Creating Characters Kids Will Love [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

by Elaine Marie Alphin (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
One key element in creating engaging stories for kids is developing vivid characters. Veteran children's author Elaine Alphin gives readers concrete tips for bringing their characters to live, including: How to observe real kids and bring their life onto the page; How to remember your own childhood and make it a part of your story; How to use the elements of characterization as the basis for conflict and action; With examples from successful children's books and exercises throughout, this book is a must-have for both the beginning writer and those more experienced in the children's book field.

About the Author
Elaine Marie Alphin's writing has won numerous awards, such as ALA Recommended Book awards, the SCBWI Magazine Merit Award for fiction and nonfiction as well as the Virginia Best Book award. Her stories and articles have appeared in nearly every major children's periodical.

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Writer's Digest Books; illustrated edition edition (September 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898799856
• ISBN-13: 978-0898799859
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #527,936 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love it--I'm sure you will, too!, August 23, 2002

By	Jaina Solo "[e-mail]" (Not Telling, USA) - See all my reviews

What do you do when you don't feel like writing? You go online and review your favorite writing books on Amazon.com!

Creating Characters Kids Will Love is really a must-have for the wanna-be children's writer. This book and "Story Sparkers" (also available here--look for the set and save money!) are the best write-for-children guides I own, and I own nearly every one on the market!

The fun large format makes this book feel sort of like a workbook (though it really isn't), and it's easy to just flip to a section and start reading some helpful info without starting at the beginning. This is how I find myself reading this books much of the time (I get stuck writing and take a break by just reading some advice out of one of these). There's some very good stuff here, and lots and lots of recommendations for books and magazines to read, if you're the kind who'll actually go find the stuff!

This book concentrates on character development, with some how-tos on plot structure and conflict (as they relate to character development!) thrown in. Also, if you're interested in writing true stories or maybe historical fiction, there are chapters for you. All in all, it's really a good read. Even if you don't relate to the author's own examples of writing, you'll come away with a better idea of what kids (and publishers) expect in your manuscript. Good luck!

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Writing Children As Characters, May 21, 2004

By	lovemebad (Naperville,IL) - See all my reviews

This is a very good source book for any one who wants to write for children, or have a main character that is a child.
It really makes you think and gives you very good insights on children. It's also very easy to read and enjoyable.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars How hard would it have been to get Snape's name right?, February 15, 2009

By	Dragonslayer (The Lower 48) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creating Characters Kids Will Love (Paperback)

I'm very glad I ordered this book as an interlibrary loan instead of buying it. What a disappointment it was, from the disturbing cover art to the 50's clip-art illustrations to the hodge-podge, disorganized text. In a series of repetitive, higgledy-piggledy chapters, the author recommends the reader read specific children's books in order to "notice" a single thing about them (eg "See how Gene and Phinny are best friends--who turn out not to know each other at all") and gives assignments which mostly have to do with keeping a journal of memories from one's own childhood... and then she makes one of the most appalling errors I've seen in the literature on children's literature.

On page 125, she writes that Harry Potter is "bullied by Malloy and Snipes". Now I can understand not liking Harry Potter enough to read it, but in that case, why use it as an example? And surely the name of Snape, if not Malfoy, has entered the zeitgeist by now to the extent that most people know it? This was where she finished losing me.

She began losing me on the page where she suggested that the hopeful writer visit a school and ask lots of questions about the children's daily schedule. I've worked in the public school system. A person who did this would probably excite quite a bit of suspicion and might end up getting a visit from the police.

The book may contain material that is new to a beginner, but the difficulty of ferreting it out may daunt some readers. The last section of the book is on writing nonfiction, which may not be of much interest to those who have chosen to read a book on creating characters.