Writing For Children
How long have you been writing for children?
About four years. For most of that, I’ve been trying to get published. My first book came out in July this year. It’s a picture book called Puggle’s Problem. My second book, and the first in a new series, was released in September and it’s called Totally Twins: Musical Mayhem.
Can you tell us a little bit about your background and the kind of stories you write?
I grew up in the country, on the mid-north coast of NSW. We didn’t have much up there, but we did have loads of space, freedom to explore, and animals. On our farm we had riding horses, milking cows, chickens that gave us eggs, dogs, cats, rabbits. Just about every farm animal invented. On my father’s property up in the bush, we had wallabies, goannas and snakes galore, as well as the occasional dingo. Animals were everywhere.
Now, when I write for children, I draw on those memories and experiences of my childhood, building into my stories the animals I owned, loved or encountered as a child.
Luckily, I’ve found that most kids love animals. Everywhere I go, talking at schools and libraries about the stories I write, I always ask kids if they love animals. I’m always greeted with the overwhelming response, ‘YES!’.
There’s an old saying that you should never work with children and animals. Well, with my writing, I work with both and so far I’ve found the combination works well.
Not many people would have heard of puggles before. Can you explain a bit about them?
Until two years ago, I didn’t know what a puggle was! A puggle is a baby echidna. They hatch out of an egg, are about the size of a jellybean at the time and they’re completely spineless. They drink their mother’s iron-rich milk, then grow and grow until finally, over their plump, pink, hairless body, they begin to grow spines and start to look like the adult echidna we’re all familiar with. You can google the word ‘puggle’ to see photos of them. They’re the most extraordinary-looking little creatures!
I was fascinated by puggles and knew I had to write a book about one. Of course, I had to make the story relevant to children, so I decided my puggle wouldn’t be able to get his spines. Just like children strive to achieve developmental milestones, my puggle would strive to achieve his milestone of getting his spines. The story also teaches about patience and perseverance, key things that children need to learn. I designed Puggle’s Problem to work on two levels – to entertain and delight and educate children (and adults) about puggles and to send a message about patience and perseverance.
Your new series, Totally Twins, has just been released. Can you tell us a little about it?
Totally Twins is for girls aged 7 plus and is told in diary format by Persephone Pinchgut. Who is Persephone Pinchgut? Well, she’s 10 years old, very nearly 11. She’s a Gemini and she’s an identical twin. Life’s pretty fun for Persephone until DISASTER strikes in the form of a SCHOOL MUSICAL. Poor Persephone can’t sing and is terrified of performing in public. Of course, I make her face up to her fears in the book! Persephone finds solace in recording her innermost fears and desires in her first-ever TOP SECRET diary, which she has to keep away from her nosy twin, Portia. The series is warm and quirky with themes about family relationships, friends and fitting in.
Do you base any of your characters on people you know?
I often borrow aspects of people I know and use them in my stories. Sometimes it may be a name or part of their name. Sometimes, it’s aspects of their personality or culture. Sometimes, I even steal from my own history and will include pieces of me in the stories or characters I create. And then other things come entirely from my imagination.
How hard is it to write for children?
Like anything, writing for children is hard if you don’t know the rules. For a start, if you want to write for kids today, you need to know how they speak, how they spend their time, what their hobbies and interests are. I think you need to know a little bit about technology, too. It’s such a huge part of kids’ lives these days. You can’t just regurgitate lessons from your (ancient) past. You have to make the stories relevant to today. If you don’t have kids of your own to draw ideas and characters from, I’d suggest hanging out at the food court at malls or using your grandchildren or even your neighbour’s children as guinea pigs. The other point is, don’t write down to children or preach to them. They’re incredibly perceptive and smarter than you think! They will switch off in an instant if they think you’re trying to teach them a lesson.
What’s the first thing a writer should do if they want to write for children?
I’d say that’s a 3 step process: read lots of contemporary children’s novels, write as much as you can and join or form a writers’ group that specialises in writing for children where you can read your work out and gain feedback.
Are you a member of any writing organisations? Would you recommend others joining them?
It’s crucial to be a part of writing organisations such as the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA), the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), the Australian Society of Authors (ASA) and your state Writers’ Centre. These organisations run courses, provide advice for writers and illustrators, and also offer amazing opportunities for networking. I can’t stress enough the value of networking in our small country. It’s amazing the opportunities that arise and the things you can learn by simply talking to people.
Does a children’s author need an agent? Do you have one?
In Australia, you don’t need an agent to become a successful children’s author. It’s often very difficult to secure an agent – more difficult than securing a publisher. I do have an agent and she is brilliant. While I deal with the creative aspects with my publishers, she deals with the financial and contractual aspects. She has her finger on the pulse of the children’s publishing industry and keeps me informed of what’s happening. I’m very lucky to have her. If you want to secure an agent, make sure you have something to take to them, some success under your belt or an absolutely brilliant manuscript that they can place with a publisher. Agents work hard for only a small percentage of your earnings. The lead time for you – and them – to start earning money from your books can be a long one, which is probably why few agents take on new authors.
Aleesah writes picture books and novels for children in the fantasy and contemporary fiction genres. She also reviews books for The Sun Herald. Aleesah’s stories have appeared in the black dog books Short & Scary anthology, The School Magazine and Little Ears. She has won numerous awards for her writing. In 2009, she was awarded an ASA mentorship and was runner-up in the CBCA (NSW) Frustrated Writers Program.
To find out more about Aleesah, visit her website at: www.aleesahdarlison.com.
Next stop on Aleesah’s blog tour is the Read Plus Blogspot where Aleesah will talk about her new series for children called Totally Twins and about her experiences working with an illustrator. Check it out at: www.readplus.com.au.
