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WRITING FOR THE CHRISTIAN CHILDREN’S MARKET: A DUAL MINISTRY
by Kathleen M. Muldoon
If you are a Christian blessed with writing ability who enjoys
writing for children, I hope you will consider exploring the
specialized market of Christian children’s literature as a
possible outlet for some or all of your stories, articles,
and books. Why? All Christians are called to share the Gospel
of Jesus Christ; what better place to begin than with young
Christians just embarking on their own faith journeys. For
me, writing for Christian children is a dual ministry: it
ministers to my soul and spirit and, I hope, to those of my
young readers.
“But, I’m not a theologian,” I hear you say. Neither am I.
However, any writer who is strong in his or her faith can
write for Christian children. The writing process—putting
your words and ideas into fiction or nonfiction, magazine or
book format—is the same as that for writing for the general
children’s literature market. The added faith element is what
makes Christian children’s literature stand apart.
The variety of genres in this specialized market is as diverse
as in the secular market—fiction and nonfiction, magazines and
books, plays, games, activities, crafts, journals, and so forth.
Some added outlets include Bible studies, Sunday school take
home papers, and prayer books. And, in addition to the desire
to entertain and educate children through the written word,
Christian writers share the love of Christ—whether stated or
implied—in all that they pen.
As with any type writing, we need to equip ourselves with
necessary supplies and resources. In addition to the obvious
computer, paper, dictionary, and thesaurus, Christian writers
should have handy their Bibles, Sally E. Stuart’s Christian
Writers’ Market Guide (published annually), and The Christian
Writer’s Manual of Style (Robert Hudson, Editor, published
and updated periodically by Zondervan), which includes
information on how to properly cite Scripture, when to
capitalize terms such as “gospel” and “lord,” and other
necessary stylistic information unique to this market.
Ideas for Christian children’s stories, articles, and books
abound. If you have trouble beginning, start with your own
faith community. Does it furnish take-home papers for the
youth? Who publishes these? Read several copies. Can you
conceive of a good story that illustrates a Bible truth,
one that would lead to a few thought questions after being
read? These small papers welcome good writers.
If your church or youth department has a library, take a
look at its offerings for children. Or make a trip to your
local Christian bookstore and browse in the children’s
department. Hopefully, you will begin to form a vision for
your ministry, including genre, format, and age group for
which you might write. Just one caution: If you’re not
strong in your own faith, and/or if you are not in touch
with Christian children on a regular basis, this might not
be the market for you to target. In addition to writing
ability and market savvy, strong faith and a love for and
knowledge of children are essential for establishing your
ministry as a Christian children’s writer.
As I type this article, my computer just “dinged,” announcing
the arrival of a new email. It’s an acceptance for a quiz I
submitted from an editor of a Christian teen’s magazine
published in Ireland. Spreading Christian values to children
around the world really makes my spirit sing! If you decide
to try your hand at writing for the Christian children’s
market, I can’t promise you riches of the pocketbook, but
I can guarantee you spiritual enrichment; that is worth so
much more.
BIO
Kathleen Muldoon is a retired journalist and current instructor
for the Institute of Children’s Literature and also for local
continuing education programs. She has authored sixteen books
in the educational and Christian markets as well as numerous
magazine articles and stories for children and adults. She is
also a columnist for Action magazine and a regional writer
for Guideposts. When not writing, she enjoys playing with her
literary feline, Walter, and her uneducated but adorable
parakeet, Abraham. To learn more about Kathleen Muldoon, go
to her bio at the Institute of Children's Literature at
http://www.writingforchildren.com/f0888/instructors4.htm or
email muldoonkatie@hotmail.com
. You'll find her books
available via Amazon.com .
NOTE: You'll see Hope's review of this book at Amazon.com.
It's five star and worth every star.
http://tinyurl.com/2cnon3m
"As editor of FundsforWriters.com, I periodically perform
book reviews, usually at the request of publishing companies.
If the books touch upon writing, I give them a go. Never have
I read a writing how-to book as complete as this one. In one
evening I read it cover to cover, and I don't write Christian
Children's works. Sowing Seeds: Writing for the Christian
Children's Market, is as comprehensive a writing book as I've
ever seen. As I read pages, I made a mental list to note if the
author mentioned this or mentioned that. In the end, I had no
question left unaddressed. I'm amazed there's no previous book
on writing for this niche. That said, I'm glad this is the
first one. It has set a high bar, and I feel it will become
the bible for Christian writers everywhere."
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