Children’s Fiction: Write Compelling Adventure Stories

Introduction to children's book fiction

“That brings us to the end of our course! I hope that you've found the process helpful up until this point―but of course, having followed along, you know that the most important part is still to come. If you're anything like me, then your story will keep shifting and changing right up until the final draft. That's perfectly normal―I always say that a book is allowed to be terrible until the final draft! Searching for Ideas For your final project, I would like you to start by gathering things that inspire you. That in itself requires time and space―therefore it's helpful to be able to go out into the world and let yourself see and experience new things. Remember to write things down as they come―they may not be perfect and you may not use everything you write down, but all of this is vital raw material. In the end, the process itself is the important part, not what you gather along the way!

Planning Your Story Next, no matter what it is that inspires and excites you in your own writing, it's vital that you think about your protagonist carefully. No matter how beautiful your writing is, no matter how well constructed your world is: The reader will care most about who leads them through it. Think about the age of the reader you're writing for. How do they see the world? What do they care about? Give your protagonist a motivation and a purpose that is going to push them through your story―from the beginning up until the end. The clearer you get this at the beginning, the easier you'll find it to construct a plot. There's no one way to write a book, and no one way to plot a story. I honestly believe that the only way to find out what works is by trial and error―get your ideas down, make a choice, and then revisit them and see how they make you feel. Think about your protagonist: What could happen to them? How would they respond? Why would they choose to go on this quest? Think about these aspects as you carry your protagonist through the journey we discussed―setup, crisis, journey, build, climax, and resolution. Remember that at each stage, you need to think about the development of your protagonist and your plot. How are the stakes building? How is the quest becoming more and more difficult? How will the resolution address each and every one of these issues? Writing a Synopsis Condensing all of this into a single-page synopsis is difficult! But once again, the only way is by trial and error―try something out, leave it, and come back to it later. If you have a clear and coherent idea of your protagonist and their journey in your head, you'll find this part easier, but it's not vital. Remember that fresh eyes change everything―so go ahead and ask your family and friends to read your synopsis whenever you feel lost. Their feedback may sometimes be infuriating to hear, but that doesn't mean it's wrong! Now, not all stories fit perfectly into a one-page synopsis, but it's invaluable to try. A single page could be anywhere between 600 and 1000 words―if we were to give each section of your plot a single paragraph, that's probably around 100 words per paragraph! Try to be concise and think about what a reader who has not read the book needs to know. This is why writing a single sentence synopsis and a one-paragraph synopsis can be so useful. Once you're happy with your synopsis, don't hesitate to share it on social media using the hashtag #RossMontgomeryDomestika as well as in the forum by clicking on the button "Create your project". I will be on the lookout to give you feedback and advice whenever you need it! Just keep in mind that it might take me a while, but don't worry―I promise to comment on your final project as soon as possible! In the meantime, I'm sure your fellow coursemates will be happy to help. I look very much forward to seeing what you created. Good luck and happy writing!”

Partial transcription of the video

“Final Project We've reached the end of this Domestika course, congratulations. With the tips and the approaches that I've shared, you'll now be able to take the seed of your children's adventure book, and turn it into your own one page synopsis. As mentioned previously, this synopsis is going to be submitted to your potential literary agent, so your one page synopsis should make sure that it conveys your entire narrative arc. Remember, the best place to start is by researching the world of children's literature, so that you can best understand the story it is that you want to write and the ...”

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Course summary for: Children’s Fiction: Write Compelling Adventure Stories

• Level: Beginner
• 100% positive reviews (140)
• 4390 students
• 4 units
• 15 lessons (3h 13m)
• 7 downloads

• Category

  Writing

• Areas

  Children's Literature, Fiction Writing, Narrative, Writing