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Professional Children's Writing

KID

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The Professional Children's Writing course will teach you how to be a better writer, how to write for the different children's book genres and age groups, and how to market your stories so that editors will publish them.

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One of the best things about this course is that it was initially developed for Australian College by one of Australia's most successful children's authors, Margaret Clarke.

Course summary

Qualification gained
Australian College Diploma of Professional Writing (Children's Writing and Publishing)
Course code
KID
Study mode
Flexible delivery (including online with some projects / activities and/or skills-based training)
Course fees
Pay up-front, pay by installment or completely customise your own payment plan here. Employers, ask about our group/corporate rates and traineeship availability.
Flexible duration (with an option to extend)
Up to 12 months
Study load
Self-paced
Start date
Start anytime
Assessment method
Multiple choice, short answer questions
Nationally recognised
No

Career opportunities

  • Children's Fiction Writer
  • Children's Non-Fiction Writer
  • Children's Picture Book Writer
  • Children's Chapter Book Writer
  • Children's Short Story Writer

Course units

Unit 1 - Foundations of Children’s Writing

Reading 1 - So You Want to Write for Children

Welcome to the world of writing for children
Children's writing and you
Genres in children’s writing
Viewpoints you can use
Understanding your goals

Reading 2 - Getting Ideas for Stories

What can I write about?
Organise your ideas
What is your story about?
Establish the setting

Reading 3 - Writing Picture Books

Why write a picture book?
Putting together a picture book
Choosing a great topic
Keys to a successful picture book
Words still matter!
Pictures and more
Check list for your story
Presenting your manuscript to the publisher

Reading 4 - Writing Chapter Books

Who are your readers?
What are chapter books?
Subject matter for chapter books and children's novels
Characters
Beginnings, middles and ends
Writing a story for children - checklist

Unit 2 - Creating and Writing

Reading 1 - Creating Living Characters

The main character
The other characters
Writing dialogue
Some more tips

Reading 2 - Writing Fun Non-Fiction for Children

Getting started
Non-fiction picture books for emergent readers
How to overcome writer's block

Reading 3 - Genre Writing and Teen Fictions

What is genre
Teenage fiction
Make them laugh
Other genres
Developing your own writing style

Reading 4 - Writing for an Education Market

What is educational publishing?
Is writing educational texts for you?
Publishing specifications

Unit 3 - Children's Writing Industry

Reading 1 - Manuscript Editing

What is editing?
Attention to detail
Valuable feedback
Laying out your manuscript

Reading 2 - Getting Published

The first steps
How to find your publisher
Proposals or manuscripts?
Do you need an agent?
Formatting your manuscript

Reading 3 - Books, Contract and Payment

After rejection comes acceptance
Contracts
Copyright
Should you make writing your career?

Reading 4 - Promoting your Children's Book

Marketing your work
Grants, awards and other ways to earn a living
Meet other writers
Get organised

Entry requirements

  • Access to a computer with word processing, PDF reader capabilities and an internet connection
  • A good command of written English
  • Ability to allocate appropriate study hours per week

If you have these essential requirements, then you can get started immediately.

Student reviews

"During the course I was working full-time and even had a baby! I would recommend the college to anyone who needs to study at their own pace, not the at the pace of the college!"

Yvonne Clarke, 13th August 2013

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Quick access to your course career outcomes, payment options and more.
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Speak to a friendly course advisor
1300 783 283
Monday - Friday
9am - 5pm

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  • Interest-free
  • Customised payment options
  • Graduate 100% debt-free
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Why choose AC?

Flexible
Study in your own space, at your own pace
Supportive
Stay connected with your trainer with phone and email support
Affordable
Customise your own flexible payment plan
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