Being a children's books author

What do you need to write a children’s book? Where does the inspiration come from? How to put on paper what lies in the imagination?

These are some of the questions that I have asked myself as an writer of children’s books. In this post, I want to share with you my experience, my tips and my secrets to start creating unique and endearing stories.

The inspiration

Inspiration can come from anywhere and observing is the first step to know what inspires us the most. For instance, I love spending time in nature and it is the place where I stop for a moment and observe what is around me, I observe the colors, the shapes, the sounds, the aromas. I am fascinated by discovering the life that hides in every corner, from an small insect to a big tree. Nature offers me an infinite palette of possibilities to create my stories and also to illustrate them.

I also take a look inwardly, my dreams and hopes, my fears, my strengths and weaknesses, my thoughts, my emotions, my feelings and everything that makes me who I am as a person. Thanks to introspection, I find ideas that I usually capture in drawing and from there, I write. What matters here is that it makes me feel something, because that's how a creation comes to life and when it is from the perspective of my inner child, I find it even more valuable.

I think that from the eyes of a little one, the world acquires more magical and sincere shades than what an adult could express, that’s why I think that everyone should listen more often to their inner child and let it express itself, but that is a which I'll talk about in another post.

The creation

The creation is the process of giving life to the inspiration, in this case through children’s literature. To me, it is an artistic expression that combines harmoniously writing and drawing, resulting in interesting works to the ear and to the sight. I like to write with simple but meaningful words, that convey the message I want to give. I like to draw with simple but expressive strokes, that complement the text and give life to the characters.

To create my stories, I use two fundamental tools: introspection and reading...and you read that well, introspection is important here too. Introspection allows me to know myself better and explore that world inside me. Reading allows me to explore the world of other people and also the world in which we live: The earth. I consider that learning from others, broadens my mental horizons, as well as my writing and literature knowledge. With all this, even if it is about darkness and sadness, expressed with transparency in a book or any other artistic expression always ends up being a fascinating work in the right eyes and believe me, there is an audience for everyone.

When I have an idea for a story, the first thing I do is let the pen flow on the paper. I don’t worry about the form or the spelling. I just write what comes to my mind, without hesitations or corrections. Then, I review what I have written and organize it in an outline. The outline helps me to structure the story, to define the characters, the conflict and the outcome. It also helps me to study the words that I am going to use, to look for synonyms and antonyms, to avoid repetitions and errors.

The identity and the purpose

The identity and the purpose are the keys to leave a mark with my stories. The identity is what makes me unique as an author. It is my style, my voice, my personal stamp. The purpose is what I want to achieve with my stories. It is my message, my intention, my reason for being.

To have an identity as an writer of children’s books, you have to be faithful to yourself. You have to write what you like, what you are passionate about, what makes you happy as an author. You have to be transparent to be able to convey what you want through your literature. By that, I mean that stories don't always have to show joy and harmony, many times letting sadness and chaos be the protagonists give that quota of learning and value that we want to transmit as authors. Remember that shadows are also part of the landscape. Learning to explore and embrace that part of our being from an early age, makes us better as we grow up.

To have a purpose as an author of children’s books, one has to take into account the audience that we are addressing. One has to respect their intelligence, their sensitivity and their curiosity, but never underestimate them. And one should always write from the heart to offer them stories of value.

The creativity

The creativity is the result of all the above. It is the ability to create something new and original from what exists. It is the magic of transforming reality into fiction or vice versa. Creativity has no limits or rules. One can be creative in many different ways. The important thing is not to be afraid to experiment, to try new things, to get out of the comfort zone. Creativity feeds on inspiration, is expressed through creation, is defined by identity and purpose. Creativity is what makes a children’s book special, memorable, unique.

Below is the little story created from the observation of a ladybug climbing a tree that inspired a drawing, to which a personal stamp was added, and from which it was born:

Lola, the impatient ladybug

Lola was a little ladybug who wanted to do everything fast. She did not like to wait or slow down. She thought life was too short to do everything she wanted, so she did many things at once and at a fast pace. But, she didn't enjoy anything she did.

When winter came, all the other bugs went to sleep. They said it was too cold and dangerous outside. But Lola did not want to sleep. She thought sleeping was boring and silly. She wanted to stay awake and have fun. So she stayed in the garden by herself.

However, Lola soon found out that winter was not fun at all.

There were no flowers to smell, no food to eat, no sun to warm her, and no friends to play with. Lola felt lonely, hungry, cold and scared. She wished she could go to sleep with her friends, but she changed her mind when she saw a butterfly.

She thought the butterfly was having a great time, so she followed it. But the butterfly was much better at flying than Lola, and Lola lost it. She ended up in an unknown place, where there was nothing good. Nowhere to hide or rest.

Then, she felt something hurt her. It was a big bird, that wanted to eat her. Lola knew she was in big trouble. She thought of her friends, who were safe and cozy, waiting for the spring. She regretted being so impatient and stubborn. And with a sad sigh, she closed her eyes.

I hope you liked this post and that it helped you to know a little more about the path of an author of children’s books.

If you have any questions or comments, do not hesitate to write to me. See you next time!