Writers on Writing is our regular conversation with a writer or industry professional about the writing craft, industry insights, and their own practice. This week, we spoke to Katrina McKelvey about the reciprocal trust shared between authors and assessors when appraising a work of children’s fiction.
You’ve written many children’s picture books and educational readers. What’s the secret to writing engaging fiction for children?
One of the most important things an author for children must do is tap into their inner child and write from there. All fiction should connect readers with the main character on the first page and take them on an unforgettable journey to the last. An author’s inner child will help them do this. Young readers don’t want to hear an adult’s voice when they read.
Approaching somebody for feedback and advice can seem daunting. What does talking with an experienced assessor one-on-one actually look like?
I like to start by thanking the author for trusting me with their work. It’s a privilege to be let into someone’s work-in-progress, and it’s an honour to be invited to give feedback and suggestions. I also understand they’re nervous, and that’s okay.
Next, I like to ask them why they wrote the story. I find it fascinating to learn where an author’s story came from and why.
Then, I would like to know their purpose in writing the story. Is it for traditional or self-publishing? Is it a family record? Is it part of a healing process or a reflection on a recent experience? Is the main character based on their child/pet? This information helps me guide my thoughts and responses.
Then, we talk about strengths and suggestions for improvement. It’s two-way. I may have also missed something, which may affect my responses.
I always aim to help the author leave our session feeling empowered and motivated with a direction for the next rewrite (a to-do list).
What is the number one piece of recurring advice you have for first-time writers with a completed children’s book?
My recurring advice is about education. New authors need to educate themselves on:
1) How to write for children and,
2) How the publishing industry works.
You can’t know one without the other if a first-time author wants to be published.
A few extra hints:
- They should join a writing group to get peer feedback and build critiquing skills.
- Then, if they feel they’re ready to submit to a publisher, get an industry expert to do an assessment first.
- Follow publishers on their socials and subscribe to their newsletters. This will help with industry education.
- Finally, a handful of stubbornness and a bucketful of resilience are handy to have alongside a massive amount of passion and love of learning.
How important do you believe it is for writers to seek advice and feedback on their work from impartial experts, as opposed to friends and family?
Family and friends may not know how to give feedback to help improve a piece of writing. They also may not want to be put in a position where they don’t like what they read but may say they do anyway. Building critiquing skills takes a while – it’s more than fixing simple spelling and grammatical errors.
Experts will look deeply into a manuscript. They are looking for connections, meaning, emotional core, authenticity all while helping with structure, character development, pacing, tone… and so on.
An expert can break all of this down and help a writer work through suggested areas of improvement, one layer at a time.
Katrina McKelvey is a children’s author, former primary school teacher and mother living in Newcastle, NSW. She’s highly involved in CBCA, SCBWI, Littlescribe, community events, literary conferences and festivals, and loves visiting schools. She’s written many children’s picture books and educational readers including her new title, My Heart (March, 2024) and three Healthy Harold big books for the newly released Life Education Australia Early Years program. Katrina’s left-handed, loves tea, scary movies and rollercoasters, and is addicted to mint chocolate. When she was little, a hot air balloon accidentally landed in her backyard.
Join Katrina’s course, Manuscript Assessment: Children’s Books, on Thursday 6 March. Enrol here >>
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