Writing great child characters

What is the course about?

An opportunity to explore the particular challenges of writing child characters as an adult, to learn vital information about the way children of different ages respond to stories and to bring your own child characters powerfully to life through a series of practical writing exercises.

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?

- How to get inside the heads of your child characters and bring them powerfully to life on the page.
- The main story themes and characters that appeal to children of different ages and stages of development.
- The importance of character point-of-view within children’s stories.

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

- show understanding of the various ways in which child readers of all ages and stages relate to stories and the characters within them.
- apply writing techniques including point-of-view and narrative voice in order to portray believable child characters that readers will care about.

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

This course is suitable for students at all levels. No special educational attainments are required, but students should be able to write fluent English.

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

- Tutor-led discussion and feedback
- Pairs and group work
- Lots of independent writing

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, writing materials and lots of enthusiasm.

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 course or 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.