should children become authors?
HERE'S AN ACTIVITY FOR THOSE RAINY DAYS OF SUMMER.
Children have tons of stories to tell us! Every day of their lives is a surprise, is a discovery, is a profound event that makes a dendrite in their soft tissue in the brain and creates a memory.
Motivating and showing children how to write stories or how to narratives (fiction or non fiction) not only makes them aware of the most important lessons of the day, their feelings about it, and how they have the power to learn from their environment.
Here's a simple guide to help young authors create a narrative:
Brainstorm topics.
Narrow down the topic.
Choose who the story is written for (audience).
Create a working title.
Pic a location or seting.
Introduce characters. What do they want?
Break it down into steps: First - Next - Then - Finally -
Explain what happens using beginning middle and end.
Do the characters get what they want?
Why or why not?
Authors who are so young they may not really know what they want to talk about in their story or book may just have one object in mind. In that case, the story can be about that object/
Write about an Person, Place, or Thing
In this type of expository writing about a person, place, or thing we can start with the 5 Ws:
What is it?
Where is it?
Who has it?
When is it used?
How does it feel?
The more questions you ask and answer about the person, place, or thing the greater the awareness of the object.
Fruit is a favorite topic of interest among children and even adults. There is so much to say about blueberries!
Without knowing it, this child author, Christopher Beale, created his own version of the Don Quixote, the most read novel in the world:
The 5 Ws of child authoring are not really the best questions for the topic since this is not a news article where you must fill in your audiences thirst for the 5 Ws. But you can't go wrong with the 5 Ws, ever.
what do child authors want
why be a child author
how to become a child author
where can child authors find guidance and support
when can child authors start
These are some of the thoughts we can have about authors who are so young they may not really know what they want or even ask themselves half of those questions.
Sooo, to be able to guide a child or adult about authoring a book or play, you must start out by asking what authoring takes and involves to the author's environment at home, to the world, school, to the future, and to the past. Research other child authors in history. Enjoy together.
First learn the ins and outs of copyright law for your child's sake. Seventy hears after the death of the author the work will be public domain unless copyright is extended. Vlick here to go to the US Copyright Office to learn more about how authors retain their rights.
All these multidimensional aspects of child authoring may be daunting to a parent or sibling interested in educating a young child about what they need to know before making a decision to author a work of art, be it a book, play, visual, or moving picture. This entails copyright law for children. Copyright law is available to all artists for free at: Copyright Law of the United States
Firstly, an author doesn't have to be a writer, they can have a ghostwriter do the writing for them. They can also only record their voice to print later and thus author.
But one thing everyone needs is an idea and a story to tell about that idea whether it is the expository form or dramatic style. The story may be factual or fantasy, maybe even both, as is the case of MAGIC REALISM, a genre based on reality where there are supernatural elements and social critique in a non linear narrative.
One very famous magic realism book for kids that all ages enjoy comes
from France: The Little Prince.
It tells the story of a young prince who travels from planet to planet, meeting different inhabitants and learning important life lessons along the way.
The book is known for its philosophical and allegorical themes, and has been translated into numerous languages and adapted into various forms of media, including films and stage productions.
Although The Little Prince was not written by a child author, it is a book that children love, it is also a philosophical book for all ages.
ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY, the "Winged Poet," was born in Lyon, France, in 1900. A pilot at twenty-six, he was a pioneer of commercial aviation and flew in the Spanish Civil War and World War II. His writings include The Little Prince, Wind, Sand and Stars, Night Flight, Southern Mail, and Airman's Odyssey. In 1944, while flying a reconnaissance mission for his French air squadron, he disappeared over the Mediterranean.
What I'm getting at is that you don't have to reinvent the wheel. Your little one can adapt a story they love to a different time, with different characters, and settings. Just tweak the plot a bit, a spinoff if you will, and you will have a new story of your own creation with ideas from other stories that you already know and like.
That's what Hollywood does, over and over again. Haven't you noticed?
Or, you can be more original and there are no rules for authoring. Just do it!
Here are the steps someone like me, a 22 year veteran teacher of language arts (reading, writing, spelling, and storytelling) from K-12 to college and from clients with biographical narratives to clients wanting copywriting fot business. I am a ghostwriter for hire.
And I hope you will use these simple gidelines to encourage your young one to create a work of art worthy of being in the Copyright Office of the United States.
here are 5 easy steps to write/create/record/publish your first story with a child author TO BE.
Summer is here to stay for a while. Not every day will be sunny and bright, and there may even be sunny and bright days you may prefer to sit tranquilly and start a project such as authoring a story with your favorite child.
Regardless of your child's age, starting at 2 and up to their teens, (especially so in their teens) you can can make up stories, retell and adapt stories by changing something about them, and write or record stories using technology, music, performing acts, or creating visual arts illustrations.
Objects around the house can be used as props. Props are objects used to imagine a scene, or to get into an action, such as telling about the first time you made pancakes for breakfast, or rode across the Williamsburg Bridge on a bike.
A story may have music and illustrations attached to it. The sky is the limit. Get curious. Find out what makes your little one's imagination flourish with an exercise in storytelling.
A children's storytelling primer that adults can follow too.
step 1
1. First of all, Brainstorm: THINK, THINK, THINK, take notes, and make lists.
Who is the main character?
Define and describe the character's
traits
family
friends
everyday routines
environment
feelings.
setting
2. What does the main character or protagonist want?
3. What stands in the way to get what they want?
4. Who are the characters in the story that help the protagonist? Why? what do they look like and sound like?
5. Who are the characters that stand in the way of the protagonist's wishes?
What do they look like and sound? What do they do?
6. What is the first thing that happens in your story ?
7. Why does it happen? CAUSE
8. Where does that lead to? What are the consequences? EFFECTS
EVENT 1
EVENT 2
EVENT 3
After you have a series of events and cause and effect relationships happen one after the other in relation to each other, the next step is to take each one of them and situate them into one of the three big sectors of the story:
Beginning: Act 1 - Inciting Incident
Middle: Act 2 - Fun & Games
End: Act 3 - Climax - Resolution
Once you have accomplished this you have STORY.
sTep 2
child author in the making
Introduce the audience: Who is the audience? What do they want?
Act 1
Here, in Act 1, the audience knows who your main character is, what they want, and what happens first as a consequence of that very first event that occurred. Inciting Incident
Take each SCENE and draw it out in words and pictures from beginning to end.
Describe the settings and the environment found in each setting.
Environment is not just where (setting), we want you to distinguish between the two because the environment also involves feelings.
Act 2
Take the obstacle(s) and devote time to their detailed description and come up with ideas about how to overcome them.
Make that obstacle stand out in all its splendor or darkness. The obstacle is as insurmountable as the protagonist is heroic.
Imagine three events that happen before the story reaches the most exciting moemnt of all the story: the time when you either win or lose.
Event 1 - Where are the character? What do characters do and say. What do their actions affect?
Event 2 - Repeat the above.
Event 3 - Repeat the above.
In each event the protagonist character comes closer to the end result. Or not!
But after many attempts to make the obstacle in the way go away, what does it take to get through the obstacle to the other side?
Act 3
Is there a happy ending?
Does the character give up.? Why?
Why not?
How does the character feel?
What is the character's new life like?
Think about the moral of the story. There is always one.
Yours can be any type of story you want!
step 3 review and rewrite
Wait! We haven't finished yet.
The next part of your adventure in storytelling with a child is just about to get better. Everybody loves to see a finished product.
Now retell or rewrite the entire book from beginning to end.
Where appropriate, incorporate words that indicate transitions such as:.
Next, analyze if your narrative includes any of these devices. You might want to see where and how to use them in your narrative.
The next step has to do with editing and proofing your story.
If your story becomes a song: sing it aloud, get musicians to play along, get more singers on board, and record it. Then share it so you can establish proof of ownership.
If you wrote a book, it is time to find someone to read it and proof it. You might want ot ask them if they would add or change anything abour the story. Ask for a list of questions they may have about the story plot.
Feedback will give you a sense of what is missing and what is good about it.
If you are writing a play, cast your actors and rehearse. Actors may play more than one character in the play. Use wardrobe and makeup to distinguish characters.
You ca nmake your story into a picture book, or a storyboard for film.
If you want to create a film from your story, stay tuned for the next episode of the Mad Teacher who will bring you guidelines to making your first film.
Here are some books that may help you get more and better ideas about storytelling for child authors.
Whether you’re just getting started or you’ve already written a ton of stories, practice makes perfect when it comes to writing for kids. Build your skills the fun way with Secrets of Storytelling; it’s packed with dozens of short, creative fiction prompts and plenty of space so you can write to your heart’s content.
Don’t be afraid to think outside the box, make mistakes, and get weird with words! Prompts and fun activities about writing for kids inspire you to get creative and help you build intriguing plots, strong characters, and vivid settings for your stories. It’s time to unleash your inner author!
In my experience as a teacher, I have witnessed how students use their own life's situations to tell a story. This will help them unravel any conflict and take a back seat view at any situation that may be going on. It may help them analyze whatevdr their feelings are and overcome its stigmatic effect.
Writing is a healing process!
step 4
It's time to make your child author's first book a reality
Publishing involves multiple steps.
If you want free help, call us at CAMP1.ORG, LEAVE A MESSAGE FOR MISS ANGELA:
"I WANT TO PUBLISH A CHILD AUTHOR'S FIRST BOOK." LEAVE THIS MESSAGE.
PUBLISHING PACKAGES START AT $199 PLUS ISBN FEES.
If you want to self publish on your own:
GO TO KINDLE PUBLISHING AND CREATE A PROFILE.
FOLLOW THE DIRECTION ON THE PORTAL.
CREATE YOUR BOOK.
PUBLISH!
step 5
market your book
HAVE A BOOK SIGNING EVENT!
READ YOUR BOOK ALOUD AT THE LOCAL LIBRARY!
SHARE WITH OTHERS.
PARTICIPATE IN SPEAKING EVENTS
PARTICIPATE IN PODCASTS
HAVE YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS BUY YOU BOOK AND WRITE A REVIEW
HIT THE 20 REVIEWS LANDMARK
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