If you’ve ever tried to write children’s literature, you probably found that it’s just as hard as writing for adults, even if the work is typically shorter. Plus there’s the added challenge of understanding and writing about the challenges faced by kids today, which can be different than those you faced twenty, thirty, or forty more years ago. (For those curious about writing for youth, here’s a great post on YA writing.)
But what if you want to write from a child’s perspective for adults? In the latest Glimmer Train bulletin, novelist Sophie Chen Keller offers an incisive look at what’s different about it:
Theme played an important role. I explored topical social issues, like gentrification, homelessness, immigration and alternative family structures, and raised questions around losing, searching and finding—on being human, on living. I relied on symbolism and imagery to imbue simple or childlike elements with depth of meaning. And finally, while the narrator is a child, he is surrounded by adults who are dealing with adult problems and situations; their stories of loss and longing are the beating heart of the book. Their stories are the anchor to this world as we set sail for the golden days of childhood we lost.
Read Keller’s entire insightful essay.
For more writing advice, check out other essays in Glimmer Train:
- The Long First Draft by Andrew Porter
- Cutting out the Bad Bits by Will Boast
- The Political Lives of Characters by Siamak Vossoughi
Jane Friedman has spent nearly 25 years working in the book publishing industry, with a focus on author education and trend reporting. She is the editor of The Hot Sheet, the essential publishing industry newsletter for authors, and was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World in 2023. Her latest book is The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press), which received a starred review from Library Journal. In addition to serving on grant panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Creative Work Fund, she works with organizations such as The Authors Guild to bring transparency to the business of publishing.
This post poses an interesting question. In my recent memoir, Called Along the Way (see link) I wrote about my childhood based on my memories as a child without really thinking through implications posed by using my own child’s voice. These sections of the book evoked a particularly positive reader response. The question accordingly arises: what other situations arise when a child’s voice can or should be used?
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