Writing Tips from Children's Author George W. Everett

Hello, and thank you for following me on Day 4 of my 6-day virtual tour for my new book G. W. Frog and the Circus Lion.

As a novice in this area of children’s books, it would seem arrogant of me to offer advice to anyone concerning Children’s books. However, in examining my own feeble brain, I might offer that no matter how silly an idea may surface about a story or an idea, try and put it in words that a child might relate to. Again, for me that’s easy because I have the mentality of a child (ask my wife!).

Whatever media one choses for illustrating the story is permissible, but modern technology, such as Photoshop, has made the process of coloring your illustrations so much easier. I realize that many do not have access to such a program, and the manual process of illustrating and coloring are very rewarding as well. Different strokes for different folks!

Picture books should be as interesting to look at as they are to read (or listen to, as is the case for young children who don't read books but have someone read the books to them). In G.W, Frog and the Circus Lion, there are two pages of colorful illustrations before the story begins, that show some of the characters that will be presented in the story. Children are asked to count these characters. Then, on the last pages of the book, we give a list of all these characters' names so children can see if they counted correctly and also see if they remember which name goes with which character. This is just one more way to make the book fun and engaging for kids - and for adults who will probably be asked to read the story over and over again.

For more information about my book, including reviews and ordering informaton go to amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/G-W-Frog-Circus-George-Everett/dp/1449704433.