Writing Books for Children Under 5 Years of Age

There is a misconception that writing for children is easier than writing for adults. I am not sure where this statement originated from, but anyone who has written for children, or indeed has thought about, planned to or drafted a story for out little people will know that it is horribly difficult to write for this age group; and particularly for the under 5's. Why? Well because when it comes to writing for children, every word counts! There is no room for error, there is no possibility of fudging over a difficult storyline, description or characterisation by adding in a couple of extra adjectives here and there every word counts. And when it comes to children under 5 years of age, you've hardly got any words to choose from in the first place!
Children under the age of 5 year will notice adults and other children around them reading and will start to get frustrated that they are unable to participate in this activity. Thus it is important that children of this age have access to books that are interesting and accessible to them. There is a national programme to help children of a young age access books. This programme is called Bookstart and it is funded by Sure Start promoting a lifelong love of books. The programme works through local organisations to give free packs of books to babies and toddlers, as well as guidance materials for parents and carers. There are different types of Bookstart pack available for three different age ranges:
- 0 to 12 months
- 18 to 30 months
- three years plus

Local libraries can help families access local Bookstart programmes. Where programmes do not exist in the local area, Bookstart packs can be ordered online.

If you are looking to write a book for children under 5 years of age, or if you are looking to buy books for children within this age group (perhaps you have a child who is under 5 or you work with young children) then there are some key principles that you should keep in mind:
- Children are attracted to colour and shapes. Ensure that you incorporate these principles into the books you write or buy. If you are writing a book for children, think about working out the visual impact or illustrations for the book before you finalise the text
- Children learn through repetition and rhyme. This is where the "every word counts" rule comes into play. Incorporate these principles into your manuscript
- Children find it easier to relate to things that they are aware of in their everyday life. So think about this when you are creating the landscape or characters for your text
- Children like to be read to this is a crucial part of their learning. So ensure that the words you write can be read well aloud having characters with different tones or voices is a great way to do this. It also ensures that the story becomes fun for the parent or carer who is reading the book aloud too!

Do you need help with editing or proofreading your creative writing? Then use the professional editorial services from Words Worth Reading Ltd.

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How do literary agents work?

The way agents work can be frightening to many first time writers.

Let's start by considering the stats that would be typical of a good quality medium-sized agency in London or New York.

Such a firm might receive annually about 5000 submissions. Those 5000 submissions will generally be filtered by a professional reader. That reader may also be a receptionist for the firm, or a secretary, but they are recruited and trained to be skilled assessors of manuscripts, so the filtration process is conducted accurately and professionally.

Of the 5000 submissions, perhaps as many as 10 per month - or let's say 100 in a calendar year - will be recommended to the firm's agents for a full review. Of those 100, the agency will typically take on around 2. Sometimes 1. Sometimes, in a terrific year, 3-4.

Literary agents aren't being unreasonable by setting such standards. Increasingly these days, it's tough to sell work and only the best of the best will succeed. "Best of the best" doesn't simply mean best in artistic or literary terms. It means in terms of the market too.

If, for example, you fell in love with Stephenie Meyer's vampires and have started to write such a novel yourself, you are almost certainly several years behind the curve. The market has moved on and you're writing for an audience that is now looking for newer things. You have to stay a pace or two ahead of the curve, not a pace or two behind it. If you aren't certain that your work is as strong as it can possibly be, then you would be very well advised to get a tough, constructive manuscript assessment from a professional editor. You may love your work, and your Mother may love your work... but a trained outside eye can find a thousand things that you've been missing.

Once an agent agrees to take you on (or 'represent you' in the lingo), his or (more likely) her core role is to sell your manuscript and negotiate your contract. Assuming that she succeeds in that task, her role will also be to supervise the publishing process, holding your hand, smoothing out any bumps, and advising on such things as cover design or editorial tweaks which the publisher may consult you on.

Although you will have a close relationship with both your agent and your editor, your relationship with your agent is likely to be far more durable, (because publishers move on, because book deals are short and so on). Therefore securing a strong literary agent is both vital and extremely hard to achieve.

Good web resources exist for information on how to get a literary agent... but you also need to remember that those resources are secondary to the main thing, which is your manuscript. Get your manuscript strong enough, and the rest (with a little discipline and patience on your part) will fall into place. If the manuscript is not yet right, however, then no amount of discipline and patience will ever do the trick. Best of luck!

Harry Bingham is the prize-nominated best-selling author of 5 novels and 3 works of non-fiction. He also runs The Writers' Workshop, an editorial consultancy for first time writers. The company also helps by recommending outstanding work to leading literary agents.

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Keeping a Dream Diary

Deciphering your dreams achieves nothing if it remains purely intellectual. You have to ‘feel your dreams’; and embrace their messages into your waking life for dream analysis to have significance.

Recurring dreams can refer to a traumatic time, which has not been resolved. Recurring dreams can also mean you are not understanding the message, therefore, it repeats until you are able to unfold the symbolism of the dream. This is where a dream diary can come in very useful.


“Want to get to know your Self better? Want to find solutions to your problems that feel right to your heart and spirit, not just your mind? Want your life to feel more fascinating and meaningful? Dreams can help you do it all!

But to engage in the magical world of dreams, you need a handbook. That handbook is your dream journal, and your dreaming self is the author of it.

Here are the easy steps to keeping a record of your dreams so you can embark on the nightly adventures of a lifetime.

Your dream journal is completely unique, private, and personal. To get the most out of the practice of recording your dreams in a journal, you should use it every day. Even if you do not remember your dreams at first, being prepared to record them is essential. Before long, you’ll be able to grab your journal and pen immediately upon waking and dash out more and more detailed images.

Here are the Daily Guidelines. Include some or all of them to help you remember your dreams:

Basics
Date
First reaction
Basic storyline

Details
What was the mood or atmosphere of the dream?
Who was in the dream?
Where were these people?
When did this dream take place?
What sounds do I remember?
What colors do I remember?
What smells do I remember?

Reflection
How did this dream make me feel?
What do these emotions mean to me at this time in my life?
How does this dream relate to any previous dreams?
Is this a dream prompted by something that happened recently?
What is my interpretation?
What remains to be interpreted?”


By J Reynolds, copyright 2011 @ World Mysteries & True Ghost Tales
Originally written by Annie B. Bond



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Tips to Write Book Reviews

Writing a magazine review can be challenging. A magazine review is a description from the book in question. It's basically a critical research into the book. Book comments are an evaluation of the quality and content from the book. If you are writing a magazine review, you need to think about the meaning and significance from the book. You need to pinpoint the purpose of the book. You have to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of the book. Should you be looking to recommend it, you need to present evidence to aid your evaluation.

Book reviews basically reflect the opinion from the reviewer. However, the review ought to be a fair and brief description from the book. It should help a reader create a wise decision. When writing a magazine review, make sure to give relevant details about the book. This includes title, author, kind of book, copyright date, ISBN, special features like maps, etc. Also, state the objective of the author in writing it, i.e. why did the writer choose to write on the particular subject and never another subject? Become familiar with about the intended audience. Has got the author catered for them?

Incidentally, there has been a growing demand for children's titles like "Clouds" and "My Little Red Book". Animal, computer and educational books will also be in great demand. You are able to choose from a wide range of a myriad of cheap books online. You are able to browse the web to understand about a cheap discount book or perhaps a specific book for sale. However, make sure to read another review that will help you create a well informed decision. Reviewing a magazine is no child's play. First of all , needs to be considered may be the book you would like to review. You have to choose a book in which you're interested. Choose a theme or subject that's relevant to you. It's pointless to review a Science Fiction book if you're able to make head or tail of science fiction. So select a subject that engages you and you are interested in.

In order to agree or disagree using the author's point of view, it's a good idea to jot down notes while reading. Jotting down small notes can help you review the book easily. It will likewise help you with quotes inside your review. You should be in a position to understand the author's thesis and magnificence. Focus on his type of writing- is it formal or informal? Another essential aspect about book reviews may be the accuracy of the information presented within the book. Is the information relevant, accurate and engaging? Would be the concepts well defined? May be the language used lucid and convincing? You have to ask yourself these questions. Search for footnotes- they should provide significant information. Also search for maps and illustrations wherever necessary.

When writing book reviews, ensure that you include the following elements- title, author, publication date, publisher, edition, pages, price and ISBN. Make your opening sentence striking and convincing. It will immediately catch the attention of readers. Be fair and unbiased! You may also include information regarding the author's qualification, reputation, etc.

Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information on Book Reviews, visit http://www.bkreviews.com.

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Learning to Write With All of Your Senses

Writers often forget the importance of capturing all of the senses within a novel. To really make a scene believable the reader needs to be able to experience it as the characters are experiencing it, which means being able to see the same things as them, feel the same things as them, hear the same noises as them, taste the same tastes and smell the same smells. It is essential therefore that as a writer you consider all of the senses when you are writing, to help to bring your story to life.

However, it is often difficult to do this or to stay focused on doing this when you write; you may get bogged down in just one sense, so that your novel becomes unbalanced with visual descriptions of the surroundings and the things that the characters can see, or you may not feel confident in working with a certain sense, which could leave your book lacking.

There is a very simple exercise that writers can carry out to help them discover each of the senses and learn how to write about them. This exercise can be carried out at any time of day and any where it just requires the writer to be able to concentrate for a short period of time. The exercise is this:

Hold an object in your hand and then sit, stand or lie, whichever is more comfortable or convenient and remain in that position, in silence for 5 minutes. During that five minutes you should spend one minute concentrating on each of your senses. So, for the first minute concentrate on what you can hear; you may be sitting in your office in silence, but there will always be a sound, even if it's just the humming of your laptop or the clanging of the central heating. If you can hear voices, try to tune in to the accents, the tones of the voices and the annunciation of the words. Next move on to sight, this is an easier one but you need to push yourself to see more than a first glance would see. Look at the trees, at first glance it may look like they are swaying in the wind but if you look closer you might just see that it's actually only the very tips of the branches that are being blown by the breeze, perhaps you can see a bead of condensation dripping down the window, track it's path, see how it moves. Next move on to touch; this can often be tricky so start by thinking about the object you are holding in your hand, how does it feel? Is it smooth, cold, silky? Once you've appreciated the feeling in your hands and between your fingers, think about your feet are they standing on a worn carpet or wrapped within a thick duvet, what textures can they feel? Carry on in this fashion taking on each of the senses in turn, a minute each, and once you have finished jot down some of your thoughts on each of them. You will find that some senses are easier to write about than others but if you repeat this exercise regularly you'll soon be able to tap into your senses with ease, notice more of the world around you, and hopefully start to translate this into your creative writing so that you are writing stories that capture the reader's attention from all possible angles.

Do you need help with editing or proofreading your creative writing? Then use the professional editorial services from Words Worth Reading Ltd.

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