Unconventional Advice for Kidlit Creators

Welcome to the Kidlit Kitchen—I’m so glad you’re here!

Grab a snack, grab your favorite drink, have a seat, and let’s chat.

First, I have to tell you that I am super excited about some incredibly thrilling publishing-related news! 

Unfortunately I can’t share any details just yet, but I wanted to share my excitement because this news follows a particularly challenging time in my life.

Last year (2023) presented various challenges, including our family transitioning from our jobs and schools, selling our home, relocating to a new state (Maine), and starting fresh—which for me meant launching my own business.

A recent sunrise in coastal Maine.

Don’t get me wrong: we wanted to move, we love our new home, and it was all very much for the best.

But moving is hard, and moving with young kids is even harder. 

With all these changes, I took a six-month hiatus from writing. It wasn't exactly a deliberate decision.

It was a necessity.

This break was tough, especially after signing with my incredible agent, Jacqui Lipton, the previous summer. I had worked tirelessly to gain momentum as a children's writer. However, ultimately, I realized that taking a step back was essential.

Surprisingly, that six-month break proved beneficial, rather than detrimental, for reasons I'll elaborate on in the near future. I wish I could share more now, but I promise to do so as soon as I can!

One more thing before I jump into today’s topic.

I want to let you know that I recently started offering kidlit manuscript critiques. As both an author and educator, I invest my attention and heart into every manuscript, providing feedback that’s tailored to your unique narrative style.

With a quick turnaround, you'll receive clear guidance that delves into character dynamics, helps you refine plot points, and ensures your story resonates with young readers. Limited availability at the low introductory rate of $50—get in touch with me today!

Now, onto today’s topic: unconventional advice for kidlit creators. The advice shared below has been crowdsourced via Twitter, which is kinda awesome, and I'll be acknowledging the various kidlit creators who contributed each piece of advice. I’ll also share a few thoughts of my own related to each bit of advice.

Let's dive in!

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1) Don't be afraid to throw big words, or as I like to say, rich vocabulary, into your books. —Justin Colón

This is so true. I write mostly picture books, and because picture books are typically read aloud by adults, there’s a real opportunity to introduce kids to some new and exciting vocabulary words. 

You don’t want to go overboard, of course, but when used thoughtfully, rich vocabulary can enhance the sound, feel, and overall impact of the story. You have to be more careful with early readers and chapter books because these are books that are typically being read by early/developing readers, and you don’t want to scare them off. 

But even in these formats, you can get away with a few well-placed, high-impact vocabulary words. In middle grade and YA, of course, you have much more flexibility. 

A great example of a middle grade with rich vocab—and lots of wonderful sentences—is recent Newbery winner, The Eyes & The Impossible by Dave Eggers.

2) If you have a genius idea for a book in the middle of the night, maybe take the full 20 seconds to write it down. Otherwise, you will either forget or wind up with a note like "mustard chicken broken tree?" —Mel Wick Singer

This one makes me laugh. And it’s super accurate. 

I recently finished Rick Rubin's The Creative Act: A Way of Being, and he delves into this phenomenon beautifully. Inspiration can emerge from the most unexpected sources, especially when we allow ourselves to be receptive. 

The quiet of the night, that liminal space between consciousness and sleep, often serves as the fertile ground where inspiration appears. And we have to be ready, so keep your journal and a pen on your bedside table!

3) Look through Buzzfeed clickbait articles like “20 funny tweets about cats” or “30 people having a worse day than you” for book ideas. —Jess Hernandez

This is such a good idea. There’s much hilarity to be discovered—and built upon—from these kinds of articles.

And it made me realize in retrospect that one of my manuscripts was probably initially inspired by a single meme.

Now excuse me while I go and find all the funniest listicles.

4) Don't confine yourself to 500 words or 32 pages for a picture book. Let your story breathe while using your words economically and effectively. —Justin Colón

Justin (who clearly was generous with advice, as he so often is!) makes an important point here. I’ll be honest, though: I probably would have been too scared to do this when querying agents as a previously unpublished picture book writer. I didn’t want to rock the boat.

But the more I’ve learned about the process and business of writing for kids, the more I’ve realized that agents and editors just want you to write your story the way the story wants to be written.

Some picture book stories need only 32 pages. Some simply need more space. Anyway, once you start working with an editor, they will make sure everything fits just right.

You’re not going to be penalized if your picture book manuscript is brilliantly written but it’s 40 pages instead of 32.

Oh, and THE SAME PRINCIPLE APPLIES FOR WORD COUNT.

Justin also noted on Twitter that word count is more important when querying agents. And this is true. That said, from my own personal experience, even word counts that are a little unconventional aren’t going to scare a away a good agent if the manuscript is really strong.

Be free, little bird!

5) “No dumb is too dumb, / No weird is too weird. / There’s a home for your story / About gum with a beard.” But don’t write in rhyme unless you really know what you’re doing. —Josh Monken

Alright, Josh, now we have to see the “gum with a beard” story. Sounds super gross and delightful. Get on that, won’t you?

If you follow me on Twitter, you know I’m a big fan of weird books for kids. When weird is done well, there’s nothing better. I feel this way, in large part, because the world is definitively strange and new to kids.

Heck, when we’re really paying attention, the world is weird to us adults, too!

So when stories for kids lean into the weirdness of the world, or the weirdness of the characters and the fictional worlds in which the stories take place, they tend to resonate with readers.

The weirdness, the unexpectedness, the idiosyncrasy…it all feels authentic to the way we actually experience life.

And for us picture book writers, Josh’s point about writing in rhyme is well-taken. There’s no shortage of beginning picture book writers write in rhyme. But there are rules and rhythms that make rhyme work well, and if you want to write in rhyme, you absolutely have to learn those rules and rhythms. It is an art form and takes lots and lots and lots of work.

But once you’ve got it down, you can go to town.

6) Cartoons can be a masterclass in humor for those looking to infuse some funny into their books. —Justin Colón

This advice is super solid, too. I can personally attest to it because our kids are pretty young—6yo and 4yo—and they typically watch one cartoon each afternoon after school, and sometimes more, depending on how behind on dinner prep we are. While I don’t typically watch, sometimes I do just so I can sit with the kids while they're still and quiet, which, in our home, is a rare phenomenon. 

When I do sit with them and watch, the jokes and physical gags are so expertly crafted to make kids giggle that I really should keep a notebook handy. Cartoons really are great mentor texts for kidlit writers because they are written by experts, and it’s really helpful to see the way humor works visually, too.

Some of my current favorites:

• Shape Island (okay, this is stop-motion animation, but still)

• Bluey

• Frog and Toad

• The Bad Guys

• Wild Kratts

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Alright, it's your turn to join the conversation!

Share your thoughts, experiences, or additional advice in the comments below.

Let's keep this dialogue going and continue to support each other in our creative journeys.

Happy writing!

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