Hello everyone, I am Yao Maodun, a children's writer who has published two sets of children's books, and a publisher who has planned and edited a large number of market books. In verse 5, we analyzed an interesting topic: whether children's book writing is easy, and talked about three feelings. In this section, we explore an important topic in the process of children's book creation: first be a true friend of your child.
The main reason why I talk about this issue alone is that from my practical experience in creating many children's books and the in-depth communication with many publishing houses, I feel that this problem is extremely critical. Let's talk about it separately from two different perspectives.
First, from the author's point of view
Before I wrote the first set of children's books "Money Egg Financial Management" (1 set of 4 volumes, electronic industry press), whether it is poetry, prose, small novels and news, or book works, are written for adults to see, the perspective is naturally adult, do not have to think too much, write good content, anyway, adults who buy books can read.
When I was just transitioning to writing children's books, I found that I suddenly couldn't write, which made me feel very strange and a little embarrassed. Previously, many people said that children's books are so simple, what is so difficult? I had this misconception before, and it turned out that this was not the case.
For a long time, I couldn't understand the reason behind it, so I asked my relatives who were elementary school teachers. This relative told me that as a writer, I have written millions of words, and it is said that there is no problem of not being able to write, and the reason why I feel that I cannot write children's books is because unlike the books written for adults in the past, there are too many factors to consider in books for children. To change that, I had to squat down and be friends with my kids first.
Sure enough, it was the Child King! It can be said in one word.
In order to change the embarrassment of "not writing children's books", I deleted all the thousands of words of the first edition. And I have communicated and played with many children, mingling with them, and in the process, the children told me which books they wanted to read and which characters they wanted to see. In addition, I borrowed a lot of children's books from the library.
Through these clumsy methods, I have greatly closer to the children, and I have learned more about the children's way of thinking and thinking, so my second edition is obviously much smoother than the first edition, and in the writing process, the situation of encountering obstacles is also greatly reduced.
When it came to writing the second children's book "Qian Xiao Rabbit Learning Economy" (a set of 5 volumes), I felt that it was more smooth to write, and even had a feeling of intoxication.
Second, from the perspective of editors
Over the years, because of my working relationship, I have met dozens of publishers. Among them, most of them are editors of books, and several are book editors. These children's book editors are in the forefront of the market all year round, and have a deeper understanding and unique observation of the dynamics of children's books at home and abroad, children's psychological changes and reading needs.
Whenever I get in the way of writing a children's book, there is a children's book editor who helps me a lot. Because it is inconvenient to say the name of the other party, he is temporarily called Teacher Liu. Teacher Liu is a senior children's book editor in the industry, personally planning and editing hundreds of kinds of children's books, and the sales of well-sold children's books have exceeded one million copies, which can be seen in the field of children's books.
Teacher Liu told me that it is not difficult to write children's books, but it is not easy to write well and let children like your works. One of the key points is that you must first be friends with your child. Only by doing this can we write good works. As for marketing promotion, although it is also important, it is not a decisive factor.
Based on the above practice and observation from different angles, I have repeatedly reminded children's book authors on many occasions and in different articles that squatting down and being a true friend of children must be placed in a central position, which is definitely a useful truth.