• 0 The main character

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    Choosing the main character When writing for children, as well as for adults, you need to choose your character. Who, or what, is the main character? Is it a girl? Is she young, old, or somewhere in the middle. Or, perhaps the main character is a boy. Sometimes the main character is a teapot, like in Joan Daulby's "Tessy the Teapot that Couldn't Drip". Bring your character to life Whether writing a novel or a children's picture book, you need to bring your characters to life. In a novel, you do this through descriptive text. For a picture book it is easier. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. If you choose to write a picture book, you do not need to rely on the words as much as in a novel to describe the scene. Your illustrator will help to bring your character alive. When writing novels, you need to be descriptive. Show don't tell  Which would you rather read? The girl was nervous. Or, The young girl's hands trembled as she  smoothed her blue skirt; she picked at a small bit of fluff on one of the white flowers, all the time watching him from behind lowered lids. Put yourself in your readers shoes when describing a scene. Give your character a personality Look around at the people who surround you. They are all different, even when they are the same. Your characters should be like that as well. Give them their own personalities. Maybe the main character has a crooked smile, or a cow lick in their hair. Mention it once in a while in the story. Remind your readers of who the character is. For example: Matt pushed his hair back out of his eyes, swatting at the cowlick he hated when it popped back up. Maria's blood red lips curved into a crooked smile as she watched him cross the crowded room. "How 'ya all doin'?" Mark asked, his voice warm and comforting to all within hearing. The ship was crowded beyond a safe capacity, but the alternative sucked. Mark started writing names in an old tattered notebook. Samantha handed out worn, warm blankets, squeezing a hand in encouragement where needed, all the while thanking God they had managed to save so many; mourning those they lost. The paragraphs above manage to describe the scene while at the same time they show you a bit about the characters. You do not need to describe everything the first time you meet the character. Just like your story, the characters will continue to grow.