Writing for children: getting started

What is the course about?

An opportunity to try out ideas for children’s stories, to develop your writing and learn about the current state of children’s book publishing. This taster course does not cover picture book writing.

Students say: "It was warm and welcoming"; "There were valuable writing exercises to get inspiration"; "I loved the feedback from the other students"; "Very enthusiastic and supportive tutor"; "It has taken the fear away from starting!"

What will we cover?

- Contemporary children’s writing
- Guidance in writing for children aged 5 – 15 years.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

- Use various writing techniques in order to develop a range of skills from plotting and planning through to
characterisation, description and dialogue
- Use the appropriate style for desired age group.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

This is a course for beginners. No prior knowledge or experience is required.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

- Group discussion and feedback
- Lots of independent writing
- Tutor input illustrated by examples from published works.

All writing courses at City Lit will involve an element of workshop. This means that students will produce work which will be discussed in an open and constructive environment with the tutor and other students. The college operates a policy of constructive criticism, and all feedback on another student’s work by the tutor and other students should be delivered in that spirit.

For classes longer than one day regular reading and writing exercises will be set for completion at home to set deadlines.

City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

Bring a notebook, paper and writing materials, enthusiasm and loads of persistence.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

Students who wish to continue actively to write for children may like to join the Writing for Children Workshop, most of whose members began as students on the City Lit’s Writing for Children course, and of whom a significant number are now published authors.

All students are invited to join us at Late Lines, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to Between the Lines, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on Facebook and Twitter.