Glen and Karen Bledsoe --> articles --> getting started --> Reading to Learn
Articles Index: Site Index: If you're going to be a writer,
you have to write, write, write, and read, read
read. What sorts of things should you
be reading? First of all, read all the
children's literature you can find time for. Shop your
local independent bookstores for the finest selections of
children's literature (the chain stores, alas, often have
little more than series books and a handful of
"classics"). Ask what is selling well. Examine
everything: picture books, fiction, non-fiction, novelty
books. You never know what projects they might
inspire. Use your library as well. Go to
your local library and ask the children's librarian what
children are checking out. You can also ask the librarian
to let you look at catalogs from publishers of children's
books. This can give you a feel for what sorts of books
each publisher prefers. Some beginning writers avoid
reading the work of other authors. They fear that by
reading another author too much, they may be influenced
by that author and begin imitating that author's style.
Nothing to fear in that. Of course you'll be influenced
by the authors you read! And imitating their styles can
be a useful writing exercise. Try re-writing a well-know
fairy tale in the styles of, say, Dr. Seuss, R.L. Stine,
Beverly Cleary, and Roald Dahl. It can be a fun way to
see how each author approaches the subject. In the same
manner, students of fine art used to go to art museums
and copy the paintings as a way to learn how to paint. By
doing so they learned how each painter solved artistic
problems, and eventually developed their own styles and
methods. Besides children's books, you
should read books on how to write for children. There are
more than a dozen good books available. You'll find them
featured all over this site. Buy as many as you can
afford, or check them out from the library. Put them on
your gift lists, too, so friends and family can buy them
for you. Make sure you buy several, so you
get many points of view. You'll find that on some points,
Author A says, "Do X! Always do X!" while Author B says,
"Never do X!" On such points, use your own discretion. On
the other hand, if Author A and Author B both agree on a
point, it's most likely a rule to follow. Read books about the children's
book industry. One that should be on everyone's shelf is
It's
a Bunny-Eat-Bunny World One more type of book that you
will need on your shelf will be reference books for the
nuts and bolts of writing: style, spelling, grammar, and
punctuation. No need to groan in pain if those weren't
your best subjects at school. There are lots of excellent
books on the topic that make the subjects both
interesting and understandable. Besides, it's your job as
a writer to spell correctly and to use grammar and
punctuation correctly. Editors expect it of you. No
longer will an editor do that kind of work for you. Start
with a copy of Strunk and White's Elements
of Style Recommended books: Eats,
Shoots, and Leaves If grammar has always
mystified you, this is the book for you. Not recommended for
children -- the humor (and the artwork) is a bit
adult. The
Deluxe Transitive
Vampire The children's publishing
industry exposed! Here's the real scoop, for those of you
wondering where exactly your manuscript goes to when you
drop it in the mail. It's
a Bunny-Eat-Bunny World
Lynne Truss
Gotham, 2004
Karen Elizabeth Gordon
Pantheon, 1993
Olga Litowinsky
Walker & Co., 2001
Glen and Karen Bledsoe --> articles --> getting started --> Reading to Learn