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Writing A Column for Children's Writers
by Mary Emma Allen

Once you gain experience as a writer, you may be asked to write or teach. As the author of more than 200 children's stories appearing in magazines and anthologies, and publisher of one anthology, I'm often asked to write articles on how to do this. I've also produced a manual,"Writing for Children", which led to my teaching workshops on this topic at writers' conferences, in schools, and adult education. Eventually this writing let to my providing the column, "Writing for Children," for Sell Writing Online (SWO), by Dallas Hodder Franklin.

How do you begin? Start writing stories, articles, and poetry for young readers. Once you've begun getting published, you start chronicling your experiences, if no more than in your journal. Write down how you started, what you did to get published, how you approached editors. Jot down your failures as well as successes because other writers can learn from both.

Then begin compiling this information into articles or a series of columns that will help others. Approach editors of writing magazines and ezines.

What can you write about? This will depend on what you write and teach. Use your experiences.

Some of mine have included:

• Finding Ideas
• Writing Novels from Your Family History
• Writing an Ancestor's Biography
• Writing Query Letters
• Writing Non-Fiction Book Proposals
• Incorporating Your Travels into Your Writing
• Writing for Children's Magazines
• Self-Publishing
• Producing a Coloring Book
• Promoting Your Writing
• Conquering Rejections
• When You Feel Like Giving Up
• Getting Ideas From Your Family
• Writing About Animals
• Writing for Family & Parenting Magazines
• Successful School Visits

Copyright © 2003 Mary Emma Allen

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