Top 5 Tips for Writing a Book for Young Readers

Karla: Let’s start with introductions. Emma and Martín are two of my favorite characters featured in my chapter book series, Legendarios. They are nine-year-old twins from Mexico who moved to Chicago when their Dad got a sweet gig as a middle school principal. Before they left, Abuela gave them a book of Mexican legends that was not only full of amazing legends, but had the unique power of transporting the twins into the stories!

Emma: Karla Arenas Valenti was born in Mexico City and lived in a house built around a tree.

Martín: A tree protected by chanques, mythical nature-sprites that do all sorts of mischievous things.

Emma: Karla claims her house was haunted by her ancestors. Also, one of her ancestors appeared in her aunt’s dream to reveal the location of a hidden pair of earrings.

Martín: And Karla’s dad has premonitory dreams that happen exactly as he dreams them, but months later! That’s kind of creepy.

Emma: Martín! That’s not nice.

Karla: It’s true, though. It is a bit creepy, but also pretty magical. In fact, tapping into this magical side of my reality is exactly what inspired me to write Legendarios.

Tip #1: Real life is full of things that inspire awe. Train yourself to find that magic and wonder in unexpected places. When people talk about wanting something “fresh” or “original,” they often just mean wanting to see ordinary reality in an unexpected way.

Emma: So, how did you do that in Legendarios?

Karla: Well, each book in the series explores a new legend. But you can’t just go into any legend, right? The book of legends chooses the specific stories you and Martín visit in order to show you something about your world or your circumstances that you hadn’t picked up on before. In fact, that’s actually the purpose of legends in the first place.

Martín: What do you mean?

Karla: Legends are stories we tell to try to explain certain things about the world. Because of their fantastical nature, they pull us out of reality and force us to look at things in a different way.

Emma: I have an example! When Martín and I were pulled into the legend about The Beginning of all Things, we were actually at the beginning of the universe. Martín and I have studied the Big Bang and we know what the science books say about how the universe came to be. But this story focused more on the forces of life and death…

Martín: …light and dark, brother and sister.

Karla: And what did it help you see?

Martín: Well, that life is complicated.

Emma: Also, that there are ways to be together, even if we’re apart.

Martín: And the importance of working together to solve problems.

Tip #2: Give your readers BIG ideas to explore and think about. Young readers love exciting plots, but they also crave exciting ideas. Challenge their hearts and minds. As you’re writing, think about why you are choosing this particular story to tell. How will it challenge the reader’s heart and mind?

Emma: So, is that how you pick the legends that you include in the books?

Karla: I definitely choose legends that are thought-provoking. But also, I want stories that will be fun for you two to explore. Besides, I don’t always know what you’ll learn from the stories or how you’ll get out of them until I put you in them.

Martín: Seriously?! What happens if we don’t figure it out? We could be stranded there! Forever.

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Karla: Not forever. Besides, you two are pretty good at solving problems.

Tip #3: Trust your characters. Build a world for them (and give them something exciting to pursue), then plop them in the story and see what happens. Stories are often much bigger than what is contained in an author’s head. Free your characters and follow them through the story. Sometimes they may end up at a dead end, but sometimes they will uncover a real piece of wonder that will delight you (and your readers!).

Emma: So how do you find the legends you write about?

Karla: I research Mexican legends in books or online. There are many different legends from all over the country. I try to find legends that I can imagine you two would enjoy exploring.

Martín: Then what?

Karla: Once I’ve settled on the legend, I research the part of Mexico where that legend is from. This helps me envision the world that you and Emma will enter. For example, The Wrath of the Rain God takes places in Central Mexico. The Heron Princess takes place in Michoacan. The Child King of Uxmal unfolds in the Yucatán. These places have very different geography, language, and culture. To prepare, I look at images, read up on the history of those parts of the country, and generally get smart on the world I will be building in the story.

Tip #4: You seldom need to do world-building from scratch. Find images of real locations to help give you a visual that you can then describe with words. This works even with brand new worlds! Just research concept art for ideas you’re exploring (e.g., waterfall in a tree, boat made of leaves, house inside a bubble, etc.).

Emma: What happens after all that research?

Karla: I start writing the story at the point where you and Martín first enter the legend.

Emma: Wait, you don’t start at the beginning of the story?

Karla: Nope. I usually start with you entering the legend because that helps me figure out what you’re going to learn from that adventure. Then I write the end which will show the reader what you learned and how you grew from the adventure. Finally, in order for readers to see that change, the beginning has to show the opposite (you without that knowledge and experience). So, I add that first part last.

Tip #5: Writing a book doesn’t need to be a linear process. Sometimes, it’s helpful to start with your inciting event (the thing that propels the characters into the drama) and then work your way backwards—building up the “normal” world that will be shattered by the inciting event and then showing how that normal world has changed at the end.

Martín: Huh. So, what you’re saying is that you really don’t know what you’re doing when you’re writing these books. You’re just sort of watching Emma and me.

Karla: Sort of. An author is a bit like a chronicler of adventures. We need to have some skill with words, and as long as we have fun and interesting characters to follow, we’re probably going to have a good story to tell.

Emma: Well, I for one think the Legendarios books are great stories.

Martín: Me too.

Karla: Me three.

Emma: Pssst…reader! If you want to check out one of these adventures, you can find us wherever you get your favorite books!

Check out Karla Arenas Valenti’s Wrath of the Rain God here:

Bookshop | Amazon

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