Get to know your audience. Read children’s books. Browse through libraries and bookstores to see what’s new, what’s well used, and what catches your interest. Spend time with children. Tell stories to them (even retelling old classics will get your imagination humming). Listen to their stories and write them down. Pay attention to what sparks their interest, what makes them laugh, and what makes them feel connected.
Read biographies of writers to gain inspiration. One really good book to check out is Dear Mem Fox, I Have Read All Your Books, Even the Pathetic Ones by Mem Fox. Try On Writing by Stephen King. Read Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. Browse libraries and bookstores for others. Inspiration comes from so many places! These are books about real people who have made great careers in writing. They’ve got some great advice.
Caution: a little psychotherapy here. Remember your own childhood. What places did you love or hate? What made you laugh or cry? What got you in trouble? What were you most proud of? Get in touch with those old emotions and think about how they might apply to children today. Again, write it all down.
Jump Start your Writing
The most important thing you can do is spend time writing each day. Any kind of writing wil do, it doesn’t have to be wonderful. Just jot down ideas, keep a journal, blog, type out your thoughts, whatever -- just WRITE. The more you write, the better you’ll be. You can just start listing possible ideas. They can be total crap -- don’t worry. This is just brainstorming and nobody will see it but you.
Think about it, talk about it, dream about it, write it down. Make up stories and tell them to your kids. Then write them down. Play make-believe and dress up and tea party. Then write it all down. Are you getting the idea? Write, write, write!
Get an idea. It doesn’t have to be over-the-moon fantastic. That comes later. Pick an idea and begin! To develop creative characters, keep adding and taking away traits until you are left with something you like. Now, that doesn’t mean it has to be a likeable character -- it can be a villain! A slime-ball! A sniveling doofus! Whatever you want, the key is to make your character memorable. To develop an interesting setting, use places you know, then again, add and take away details to make it unique.
Do a little research. When you have an idea, check to see if there’s already a similar book on the market. Network. Take a class, join a writing group, or even try finding a web group that will collaborate with you and give you ideas and opinions. It’s hard to judge your own writing. Find truthful but positive people to help you along.