Writing for Children—A Noble Calling

By Michelle Medlock Adams @INwritergirl

When I was in first grade, Mrs. True made an announcement that would forever change my life.“We’re having a poetry contest this week,” she said, “so use today and tomorrow to come up with your best poem.”

We had just studied the various types of poems, and I decided I really liked the ones that rhymed. In fact, I had checked out every book of rhyming poetry I could find from our school library, and I’d read them all—twice.

As my classmates wrote about their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, I carefully crafted the words to my poem: “I Love Penny.” Penny was my 7-year-old wiener dog and my best friend in the whole world.

My poem went a little something like this: “Penny is my very best friend. I’ll love her to the very end. She’s a very special wiener dog. I love her though she smells like a hog…”

Okay, so I wasn’t exactly a first-grade Dr. Seuss, but my poem was good enough to earn first prize. (I guess the other first-grade poets must’ve been really bad.) At any rate, I won a few sparkly pencils and the honor of going first in the lunch line that afternoon. Mrs. True also displayed my poem in the front of the room for all to see. I stared at my winning poem all afternoon, and in my mind, I was already crafting a follow-up rhyme.

That’s the day I became a writer. I wanted to write all the time, and so I did. I wrote during recess while other kids played tag and climbed on the monkey bars. I completely fell in love with words.

I wrote a play in fifth grade that we performed for all of the fifth grade classes. I wrote short stories in junior high for a literary magazine. And I wrote many articles for my high school newspaper before majoring in journalism at Indiana University.

Though I began my career writing news stories for a daily paper, my career path took an unexpected turn when we moved to Texas so I could write features and personality profiles for an international ministry magazine. After a little while, the editor came to me and said, “You have kids, right?”

“Yes,” I answered.

“Great, you can write some kids' stories for our children’s outreach.”

I remember thinking, Just because I have kids doesn’t mean I know how to write for them. But I was a journalist, so I began researching the world of writing for children, and I once again fell in love. Head over heels. That was more than twenty years ago, and I’ve been lovesick ever since. 

Creating stories for children—stories that teach, entertain, encourage and inspire—is a noble calling. It’s a calling I don’t take for granted, and neither should you.

No matter how you fell in love with writing for children, I’m just happy you did. Let me encourage you to stay the course. Never think your work or your words are less important or less powerful simply because they are for kids. Actually, they are more important and more powerful because they are for kids.

You’re a part of a very special club—a society of writers who woo children to fall in love with words and continue that love affair their whole lives through. 

You’re the writer who transports children to far-off lands and make-believe worlds. You’re the writer who causes children to dream a little bigger, laugh a little harder, feel a little deeper, and care a little more. You’re a children’s writer, crafting copy on the very hearts of your readers, so do it well, and do it with enthusiasm.

What do you love most about writing for children? We would love to hear from you.

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Creating stories for children—stories that teach, entertain, encourage and inspire—is a noble calling. via@INwritergirl (Click to tweet.)

Michelle Medlock Adams is an inspirational speaker, award-winning journalist and best-selling author of more than 90 books, earning top honors from the Associated Press, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Hoosier State Press Association. Since graduating with a journalism degree from Indiana University, Michelle has written more than 1,500 articles for newspapers, magazines and websites; acted as a stringer for the Associated Press; written for a worldwide ministry; helped pen a New York Times Bestseller; served as a TV host for TBN’s “Joy in Our Town” show; and blogged for Guideposts.

Today, she is President of Platinum Literary Services—a premier full-service literary firm—and she serves as chairman of the board for Serious Writer Inc. and teaches courses for Serious Writer Academy.  She is also a weekly columnist for a Midwestern newspaper and serves as assistant acquisitions editor for Little Lamb Books.

Michelle is married to her high school sweetheart, Jeff, and they have two grown daughters, Abby and Allyson, two sons-in-law, and one grandson, as well as a miniature dachshund, a rescue Shepherd/Collie mix, and two cats. When not writing or teaching, Michelle enjoys bass fishing and cheering on the Indiana University Basketball team and the Chicago Cubbies.

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www.michellemedlockadams.com