Writing Stories for Children

Helping children develop their imagination and creativity through reading is an important part of their development. not to mention a fun way to bond.

Whether you are a writer looking to perfect your skills or a parent or teacher wishing to create memorable stories, Stratford's Writing Stories for Children program can help you develop your skills.

Our convenient home study program focuses on the fundamentals of writing a variety of stories and books specifically for children and young adults. From plot and point of view to picture development and scenes, Stratford's program offers a comprehensive overview to creating compelling stories for a younger audience.

Bonus! Upon graduating you will receive a copy of Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market...at no additional cost to you!

Don't miss this exciting opportunity to enhance your skills and work toward the successful creation and possible publication of one of YOUR stories. Enrol today!

Writing for Children and Young Adults
• Principles of Good Writing
• Defining Young Adult Literature
• Storytelling
• Novel Writing Procedures
• Crafting Strong Story Concepts
• Creating Multidimensional Characters
• Developing Powerful Plots
• Developing Strong Scenes
• Pace and Prosody
• Voice and Points of View
• Crafting a Good First Chapter
• Writing Speculative Fiction
• Polishing and Revision Techniques
• Routes to Having a Book Published

Writing Picture Books
• Picture Book Target Audience
• Formats and Points of View
• Types of Voice and Correspondence
• Tense, Time, and Location
• Creating Characters
• Opening and Attention-Getting First Line
• Three-Act Structure
• Action
• Writing Scenes and a Strong Ending
• Rhyme and Rhythm
• Poetic Tools
• Figures of Speech
• Word Count
• Grabbing the Reader with a Great Title
• Making a Dummy Book
• Sharing Your Story
• Researching and Priming
• Selling Your Manuscript

Children’s Picture Books
• A Brief History of the Picture Book
• Learning to See
• Thinking Through Drawing
• Visual Communication and Educational Development
• Analyzing Response
• Word and Image Interplay
• Wordless Books, Graphic Novels, and Pictorial Text
• Assessing Content Suitable for Children
• Print Processes and Styles
• Narrative Approaches to Nonfiction for Children
• The Publishing Industry and Process
• Digital Content and the Future
• Case Studies

Revision And Self-Editing
• A Philosophy of Self-Editing
• Characters
• Plot and Structure
• Point of View
• Scenes and Dialogue
• Beginnings, Middles, and Ends
• Show vs. Tell
• Voice and Style
• Setting and Description
• Exposition
• Theme

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This educational program is an introductory course designed to help students gain knowledge necessary for the vocational application of this subject. Completion of this program does not fulfill the legal requirements of particular provincial licenses or certifications, which may require additional training or apprenticeships. One or more of the course subjects/textbooks may vary as courses are updated.