Course Overview

Discover sources of inspiration for stories that interest children.  Acquire the ability to write for 5 different age groups, ranging from toddlers to 12 year olds.  Study how to match complexity of plot and language to these different age groups.  Explore how to write not only traditional fiction, but also picture books and non-fiction.  Learn how to use grammar that children can understand, and how to present your writing in a visually pleasing way.

Pre-requisites

No previous experience required, although you should have at least basic skills in written English.

Qualification

ICS Writing Books for Children Diploma

Support and benefits

• Complimentary textbook: ‘Writing for Children and Getting Published’
• Five complimentary children’s books
• Learn from our expert, experienced in writing for children
• Access to a dedicated ICS tutor to mentor and motivate you throughout
• Access to the ICS online Student Community, allowing you to interact with other students and browse our resource library
  

Key topics

• Getting Started

Explore your market and examine sources of ideas. Discover what publishers are looking for. Consider what age group you want to write for and whether you want to write for boys, girls or both.

• Plotting the Story

Explore conflict and plot structure. Learn how to write with your own voice and how to grab the attention of a reader from the first page.

• Creating Characters Children will Love

Examine different types of characters and learn how to write believable characters. Consider the roles of the key character, secondary characters and minor characters. Explore character names.

• Dialogue

Discover how to write realistic dialogue and examine the different purposes of dialogue.

• Writing Picture Books

Learn how to see the world through a child’s eyes. Discover how to make every word count and how to hold the interest of a young child. Consider how to write to the level of a young child.

• Writing Non-fiction

Explore the non-fiction and educational markets, as well as the activity book market. Learn how to write non-fiction. Discover how to design activities that appeal to children.

Course Code

D15

Hours of study

9 months / 100 hours

Technical requirements

None

Outline

You’ll complete eight assessments during your course. These assessments can be submitted to ICS online via the Student Community, or they can be posted to ICS. It is recommended that you submit your assessments online as you will receive your results more quickly this way.

Assessment Breakdown

• Assessment 1: 1 exercise requiring you to write 4 letters on the same subject, aiming each at children of different ages
• Assessment 2: 1 exercise requiring you to create a brief plot for a children’s detective novel
• Assessment 3: 1 exercise requiring you to create a plot for your first children’s book
• Assessment 4: 1 exercise requiring you to create character profiles for the protagonists of your children’s book
• Assessment 5: 1 exercise requiring you to write dialogue
• Assessment 6: 1 exercise requiring you to write a story for children under 7, or the beginning of a story for children over 7
• Assessment 7: 1 exercise requiring you to write the story for a picture book
• Assessment 8: 1 exercise requiring you to revise and rewrite the story that you submitted for Assessment 6