand exactly what we need. You’ll find loads of instruction and tools on this site, but here are some of my favorites to get you started:
- If you want an overview of how publishing works, and where you fit into the process right now, check out the free video How Publishing Works in the “Workshops for Beginners” section.
- Don’t know what you want to write yet? No problem! If you’ve already signed up for our Children’s Writing Goldmine (in the yellow bar at the top of the screen), then you received The Ultimate Children’s Writing Cheatsheet free ebook, which breaks down the age groups of children’s books and gives you some recommended reading lists. Spend some time reading different categories and genres of books (lucky for us, reading children’s books is a BIG part of becoming a children’s writer!). Pay attention to the age groups and types of stories that you especially love. Those are probably the kind of books you’ll want to write.
- As you read, you’ll get TONS of ideas for your own books. Write them down! Then check out How to Generate Amazing Story Ideas to start giving your favorite bursts of inspiration enough substance to be turned into marketable books.
- Ready to begin writing your story? I especially love Writing Blueprints because you’ll have an expert at your side as you learn, step-by-step, how to craft books for a specific age category: Picture Books, Easy Readers, Chapter Books, Middle Grade or Young Adult. The Writing Blueprints are ingenious because you learn how to WRITE while you also learn how to develop characters and plot a story for your chosen age group. And it’s all in small steps, so you’ll never get lost or overwhelmed. Trust me, you can do this!
Here’s a little secret: Becoming a successful writer is a lifelong learning process, so don’t feel bad if you start to see areas where you need more training. Once you’ve got a solid foundation from a Writing Blueprint, start browsing the other tools in Workshops for Beginners to see if anything catches your eye. And then hop over to meet my pal Lilypad, who will show you how to become an expert Learner.
Oh, and the answer to the question, “When can I start calling myself a writer?” is,,,
