As an aspiring writer, you might be exploring your options about your target audience and what type of book you will want to write. Regarding the target audience, you can choose to write for adults, young adults, teens, pre-teens, or children.
Now, if you choose to write a children’s book, you should know that it isn’t as easy as it might appear on the surface. Many aspiring writers mistakenly believe writing for children is easier than writing for adults.
In reality, the truth is the other way around – writing for children is way more challenging than writing for adults, which is why you will want to do your research about the target market and read the best-selling books or the work of different authors before you sit down to write your own book.
When writing a book for children, you will certainly want to brainstorm new ideas instead of rehearsing the tales that have been told a hundred times before. You can use a mind map to brainstorm ideas and to jot down the plot and character details before you start to work on your manuscript.
If you are looking for inspiration, then you will want to assess the following places to find great ideas for your children’s book.
Seek Inspiration from Your Own Childhood
You will want to seek inspiration from your own childhood experiences. In fact, if you don’t want to narrate the stories that have been told hundreds of times before, you will want to look for uniqueness by fetching incidents from your own life.
There are instances that you might have experienced differently than everyone else – all you need to do is to look deep into your childhood and search for those incidents. A simple way to rummage through your childhood is to make a list of your favorite childhood memories that you would like to share with the world.
Think about the things that you liked to do when you were a child. Who were your friends, and what were the things that you were afraid of? You will also want to list the things and occasions you looked forward to in your childhood.
By revisiting your childhood, you will seek inspiration from your experiences. Instead of looking at the outside, you will draw on your childhood experiences as a fresh way to fish for unique ideas and incorporate them into your book.
Seek Inspiration from Your Children/ Grandchildren
If you cannot find the much-needed inspiration from your own childhood, you have the option of turning to your grandchildren or children for inspirational ideas. If you don’t have any of your own – just borrow the grandkids or kids of your neighbors.
The entire process is as simple as this – you will want to spend some time with your children, see their activities, and listen to what they talk about. If you have a specific age range, you will want to spend time with the target audience and gather inspirational ideas for your children’s book.
You will want to pay specific attention to the things that the children are saying and doing. Make notes of their interests and the things that appeal most to them or capture their imagination. You will want to take notes of everything that you see, hear, and feel so that you can later use these insights as an essential resource to develop a fresh idea for your book.
Get feedback from your kids about your book before you hit publication. This way, the subject matter of your book will resonate with your target audience.
Seek Inspiration from a Popular Reference
Suppose you have no kids to turn to and seek inspiration, or you are looking for something different; in this case, you will want to draw from whatever is happening in your current times. You could also seek inspiration from popular culture references.
However, it is important to mention here that before you draw your idea from a current event, you will want to decide your publication route. Generally, you have three options to publish your children’s book. You have the option of opting for traditional publishing, self-publishing, and indie publishing.
Now, if you opt for the traditional route of publication, you will want to know that it might take you a few years to get your book in the hands of your target readers; in which case, you might want to refrain from talking about any current events that might be occurring as by the time your book is published, the children might not find it relevant anymore.
If you opt for self-publication, then you will want to know everything about how to self-publish a children’s book, as self-publication is different than traditional publication in a way that you are in control of everything, and you wouldn’t have to wait years to see your book on the shelves and in the hands of your young readers.
If you opt for self-publication, you wouldn’t have to worry about staying relevant, as you will be able to get the book out in no time.
You get the point – if you hadn’t had a happy or interesting childhood, and you don’t have kids or grandkids to get your book ideas, you can seek inspirational ideas from popular culture references and contemporary events.
Seek Inspiration from Your Library
You can always find amazing book ideas by visiting an online bookstore or your local library. Always remember that there is nothing wrong with visiting your local library and seeking inspiration from the works of other writers.
Once you are at the library, you will want to see the best-sellers for the age group that you are interested in writing for. However, don’t keep yourself limited to the best-sellers alone – you will want to assess all sorts of books to get an idea about what is trending with children these days.
Doing so will ignite the much-needed spark in your mind, and when you return from the library, your mind will be full of sparkling ideas for your children’s book.
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