5 Writing Tips for Middle Grade Novelists

Illustration from “The Conjurers” book three middle grade fantasy series.

Today’s preview of “The Conjurers” book three comes from the end of chapter one. One of my favorite tips for writing any story is to pull the reader from one chapter to the next. Theres a bunch of ways to do this. My favorite is mini cliffhangars. As you can see from the drawing above, chapter one ends with a ship wreck (technically a “carriage” wreck. If you’ve read the first two books you know what that means).

I try placing an illustration at the end of every chapter. It helps amplify the “what happens next” element of the text. In this case, the reader is left wondering about the fate of our heroes. From a technical aspect, I drew the ocean with a lot more ink than I had in book two. I wanted the drawings in book three to have more bite. The kids are a little older, a little more mature and so are the readers. The heavier lines and tocuh of realism softens the cartoony aspect the previous books.

And here are a few more simple tips for writing middle grade novels:

1. Conduct thorough research and include dialogue and scenes to create authentic prose

We need to ensure that we are not crafting a cookie-cutter story.

The first step is to conduct thorough research and include dialogue and scenes to create authentic prose. We should start with the basics and ask ourselves, what kind of story do I want to tell? What do I want the readers to take away from my article? Who is my audience? What are their needs, wants, desires?

2. Use simple grammar, sentence structure, and vocabulary to make the reading experience pleasurable

This is a beginner's guide to writing in a more human-like way, and it's not as hard as you might think.

The main obstacle is the preference for simple grammar, sentence structure, and vocabulary.

For example, "I love to eat chocolate" is less complex than "I really enjoy the scrumptious taste of chocolate."

We also need to use verbs instead of adjectives when describing someone or something.

Instead of saying "The apple tastes sweet," we can say "The apple tastes delicious."

3. Know your audience and what they like in their books e.g. funny dialogue, character development, or suspenseful plot twists

Know your audience and what they like in their books.

For example, if you are writing a book for children, you'll want to make sure that it is filled with funny dialogue. If your book is more action-oriented, develop the characters so the reader can get invested.

4. Seek feedback from publishers or writing organizations such as SCBWI

Although this is not a group you should join to find a publisher, it will help you narrow down your list of publishers to send your work to. If you are unsure what publisher would be the best fit for your book, SCBWI is an invaluable resource for writers in children’s publishing.

SCBWI stands for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and it is an organization that provides resources and networking opportunities to those who want to get started or advance in children's publishing. It also offers workshops, webinars, conferences and regional events for its members.

Every year SCBWI publishes the Writer's Market which contains up-to-date listings of all the agents, editors, publishers, contests, festivals and more in the children’s

5. Take classes on how to write middle grade novels from an experienced teacher so your project can be successful

For those who are interested in writing novels for young readers, there are a few guidelines to follow.

1) You should always come up with a backstory for your protagonist even if you have not revealed it to the reader.

2) There are a few common mistakes that writers commonly make when they build their plots. One of the most common is focusing too much on their protagonist and neglecting other characters or events. This can lead to a story that has no suspense, tension, and conflict.

3) Keep your sentences as short as possible and make sure that you use descriptive language.

4) Use simple words that children can understand instead of big words.

Key Elements of a Good Middle Grade Novel

Some key elements of a good middle grade novel would be:

- The main character should be relatable to the reader.

- The story should have an interesting plot that is not too predictable.

- The book should have likable characters and a happy ending.

- It should focus on aspects of the world that children are most interested in, such as school, friends, family, pets, or hobbies.

Five Bonus Tips for Writing Great Middle Grade Books

1. Write with a child's voice in your head

2. Ask yourself, "What would make this an interesting story?"

3. Make sure all the stakeholders are on board before you start writing.

4. Aim for a diverse cast of characters to help readers see themselves in the story.

5. Create a full character arc to give readers someone to root for.

That’s it for today! Again, send any and all questions my way and let me know if you’re enjoying these posts.

How to Illustrate Books for Children: Expert Tips from a Professional, Part Three: Creating Characters

Excerpt from “The Conjurers Book 3: Fight for the Fallen”

Today’s excerpt from book three features everyone’s favorite character, Pimawa! He is certainly my favorite, but how did I come up with him? Thought I’d share his origin’s and also a few tips on how you can create your own characters for your story.

The idea behind the Conjurian was that it was a land of magicians, where they could be free of persecution. That meant, when they crossed over into our world, “The Flat World” as magicians like to call it, they had to disguise the secrets they brought over. Now, from day one, I did not want to inclcude the cliched rabbit out of a hat. However, during one brainstorming doodling session, I sketched these rabbit like creatures called Jimjarians. They are sort of like butlers for magicians. They were too interesting (and cute) to discard. I had to work them into the story.

Thank goodness I did. As the Jimjarian history revealed itself to me, I discovered they were much more than cute, fun companions. Their past is intricately intwined in “The Conjurers” story, as you saw in book two. Even more so in book three. No spoilers here. This happened because I put in the time exploring Pimawa’s personality and his family’s past. The point is, great characters take time.

I’ll share a few simple tips you can use to make your own unforgettable characters.

Tips for Writing Character Biographies

A character biography should provide readers with a sense of the character's background, personality, and quirks.

A great way to start writing a character bio is to answer these questions:

- What are some of their hobbies?

- What are their favorite foods?

- What do they like in bed?

- Where would they go on a dream vacation?

- What's their favorite TV show or movie?

These questions might seem very personal, but remember that making your characters as real as possible will make your story more compelling.

How to Come up with Great Ideas for Storylines

To come up with great ideas, one should be creative in their thought process. One can also look at the different aspects of a character or setting that can help them develop something interesting.

There are various methods to come up with ideas for storylines. One of the most popular ways is taking inspiration from real life events and developing it into a fictionalized version. Creative thinking can also lead to interesting storylines, by asking questions about the world and trying to find answers for them.

It is important to note that one does not need to have all the answers for an idea before they start working on it as they will come up with new ideas while they work on their project.

What's the Difference Between Protagonist and Antagonist?

In a nutshell, the protagonist is the good guy, and the antagonist is the bad guy. But not all heroes are good and not all villains are bad.

A hero can be a protagonist in some stories and an antagonist in another story. It's all about perspective. The same goes for a villain- they can be an antagonist in one story and a protagonist in another.

Conclusion: Writing Characters is a Tough Task but not Impossible!

You can do a great job of creating believable and compelling characters. The key is to understand the audience, genre, and story you are telling.

The most important thing when writing a character is to make sure that they are interesting. Create a character that has strong desires or motivations in order to give them something to act on. They should also have flaws or weaknesses that they struggle with and have an arc throughout the book - going from weak to powerful by the end of the story.

As always, send any questions my way or suggestions for what you’d like me to post about next. Cheers!

How to Illustrate Books for Children: Expert Tips from a Professional, Part Two

Opening to “The Conjurers” book three done in graphic novel style.

Usually book covers are my favorite thing to create. However, The Conjurers series has given me the chance to mix in my other favorite medium, sequential art, into writing children’s books. Obviously I’m biased, but I believe all books should be illustrated, not just middle grade series. While drawings are used to engage and enthrall young readers, It would be super cool to see Brad Thor’s next thriller brimming with Frank Miller style art. Just saying.

Now back to how to illustrate books for kids. Books can be illustrated in a variety of ways, from hand-drawn pictures to digital drawings. They should always be relevant to children's interests and needs.

Illustration is an important part of the book publishing process. When publishers are considering new books, they look at whether the illustrator has a style that is appropriate for the book's goals. If they like the artist's style, they may ask them to read the manuscript to get a sense of whether their art will work with it.

The illustrations in children’s books should be designed for young readers and give them a sense of what the story will be about or what some of its key events might be. The animals, people and environments in children’s books should have features that are immediately recognizable to their intended audience.

The illustrations in children’s books have a lasting impact on the imagination of young readers. They can recognize features of people and objects that they see frequently in their day-to-day lives. 

The Basic Steps of Book Illustration

The process of book illustration is a highly creative process. It involves a variety of steps. The artist has to think of the story and then illustrate the text on paper. Depending on the complexity of the text, it might take from one to three months for an illustrator to complete a single picture book.

Book illustrations are usually created with pencil, ink, acrylic paints or sometimes just with crayons and watercolors. The illustrator needs to be very creative in their work and come up with countless ideas that will encourage children to read books and learn unfamiliar words while they enjoy themselves at the same time.

There are many methods that illustrators can use in order to create their artwork for books. One such method is direct drawing, which is where an illustrator draws directly on paper and then inks over the drawing to create a clean line.

Direct drawing is a graphic process in which an illustrator draws directly on paper and then inks over the drawing to create a clean line. The artist can produce work of any size, from small sketches to large murals.

Over the years, I’ve transitioned from direct drawing to digital. While my preference will always remain pen and ink, digital art has a ton of advantages. The biggest advantage is time. A double page spread for “The Conjurers” would take me a day or two drawing with pencils and pens. Working in Clip Studio Paint, I can create the same illustration in a few hours.

Let me make one point clear, digital drawing software does not do the work for you. It is not “easier” from a skills perspective. The same drawing fundamentals still apply and you must continue to work at mastering those skills. Digital software only saves you time and ink stains on your hands. 

Book Illustration Tips for Authors

Successful authors understand the importance of illustrations. Authors can use images to introduce a character, describe an emotion, or to emphasize a point. Authors should have their illustrators create sketches before they write the story in order to make sure that there is no confusion or miscommunication.

The illustrator's job is not simply creating a cover for an author's book. They are just as much of an author as the person who writes the words on paper. The way they did a lot of books in the past was to select a moment in the text and illustrate it. It’s called “spot illustrations”. 

I like to use the illustrations as an extension of the storytelling. This means things I show in the drawings are the story, not a repeat of what’s in the text. The hard part is making this seamless in the reader's mind. 

Let’s finish up with a couple quick tips on getting started illustrating kid’s books. These apply to picture books to young adult novels.

1. Create a Storyboard

A storyboard is a blueprint for what you are going to create. There are a lot of ways to go about creating one - but there are some fundamentals that should be at the forefront of your mind when you're creating one. The purpose of a storyboard is to illustrate what is going on in the story.

Picture books rely heavily on storyboarding, as that’s what picture books are. Every word and drawing counts. Now for middle grade books like “The Conjurers”, the storyboarding process is a bit more involved. As I wrote the books I was deciding what would be text and what I would illustrate. 

As you can see in the image above, I opened book three with sequential art and no words. I love taking a cinematic approach to storytelling. And considering the book opens with a lot of action, why not pull the reader in using art? 

2. Make sure you know your audience

It’s essential to know who you’re targeting with any piece of content. Targeting the wrong audience will not only result in low engagement, but it will also be a waste of time for both the content creator and their target audience.

There are tons of books and articles on how to find your target audience. And you certainly should do the research. Let’s keep it simple today. If you’re starting out as an illustrator or author, do this: write and draw your story for one person. That could be a brother or sister, niece or nephew. Or you could invent the person. 

My son was in middle school when I started writing “The Conjurers”. So I kept him in mind when creating the characters and mapping out the plot. I would consider his concerns and worries. What was he into? What things upset him? What made him happy or sad?

Hope these short tips are helpful. Let me know what you think and send along questions or topics you’d like me to cover in the next post. Till then, cheers!