Skillset


I've been thinking about how writing for children is different from writing for adults.

Let me give you a little context. A couple of months ago, on a listserv I subscribe to, a writer of adult science fiction said--half joking--or maybe a quarter joking--that he ought to set aside the sophisticated science fiction idea he was working on, compromise his artistic integrity, and instead write a kids book because it'd be easier, and he'd make more money.

Now we who write for children have heard this kind of thing before. That writing for kids is easier, or a sell-out, or somehow a lesser art. I don't have a rant in me about this because it's so obviously wrong. But I do wonder.

Could science fiction writer guy simply set aside his adult novel and write a successful children's book? I kind of doubt it. They're not the same thing. But how are they not the same thing? I'm still fairly new to children's writing, so I haven't articulated this to myself yet, so I'm genuinely curious about your answers to these questions.

What unique skillset do children's writers bring to their work? In what ways is writing for kids different (not better, not worse) than writing for adults?

As a writer, what do you think you do differently?

As a reader, what do you see children's writers doing differently?