Space City Scribes

 By Annika Royston     When aiming to be published, it is important to consider which age group can benefit the most from your story’s message. Writing children's books requires packing big lessons into small packages. That’s quite a challenge. An author might have a theme of forgiveness intended for elementary students, unaware that the complexity of their plot is for an older audience.  To avoid this mismatch, it helps to focus on four key story elements that ensure your book is aligned with the grade level of your audience: vocabulary and language complexity, theme and subject matter, character development and relatability, and finally, plot structure and pacing . Adjusting each of these elements is the key to concentrating your book with what publishers are looking for in your target demographic. Let’s take a closer look at three of these elements in action: Vocabulary and Language Complexity   Word choice and sentence structures are huge elements that need ...

       By  Margaret Lea        Valerie has been writing poems since her elementary-school days, but not until 2016, inspired by writing a couple of stories for her nieces, did she get the urge to seriously pursue writing. She had some author friends, so she sought out their advice. She also talked with librarians and booksellers, attended classes and conferences, and joined SCBWI and writing groups.       Her debut picture book, LET’S DANCE, was picked up by an editor after a Twitter pitch event. It came out in March, 2020, and went on to win a SCBWI Crystal Kite award. Three months after her debut, she signed with agent James McGowan at BookEnds Literary. She has been with him ever since and very much enjoys working together.       Valerie spent 30 years as an educator. She taught elementary and middle school for many years and then was an instructional coach for other tea...