Introduction to Writing a Children’s Fantasy Novel

“The books we read when we’re young shape us into the adults of tomorrow.”

Piers Torday, recipient of the Guardian Award for Children’s Fiction, is exactly what he wanted to be when he was a child. As a children’s writer, he has dedicated his career to creating fictional worlds that keep young, curious minds turning pages and fascinated by reading.

In this course, Piers takes you on a writer’s journey to create a children’s novel that transports the little ones to another universe and inspires them to ask big questions. Learn how to plan, structure, and write a full-length novel step by step. Discover the creative process behind world-building, plot development, and character arcs that can inspire the next generation.

Meet Piers Torday, children’s author, and your teacher for this course. He begins the course by sharing the people and stories who inspired him to write his own, the life experiences which shaped his work, and the writers who influence him the most.

Start by exploring your desire to write stories for children, and how to turn that impulse into a daily practice and professional career. Discover how your own childhood experiences can inspire your writing ideas, then learn to develop them.

Next, have a look at the different ways to structure your ideas into a full-length novel. Learn how to deconstruct the books you love and use their proven techniques in your own work. See how to create your own writer’s toolbox when developing a fictional world and its characters. Discover your own voice through exploratory and practical exercises, and how to silence the unhelpful inner critic.

Understand the principles of storytelling that produce unforgettable characters children love and a plot that hooks readers in. Using easily understandable models, break your idea down into simple units that, block by block, create a unique, fictional world. Piers shows you how to write character biographies, world bibles, and even a map.

Finally, learn how to finish a first draft, edit and polish it for submission. Piers shares his tips and strategies for getting your work published and wraps up the course by reminding you that writing is a process, not a destination. Hear his final thoughts on how to make the most of that journey.

Write a synopsis of a children’s book that includes the characters, the fictional world, and a summary of the complete story.

Writers of any ability who want to write their first, full-length children’s book.

No previous experience necessary.

To take this course, you need a pen, a pencil, and a notebook to develop your story, access to children’s books, and of course, inspiration to get creative.