Writing for children

What is the course about?

A structured overview of the skills involved in writing for children of various ages. You will also gain an up-to-date knowledge of publishing for children.

Students say: "Lots of brilliant advice from the tutor"; "The class atmosphere and group discussions were great"; "A well-structured approach to different topics"; "I liked the camaraderie, the breadth of the syllabus, and the opportunity to hear from each other"; "It sparked loads of new creative ideas.".

This is a live online course. You will need:
- Internet connection. The classes work best with Chrome.
- A computer with microphone and camera is best (e.g. a PC/laptop/iMac/MacBook), or a tablet/iPad/smart phone/iPhone if you don't have a computer.
- Earphones/headphones/speakers.
We will contact you with joining instructions before your course starts.

What will we cover?

The picture book format, writing picture book text, nursery rhymes, fairy tales, animals in fiction, books for young readers, chapter books for developing readers, fiction for the more confident readers, relevant child development and interests of children, writing for older children and young adults.

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

- respond to, and assess, pieces of writing with sensitivity
- use various writing techniques through which your creativity can be expressed
- appraise the variety of books available for children today
- identify the different age categories into which children’s fiction is categorised by mainstream publishing
- discuss the essential elements of a story and explain how to adapt them to particular age groups.

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

Entry is open to all potential writers who can write fluent English.

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

Talks, illustrated with contemporary children’s books
Class writing exercises
Group discussion and group work
Independent reading and writing projects inside and outside class.

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?

Advanced workshop courses will be offered in the following academic term, so students with a work-in-progress can continue to receive in-depth feedback on their work.

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.