History SoYouWantTo / WriteAKidNovel

Kids will quickly know that you didn't do your homework if you screw up the portrayal of their hobbies. For example, there have been many books using video games as a plot device written by people who obviously do not play them, often running into PacManFever problems. You, reading this, probably do play them if you're under the age of 35, so you won't have that problem. But you still could easily get some other common childhood activity, especially a recent one, horribly wrong. Kids will notice immediately. They might shrug it off and just enjoy the story for what it is, they might be annoyed by your ignorance, or if it's a CriticalResearchFailure that affects the entire plot, they might tell everyone at school how much your book sucked and what an idiot you are.

So you're thinking of all those great books you liked to read when you were a kid, with kid heroes who snooped around and stopped criminal plots, or kids just like you who handled problems much like yours but in an interesting way. And you're remembering just how much you loved those kinds of books, or maybe you [[PeripheryDemographic still do like reading them]], and you'd really like to make one of your own.

* The ''Literature/ReadyFreddy'' series, depicting the SliceOfLife of a first (later second) grader, is a ClicheStorm of ChildrensLiterature tropes, including outdated and sexist ones, accompanied with rather boring writing. It is clearly inferior to its competitor ''Literature/JunieBJones'' as the result. Abby Klein may be or have been an elementary school teacher, but [[WriteWhatYouKnow having the experience for the writing]] doesn't automatically make it good; writing skills are a necessity.

* The ''Literature/ReadyFreddy'' series, depicting the SliceOfLife of a first (later second) grader, is a ClicheStorm of ChildrensLiterature tropes, including outdated and sexist ones, accompanied with rather boring writing. It is clearly inferior to its competitor ''Literature/JunieBJones'' as the result. Abby Klein may be or have been an elementary school teacher, but [[WriteWhatYouKnow having the experience for the writing]] doesn't automatically make it good; writing skills are a neccessity.

* The ''Literature/ReadyFreddy'' series, depicting the SliceOfLife of a first (later second) grader, is a ClicheStorm of every trope used in children's literature, including some outdated and sexist UnfortunateImplications, accompanied with rather boring writing. It's a mediocre example you wouldn't want to follow if you want to write something interesting.

''Literature/{{Pyrates}}'', for instance, has a white male lead with a BlackBestFriend and another friend who is "the coolest girl in sixth grade". He lives in New York City, which is pretty multiracial, so the BlackBestFriend part comes in seamlessly. He appears to look up to his female friend, so we can guess that he might have sought her out. A crush, perhaps? It's not stated, but the setting and the subtle hint that he's impressed by her can drop enough hints that the reader can imagine the rest.

Kids will quickly know that you didn't do your homework if you screw up the portrayal of their hobbies. For example, there have been many books using video games as a plot device written by people who obviously do not play them. You, reading this, probably do play them if you're under the age of 35, so you won't have that problem. But you still could easily get some other common childhood activity, especially a recent one, horribly wrong. Kids will notice immediately. They might shrug it off and just enjoy the story for what it is, they might be annoyed by your ignorance, or if it's a CriticalResearchFailure that affects the entire plot, they might tell everyone at school how much your book sucked and what an idiot you are.

Many authors have difficulty portraying kid dialog realistically. This is because MostWritersAreAdults, and also because the way kids talk changes over time. Using modern slang can quickly date your story in only a few years, so try to avoid it, and instead concentrate on using the informal language that kids tend to use and the ways they talk to each other. THAT hasn't changed through the years, as reading the old ''Literature/RamonaQuimby'' books can attest to: their dialog is, for the most part, perfectly sound even here in the 21st century.

* ''Literature/MySideOfTheMountain''. The story of a city kid who ran away and lived the life of a frontiersman, and enjoyed it. You probably read this one in school.

Many authors have difficulty portraying kid dialog realistically. This is because MostWritersAreAdults, and also because the way kids talk changes over time. Using modern slang can quickly date your story in only a few years, so try to avoid it, and instead concentrate on using the informal language that kids tend to use and the ways they talk to each other. THAT hasn't changed through the years, as reading the old ''RamonaQuimby'' books can attest to: their dialog is, for the most part, perfectly sound even here in the 21st century.

''RamonaQuimby'', being a series taking place over multiple years, uses a believable scenario that could be taken right out of real life. Ramona and Howie are neighbors, and their parents want them to play together. They actually antagonize each other at times in kindergarten and first grade, but become friendlier over time. However, in fourth grade, Ramona grows distant from Howie and befriends a girl her age. That's what happens over the course of several books, and that's also the sort of twists and turn real-life friendships take, making it very believable.

* ''RamonaQuimby'' is one of the greatest SliceOfLife kids' books ever. It portrays the life of a kid whose age is anywhere from 5 to 10 depending on the book, and portrays it very accurately, with a perfect view of how kids view the world and how they act.

* ''MyTeacherIsAnAlien'' sold over a million copies in its time, and appeals somewhat more to boys despite being first-person from a female perspective. Its suspenseful theme is based on a strong permise: what would you do if you knew your teacher was secretly a space alien who planned on abducting several students in your class -- possibly including you -- and taking them back with him for study? The result is a lot of suspense and snooping and attempts to get proof of the teacher's true nature. Unfortunately, the second and third sequels totally change genre, but the original is still considered a classic.
* ''Literature/MySideOfTheMountain''. The story of a city kid who ran away and lived the life of a frontiersman, and enjoyed it. You probably read this one in school.

''{{Pyrates}}'', for instance, has a white male lead with a BlackBestFriend and another friend who is "the coolest girl in sixth grade". He lives in New York City, which is pretty multiracial, so the BlackBestFriend part comes in seamlessly. He appears to look up to his female friend, so we can guess that he might have sought her out. A crush, perhaps? It's not stated, but the setting and the subtle hint that he's impressed by her can drop enough hints that the reader can imagine the rest.

Well, you'd need a KidHero, unless you're going for historical fiction in which a kid merely witnesses famous events (which is what ''DearAmerica'' and ''Literature/DearCanada'' are about). Kids tend to want characters their age who are active and more adventurous than they are.

Well, you'd need a KidHero, unless you're going for historical fiction in which a kid merely witnesses famous events (which is what ''DearAmerica'' and ''DearCanada'' are about). Kids tend to want characters their age who are active and more adventurous than they are.

Kids will quickly know that you DidNotDoTheResearch if you screw up the portrayal of their hobbies. For example, there have been many books using video games as a plot device written by people who obviously do not play them. You, reading this, probably do play them if you're under the age of 35, so you won't have that problem. But you still could easily get some other common childhood activity, especially a recent one, horribly wrong. Kids will notice immediately. They might shrug it off and just enjoy the story for what it is, they might be annoyed by your ignorance, or if it's a CriticalResearchFailure that affects the entire plot, they might tell everyone at school how much your book sucked and what an idiot you are.

!!'''The Epic Fails'''
* ''TheAdventuresOfArchieReynolds'' is vanity-published fail that attempts to combine SliceOfLife with an exciting adventure, but gets them both horribly wrong. The dialog is awful, the character behavior bizarre and arbitrary, and the writing repetitive. It has to be seen to be believed. Sample a random excerpt using Amazon or Google Books's "search inside" feature to see for yourself!
.* ''BonechillersRevengeOfTheComputerPhantoms'' shows what happens when CriticalResearchFailure meets bad dialog and a dumb story. Of course, the title alone probably made you cringe, so you can imagine.

* ''TheAdventuresOfArchieReynolds'' is vanity-published fail that attempts to combine SliceOfLife with an exciting adventure, but gets them both horribly wrong. The dialog is awful, the character behavior bizarre and arbitrary, and the writing repetitive. It has to be seen to be believed. Sample a random excerpt using Amazon or Google Books's "search inside" feature to see for yourself!
* ''BonechillersRevengeOfTheComputerPhantoms'' shows what happens when CriticalResearchFailure meets bad dialog and a dumb story. Of course, the title alone probably made you cringe, so you can imagine.

* ''MySideOfTheMountain''. The story of a city kid who ran away and lived the life of a frontiersman, and enjoyed it. You probably read this one in school.

* ''The Adventures of Archie Reynolds'' is vanity-published fail that attempts to combine SliceOfLife with an exciting adventure, but gets them both horribly wrong. The dialog is awful, the character behavior bizarre and arbitrary, and the writing repetitive. It has to be seen to be believed. Sample a random excerpt using Amazon or Google Books's "search inside" feature to see for yourself!
* ''Bonechillers: Revenge of the Computer Phantoms'' shows what happens when CriticalResearchFailure meets bad dialog and a dumb story. Of course, the title alone probably made you cringe, so you can imagine.