Write a Children's Book

Learn how to write a children's book today. Easy step by step instruction.

Nov 17, 2007, how to write and publish a childrens book

how to write and publish a childrens book - author explains the secrets of how to write a childrens book in 30 days or less.

Nov 17, 2007, write kids books in 30 Days or Less

Write kids books in 30 days or less. Books, articles, coaching and more. Start your writing career today. Easy Step by Step Instruction.

Oct 30, 2007, Yahoo Authentication

Oct 30, 2007, Verification

Oct 30, 2007, Writing Desks

Writing Desks - all styles and colors. Lovely Furniture for yourself or as a gift.

Oct 15, 2007, Caterina Christakos Biography

Caterina Christakos - author biography.

Oct 15, 2007, FAQ for How to Write a Children's Book in 30 Days or Less

Faq - how can how to write a children's book in 30 Days or Less help you

Oct 15, 2007, Writing Testimonials for How to Write a Children's Book

Testimonials for How to Write a Children's Book in 30 Days or Less.

May 3, 2007, Untitled Document

Apr 3, 2007, how to write a book for beginners

how to write a book for beginners - get the inside scoop on how to write your first book

Feb 14, 2007, How to Start a Childrens Book

How to start a childrens book, develop your plot and finish your story in 30 days or less.

Jan 18, 2007, What You Need To Know To Write A Book

What you need to know write a book. As a published author and personal coach,with published work in various genres, I get alot of questions about how to write a book and get it published. These questions come from all over the world and yet

Jan 18, 2007, What You Need To Know To Write A Book

What you need to know write a book. As a published author and personal coach,with published work in various genres, I get alot of questions about how to write a book and get it published. These questions come from all over the world and yet

Sep 1, 2006, Writing Teleseminar

For the first time ever, I will be hosting a writing teleseminar for new children's book writers. This is the place where you can get all of your questions answered directly by me. The cost to attend is just $25 and will be limited to just 25 participants.

To make sure that you get your question answered please click below and add your #1 writing question to the list. I will do my best to include it in your teleseminar.

Sep 1, 2006, AskDatabase - How to Write a Children's Book Survey

Askdatabase survey for children's book writers.

Aug 15, 2006, How to Write a Children's Book - audio book version

Hi {!name}

Just wanted to drop you a line and let you know that I have addedan online audio version of my book How to Write a Children's Bookin 30 Days or Less. This is a great way to listen to each lesson,while you write or to get inspired before you write.

To get your copy go to:http://www.howtowritechildrensbooksnow.com/howtowriteachildrensbookaudiobook.htm

Scroll down and click on the audio version link to get your copy today.

Aug 11, 2006, How to Settle Your Mind And Actually Write

Sometimes our minds go a million miles an hour, especially when we sit down to write. Suddenly you remember the errands that you were supposed to run, the chocolate cookie that you must eat, and the fact that your house is a pigsty.

Mind you none of this bothered you when you sat in front of the television, got your double latte or worked at your "real job."

Yes, your mind has decided to take over again with tons of gibberish.

How do you stop this mad dash down procrastination road?

Easy. Simply stop. Pay attention to your thoughts and the speed that they are popping into your head. Just stop in mid motion. Put the cookie down and just stop for a moment and see if all the nonsense filling your mind is actually as important as writing.

Procrastination occurs when you allow your mind to go on autopilot. Take control. Take a breath. And go sit down and write.

Aug 8, 2006, How to Make Your Writing Real

So you have a brilliant idea and have sketched out the details. Congratulations.

How do you take it from outline to real in depth characters and setting though?

Realize that the setting and characters need to be as real to you as the computer that you are typing on.

Take a moment to really examine your sorroundings. Really notice them. Run your fingers over the edge of your desk. Take a moment to really taste the coffee you are drinking. Take an actual whiff of the air around you.

Now describe them and describe what reaction each of these actions inspired in you.

Your characters need to be as real to you as your child or significant other. The only way to truly create that on paper is to cultivate that true awareness in your own life.

Close your eyes. Pick something that your character will experience in this chapter. Place yourself in his or her place. What stands out? What emotions hit you? What is your sensory experience?

If your character is being chased, for example, what would be happening to him physically and mentally? Does his heart pound in his chest? Is he mind focused or in a state of utter panic?

Now write the scene using those emotions and sensations.

Jul 31, 2006, Colliding Worlds - Writing Exercise

What would happen if Harry Potter met Peter Rabbit? Or if the Little Princess found herself in Narnia?

Take two popular themes and ask that wonderful question - "What if?"

I don't mean that you should steal their stories. Simply generalize.

How would a wizard react to being shrunken down to the size of Thumbelina?

How would an animal treat his owner if their positions were reversed?

Expand your possibilites by colliding worlds.

Jul 30, 2006, Tick Tock - Writing Exercise

Get a cheap timer or alarm clock from your local grocery or drug store.

Set it to go off in a half an hour.

Set your cute little tush in your writing or computer chair and write until the timer goes off.

There are to be no bathroom breaks, or snack breaks and turn the ringer off on your phone.

Now write!

All editing and spell checks are only to be done after the alarm goes off. At that time revise to your heart's content.

Can’t think of anything to write, you say?

What about a story about a child who must accomplish a task in a very limited amount of time or face dire consequences?

Ex. hiding a bad report card before his mom sees it; running to a store to get his dad a birthday present before dad realizes he forgot; riding his bicycle like mad to make it in time for the big game

Now that you have the sensory experience of being on the clock you will be very qualified to right about a child experiencing the same feelings and anxiety

Jul 28, 2006, What to write when you are bored out of your mind

Bored. Bored. Bored.

We have all been there. Nothing seems of interest and we listlessly channel hop.

Well instead of wasting precious moments and brain cells why not use your state - that state of boredom - to right a story?

How about a boy who is stuck at home during the summer because he broke his leg? All of his friends are out playing but he has to stay in with his leg up.

What mischief could he get into? What amazing discoveries could he make in his very own house?

Boredom is not an excuse to sit on the couch and mope. Use it within your stories, and see how your characters find their way out.

Jul 25, 2006, Bubbles to Spark the Imagination

I learned a wonderful exercise today to spark your creativity. This should be done in private, as you may feel a bit foolish.

Go to your nearest pharmacy or toy store and buy a bottle of bubbles. ( You know like you used to blow when you were a kid)

Find a quite place outside, sit and blow bubbles for a half an hour.

This silly little exercise will do two things:

1) It will clear your mind and help you to relax.

2) It will help you see the world as you did as a child. Use this new vision of the world to write from their point of view.

You can also accomplish the same thing by playing with play-do or building with blocks or finger painting.

Any exercise that makes you feel like a kid again.

Jul 21, 2006, How Excercize Can Spark Your Creativity

Some of the most ingenious stories and inventions ever created were produced as a direct result of exercise. The repetition of walking, running or doing a monotonous exercise clears the brain.

Narnia author C.S. Lewis used to take long, contemplative walks and most mornings, Stephen King runs several miles.

Benjamin Franklin swam daily and Albert Einstein took long contemplative walks.

The next time you feel frustrated over a story line or problem get moving. Sitting in frustration is the worst way to find an answer.

Get the blood pumping to your brain by taking a walk or a swim and prepare to be delighted with your creative results.

Jul 20, 2006, A writer's success story

Hi all

I am so excited for new children's book author Denise Spiller! After reading my book How to Write a Children's Book in 30 Days or Less she has produced her own children's book .

"My name is Denise Spiller. I am the new author of"Henrietta the Hyena", my first children's book.

I have been a member of your site, receiving yourwonderfully informed emails for quite some time now.... I can personally saythat your book, emails and insight has helped me tocomplete my book.

So, thank you! My book is done and in the final stagesof preparation for the printer."

I am so proud of Denise Spiller and have read a pre-publication copy of her book. It is adorable!

Keep a look out for her newest book, in your bookstores, as it should be coming out in the next few months!

To learn how you can right and publish your own children's book click here

Sincerely,Caterina Christakos

Jul 14, 2006, Adding Texture to Your Writing

Many writers describe their characters in one dimensional terms.

Ex. She had pretty blue eyes and long blond hair.

Characters, like people, are multi- dimensional. They have texture.

Ex. Her skin was as soft as fresh summer peaches and glowed in the sun.

There are also multi - dimensions in their actions.

Why your character does something is just as important as what he does.

If your character opens a closet that leads to another world, what caused her to open the closet in the first place?

Was she playing hide and seek with her siblings; hiding from a mean aunt; searching for a cherished toy?

And finally there is a texture to different relationships.

Some of your characters may clash, others will get along most of the time, and still others may have no cause to meet except for the whims of fate.

How do they react to each other and why? Does his nemesis remind him of someone else he knows? Does his best friend have qualities that are comforting to him and remind him of better times? Are they joined together against a malevolent force?

Only you can decide. Have fun creating worlds, relationships and events that your readers will love.

Jul 13, 2006, The Box - Writing Exercise

Imagine a box. It can be a plain white or black one; a red one; one encrusted with jewels; one rotting with age, etc...

What is inside of it? A secret? A letter? A key?

Who opens it? Where did he or she find it? Was it hidden or in plain view?

Does it lead to an adventure, a wild goose chase, a family secret?

Let your imagination run wild.

Jul 12, 2006, The What If Game

Imagine that everything you know is merely an illusion. What if tables could dissolve into liquid; birds could transform into cougars; people could change shape, size and color, at will?

Use the question, "what if?" to create new worlds, characters and scenarios.

Ex. What if your father was actually a dimension hopping elf out to save a flower that could turn back the clock on global warming?

Ex. What if there was an entire civilization that lived in the fibers of your carpet and your footsteps felt like continual earthquakes to them?

Ex. What if it turned out that we were the amoebas that lived on an even bigger organism?

Have fun coming up with your own what if scenarios!

Jul 12, 2006, Thank You Newsletter

Thank You Newsletter page. Thanks for opting in to How to Write a Children's Book newsletter.

Jul 11, 2006, Using Your Senses - Writing Exercise

Grab a tape recorder. Sit somewhere comfortable either inside or outside.

Pick one thing to describe. It could be a corner of a room, a tree, a piece of furniture, etc...

Examine it for two minutes then close your eyes. Speak into the recorder and describe it in detail.

Not just how it looks but how it would feel, smell, anything that comes to you about it.

Now create a story about it based only on the sensations that you have described. Forget everything you know about this object in the "real world"

A chair could be a transporting device. It could be a type of tree in another world. It could be a live creature.

What does the scent of this object remind you of? What else could it be?

Let your imagination take over.

Jul 10, 2006, Einstein's Laboratory - writing exercise

Imagine that your character is an inventor. She can invent anything that you can think of practical or not. What is the invention? How can it be used? How do others react to it? Does it actually help out or does it manage to make a mess of the situation?

If you are having difficulty coming up with an invention, look at the inventions around your house - the phone, the computer, the stove, the pet rock, etc... How do you think they were created? What could your character do to improve them? What if an ordinary household item could be transformed into something else - like a portal to another universe or a looking glass into the future?

The possibilities are endless! Let your imagination go wild.

Jul 10, 2006, The Book Flip = Writing Exercise

Pick up any book or magazine.

Flip it open to any page.

Close your eyes and point.

Create a story out of whatever words, idea or thought come out of what you pointed to.

Ex. I picked up The Psychology of Persuasion by Cialdini

The words I pointed to were : secret persuasion

Now what can we make of that? A child who subtly persuades his parents or friends to his way of thinking? A teacher who helps children learn without their even realizing it? A magical creature who can unduly influence others?

The possibilities are as endless as your imagination.

Now start writing!

Jul 7, 2006, Laughter is the Best Medicine - Writing Exercise

As many of you know, I love to start a book or story with action. Catch the readers attention immediately.

You can also do this with humor. Think of the funniest thing that has ever:

a) happened to youb) happened to a friendc) happened on a show you watched

Could you take a variation on that theme and begin your story with it? Of course you can.

Example: A cousin of mine told me about a man who drove the most beat up, rusted piece of junk imagineable. Despite this he was consumed by fear that "his baby" would get stolen. What did he do? He wound find the biggest tree in the area and literally chain his car to the tree so that a thief would not be tempted by this rusted piece of tin and steal it.

Now don't tell me we can't get a story out of that one. An opening scene maybe?

Maybe instead of this man, we can change the story into a child who loves the most beat up bike on the planet. He is absolutely convinced that the other children, who are secretly laughing behind his back, are plotting to steal it. The story begins with him carefully locating some shrubbery to conceal his bike each morning, when he goes to school. While he is hiding it, he is confiding in his best friend, who has had to watch and listen to his fears since the third grade.His friend has to contain her amusement because she knows that this is just another one of his quirks. A main character with quirks is almost always interesting.

Then develop your character by letting us know why this bike means so much to him. Did his father, who passed away years ago, give it to him? Is riding his bike the only thing he has ever been really good at? Come up with some powerful reasons why this bike is so important to him.

Now you try it. Transform one of your funny moments into a side gripping opening for your latest story. Or create something out of the example I gave you.

Jul 7, 2006, Play it Again Sam - writing excercize

Did you ever want something as a child and didn't get it? A toy? More time with your dad? Your parents to stay together?

Craft a story around it. And help your character feel what you felt and discover the blessing in it.

Perhaps he doesn't get the toy that he wants but ends up making a fantastic friend who he plays with all summer.

Perhaps her dad seems to busy to play with her but she teaches him how precious that time is, like you wish you could have.

Perhaps her parents are divorced and she is constantly trying to match make them back together again, like the parent trap.

Use what seemed like a bad experience to you as a child, and find the lesson in it. You just may come up with a fantastic story, as well.

Jul 5, 2006, Eavedropping for Ideas - Writing Assignment

I know eavesdropping is considered rude but you won't be listening to entire conversations. You just want to get the jist of it.

Go to your local bookstore and subtly listen in on conversations, especially the ones that children are having. Don't stare. We don't want anyone getting the wrong idea.

Take one or two sentences from their conversation and create a story. Is the conversation one where two children are squabbling or are they asking mom for money to buy books?

Could you create a story with the underlying moral sharing or money management?

Is mom rolling in dough or struggling to make ends meet? Is it a Richie Rich type story or more of an Oliver Twist slant?

Great writers use their environment to create great stories.

Jul 2, 2006, Your Genie in a Bottle - Writing Exercise

Imagine that you are walking down a deserted beach and find an ornate bottle. Upon rubbing it a beautiful genie appears.

Exercise #1Allow her to tell you her story. Where has she lived? Who has she served? What is her biggest desire?

Now take everything she tells you and craft a fairy tale.

Exercise #2Imagine that she can take you back in time to when you were your most creative. Perhaps a childhood play memory where you got to be anything you want, have any powers you want, be anywhere you want...

What stories would your younger self create?

Exercise #3Imagine that your main character discovers a magical person or object.

Is it going to serve him well? What magical powers does it have? Is it good or evil or one pretending to be the other? Does it help him or teach him to trust his own instincts and help himself?

Jun 30, 2006, Pick a Letter - Writing Excercize

1)Pick a letter, any letter.

2) Come up with 5 words that start with that letter

3) Now come up with the first 5 things that you can think of about those 5 words. Whatever pops into your mind.

4) Create a story with the results.

Ex. BBoy - sports, adventure, explorer, skinned knees, goofball

Banana - yellow, peel, monkeys, zoo, jungle

Beast - beauty, lion, pounce, jungle, mane

Boing - bounce, jump, spring, ball, gong

Boo Boo - ouch, knee, skinned, hurts, kiss

The boy down the street was amazed. He had never seen a monkey bounce down the street eating a banana, while holding the boo boo he had on his knee before. He had always pictured monkeys in the jungle, swinging from branches and peeling bananas. Was he also tossing a ball in the air? How many arms did this monkey have? The boy inched closer to get a better look.

Jun 29, 2006, Surprise them with the Unexpected

Often great stories are the result of doing the opposite of what is expected.

Ex. Recently there was a cartoon/movie based on what happens when superheros are forced to retire. The main character was strong, with superhuman powers. After being put out to pasture, he grew a beer belly, sat around listening to police scanners, and ended up being conned by a criminal mastermind.

ex. Shrek is a perfect example of how hilarious the opposite of our normal reality can be. Here fairy tales are turned upside down, leaving ogres as the heros.

Your assignment - Find a typical children's story or story format and turn it upside down. What would happen if everything we have been taught to expect was suddenly reverse? What if you actually wanted the bad guys to win? What if Snow White framed her step mother with that poison apple? etc..

Jun 28, 2006, Desperation is the Mother of Invention

Imagine a child in a most deplorable circumstance:

ex. Harry Potter living with his cruel aunt and uncle

ex. Oliver Twist begging for a bit more gruel

ex. Orpan Annie living with the tyranical Ms. Hannigan

Now figure out a way for that child to get out of that situation courageously.

Does the answer come from the child's imagination? From her friends? From a kindly outside source?

It's your story. You decide. Some to the best stories evolve from the idea of misery being trumped by triumph.

Jun 26, 2006, Sounds Create Stories

Sometimes just hearing a sound can conjure up a story.

Ex. The sound of a bathtub runninng could lead to a woman who has just started filling the tub, when the phone rings. Unexpectedly a pipe bursts.

The next thing you know she is knee deep in suds and has to call a plumber. He in turn has to bring his son because school is closed that day. The son notices a piano ( he has always wanted to learn to play). His dad and the lady negotiate. She gets her bathroom fixed, while the son gets free lessons.

Ex #2 The sounds of a kettle boiling could turn into a train story.

Ex. #3 The sound of glass breaking and an alarm could lead to a story about a thief that busts into a toy shop and gets caught by the neighborhood genius (who has just turned 8 by the way)

Now you come up with some.

Jun 25, 2006, Creatures, Creatures, Big and Small

Writing Exercise:

Go to your nearest encyclopedia or bug related site online and pick two that you would like to use in your story.

Here is the kicker though. You want to just jot down the special abilities of the two creatures you pick. Then give those abilities to your main characters.

Can they fly? Are their hands sticky? Do they have extraordinary vision? Can they change the color of their skin to camouflage themselves? Is one a predator? Do they use these powers for good or evil?

Now write their story based on these facts.

Jun 24, 2006, Three Cookies and A Bottle of Arsenic

Three Cookies and A Bottle of Arsenic

Ever truly despise someone? The girl who stole your boyfriend? The guy who beat you out at sports? The teacher who humiliated you in front of the whole class?

Well now you get to kill them off - figuratively speaking.

Imagine your main character has been waiting for years to get back at this person. Whatever he or she did to him has sent his life on a downward spiral into unemployment, a crappy marriage, and a hundred pound weight gain.

He needs to carry out this revenge with every fiber of his being but is not willing to go to jail for it.

His tools for offing his nemesis are three cookies and a bottle of arsenic.

Now here is what you have to figure out:

1) Who is his nemesis?

2) Did he or she really do anything to him or is this all in his imagination?

3) Why are there three cookies?

4) Who is the scapegoat for this murder?

5) Does he pull it off or do things get continually botched?

6) Does he get caught and, if so, how?

7) Does anyone else know about his plan and if so do they aid him or try to stop him?

Jun 20, 2006, Ordinary Objects Extraordinary Stories

Sometimes you can create magical stories with the help of a single object.

For Alladin it was the magic lamp.

For Cinderella it was a glass slipper.

For Pinnochio it was a block of wood.

Look at the objects in your kitchen, office or bedroom. Pick one and develop a story line around it. You will never see the objects in your home the same way again.

Jun 18, 2006, Writing Excercize #3

Pick a word, any word from a book, magazine or dictionary and build a story around it.

For example: The first word I saw was prophet.

This could be a family name, the name of our main character, a password that unlocks a mystery they are trying to solve or any number of other scenarios.

Use your word to create either an entire story; a background for one of your character; or the key to your plot.

Jun 15, 2006, Writing Excercize #2

Sometimes when we are stuck using one of our senses to generate a story, another will come to our aid.

Many writers are visual. We either get our story ideas from something we see or something we picture in our minds. What can we do when what we picture is a blank slate?

Why try another sense of course. Go to your nearest wholefoods or exotic market. Pick up one or two types of food that you have either wanted to try or seem like they might be interesting.

Go home and prepare your food, then sit quietly at your table, with a pen and paper next to you, and with your eyes closed take a bite. Then jot down any images, sensations, etc that come to mind.

Could this be a fruit from another world or a dish from a village in a far way land? Who would be eating it? What dialect do they speak? Do they actually like this meal or are they eating it from necessity?

DO you see how the simple excercize of using an alternate sense can develop entire worlds for you and your readers?

Try it for yourself.

Jun 13, 2006, Writing Excercize

Writing excercize: Fill in the details of this story with: who, what, when, where and why

The plain brown bag lay forlornly on the sidewalk. If not for the bit of bright green yarn sticking out, Josh would not have noticed it. Stooping to pick it up, he was shocked at what fell out, right into the palm of his hand.

Jun 8, 2006, How to Create Stories Out of Thin Air

Great stories are all around you, simply waiting to be discovered. When you imagine that you have writer's block simply pick up the materials you have on hand and watch it disappear.

1) Pick up a newspaper and create a story based loosely on one of the articles.

2) Grab a children's magazine or book. Close your eyes and point to a page and create a story based on the picture or word you pointed to.

3) Ask a child what his favorite animal, word or character is and allow your imagination to run wild with it.

Many writers think that they have to wake up with a brilliant idea waiting to be written. Look around you. Stories are waiting to be told from the materials readily available in your current world.

Use those materials to create other worlds, filled with fancy and fun.

Apr 25, 2006, Writers - How to Delve Deeper into Your Characters

Writing Excercize for You - A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

There is an expression that says a picture is worth a thousandwords.

That phrase triggered off a writing jag for me last night and Ibelieve that it can help you, as well. Last night as I attempted touse my new rowing machine, I glanced up at my bedroom wall. Thereis a picture that has been sitting there for ages that I barelynoticed. It is a dusty European city at the break of day. Horsesand carriages were slowly clopping along and men and women milled,chatting and beginning their day's work.

The more I studied this picture the more details my mind filledin.I had the approximate time of day, the setting of an olderEuropean town, the approximate time period. Those were obvious butthen my mind filled in the aroma of dust and dawn, possible breadbeing baked for those venturing out. With the horse and carriage, Iimagined that there was a class system. In the very backgroundthere appeared to be a castle.

Then my imagination filled in my main character - a young boy,racing down the street. His feet sped determinedly and he appearedfocused, neither looking left or right. This told me that he wasfamiliar with the area. He could have just as easily been glancingaround in fear and nervousness but no his footsteps were firm andhe had a sense of purpose.

This sparked the question of "Where is he going?, How long has helived there? Does he have siblings? Do his parents know he is outthis early? Is it normal?" By viewing one single picture I had thebeginning of a story and you can too.

Go online and scan museum sites or your favorite artists or evenpictures of your favorite cities. Or go to a museum or even a park.Practice observing. Let yourself sink into the scene.

What would your character hear?

What would he see?

Is there a scent that he notices or is he there so often it iscommonplace?

Who is he with?

Who is he meeting?

Is he up to mischief or helping out a friend?

Drill down until the scene and your character seem as real to youas your own family. Allow your imagination to give life to yourcharacters and stories.

Learn how to write a children's book: http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com

Apr 14, 2006, Book Reviewers - How to Get Your Book Reviewed

Book reviewers - get your book reviewed now

Mar 3, 2006, How to Write a Children's Book

Learn how to write a children's book and get published today.

Jan 15, 2006, Writing Courses - Travel Writing, Childrens Books, Screenplay and more!

writing courses from how to write a screenplay to how to write a childrens book.