Customer Reviews

Young at Heart, The Step-By-Step Way of Writing Children's Stories

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Violet Ramos knows what she is talking about. To understand why, here is what I wrote about writing books for children in my book Successful Nonfiction: Turning Thoughts into Books:

Some beginning writers think writing for children will be easier than writing for adults. Children are pretty sharp, and their attention span is usually much shorter.

Allana Elovson, a self-publisher of books about parenting, was reading to a young niece one day. The story was well received: The child was fascinated by all the pictures and listened intently.

When they finished the book, she smiled at her aunt and knowingly explained that the words were there for people who cannot read pictures.

Women buy 82% of all children's books and half are bought as gifts. Nearly 40% of the books are bought by mothers. Hardcover children's books are currently selling for $14.51, while softcovers are going for $7.34. Hardcovers with a dust jacket go for more than books without jackets.

According to Publishers Weekly, children's books fall into the following categories: 27% picture books, 17% books for babies and toddlers, 20% for younger readers, 19% for middle readers, and 17% for young-adult readers. Decide which category your work falls into.

Generally speaking, children's books are considered 50% text and 50% illustration so royalties are split between the writer and illustrator. If the royalty is 10%, then the writer and illustrator each get 5 percent.

Children's books tend to have a longer life than adult books. They start off slow and build over time. According to USA Today, October marks the beginning of a steady climb in the sales of children's books toward the holidays.

Be upbeat and send a positive message. So often children's stories center around mistakes and punishment, which sends a subtle message to a child about not taking risks for fear of harm.

"The secret to writing a successful children's book is not to think like a child or to try to remember what it was like to be a child, but to still be a child within." -Andrea Brown, literary agent.

It is not what you say but how you say it-especially when writing for children. Violet Ramos takes you by the hand and gently guides you through writing exercises, step-by-step. You will discover and work your way through main character, message, supporting characters, dialogue, contrast, movement, dynamic words, names and titles, descriptive writing, editing, page layout and creative outline. For a detailed description of the book's coverage, click on Table of Contents in the left-hand column of this page.

Violet Ramos has taught hundreds of students to release their creativity into stories for children. She feels there is a child in everyone who wants to speak out and reach other children.

As a publisher, author of 113 books (including revisions and foreign-language editions) and over 500 magazine articles and a consultant to the publishing industry, I recommend this book to those who need a concise step-by-step guide to writing for children. DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com.

Young at Heart may take you step by step through the process of writing children's stories, but it's simplicity lacks grit. Ms. Ramos touches on basic concepts, but spends no time going into depth. She writes for a page or two on each concept and then inserts "worksheet space" for you to practice on. Almost a third of the book is blank practice pages, which is completely unnecessary. The sample story she uses throughout to illustrate her points is umimaginiative and cliche. I would not recommend this book as a tool for children's writers.

I LOVE this book! With the guidance in this book, I am finally able to get back to fulfilling a dream of writing stories that has been inside since I was in high school. As a grandmother, I can take my time following the steps listed and transfer a thought into a well-rounded story. So happy to have found this helpful gem!

This book gives a set of simple exercises to describe the main topics in writing creatively, such as character, setting, dialogue, contrats, etc. However, it should be stresed that the theme of the book is simple. The layout design given is most suited to picture books. This book would be great for someone who is just wondering how to put a story down on paper. Somebody who wants to really learn about writing junior fiction would do better to read one of several books with a similar theme that tackle the subject in much greater depth. These books cover such things as plot, sub-plot, conflict, outlining, point of view, and many other important considerations in writing for children.

Vi Ramos provides the incentive for those of us who know not where to begin to write a book. The successive steps with exercises and worksheets are powerful tools which enable the writer to see his story develop and see his own ability develop. Her approach is very positive and encouraging for the beginner. I strongly recomment Young at Heart, The Step-by-Step Way of Writing Children's Stroies.

This was a great book to teach the novice writer on how to write stories for children. Ms. Ramos was able to convey experiences not only as a teacher but as a published author. I would strongly recommend this book to any teacher of creative writing at the middle school or high school level.

I have many years of writing experience--short stories, poetry, technical documents, business documents, and novels--but when I decided to write childrens' books I had no idea of how to start. I looked at a number of books on the subject and found them too superficial in subject matter. But when I read Violet Ramos' book, Young at Heart, it really caught my attention. This book tells you, in concrete terms and examples, how to write a childrens' book. I recommend it highly!

In a world so busy with the routine of daily life, it is good to know that an author like Violet Ramos requires only that the writer use his or her imagination to create a story from his or her heart and soul. She conveys in Young at Heart that the imagination turns into words the images that the heart and soul produce. The author undoubtedly follows the lessons that come out of this union. We all have something within us to share with others, and the story gives us opportunities to express ourselves openly. Violet Ramos has captured the essence of life and wants us to learn how to convey our special messages with others who, like her, are eternally young.

Review in Spanish:
En un mundo tan preocupado con la rutina de cada dia, me da mucho gusto que la autora Violet Ramos requiere que el escritor solamente use su imaginacion para crear un cuento de su corazon y de su alma. La imaginacion convierte en palabras los imagenes que producen el corazon y el alma. La autora sin duda sigue las ensenanzas que resultan de esta reunion. Nosotros tenemos algo que compartir de nuestros seres, y el cuento es la manera que nos da mas oportunidades para expresar nuestros pensamientos en pura forma. Violet Ramos ha capturado la esencia de la vida, y quiere que otros aprendan como desarollar el mensaje especial que cada uno tiene y que lo compartan con los que son eternamente joven.

I thought this book was wonderful! I loved the step-by-step format which took the intimidation out of writing and allowed me to freely create a great story. I would highly recommend this book to people who desire to write for children of all ages.

Being the father of six young up and coming writers, I found this text to an outstanding resource for my children. It was informative and user friendly for the novice creative writer. The illustrations and directions for each chapter where" Non-intimidating for my children ". I highly recommend this text for the parents and children who wish to express themslves through writing,