Writing for Children and getting published; Writing for Children

Both these books have the same title (apart from the optimistic 'and getting published' of the Jones/Pollinger) and I suppose this is inevitable. Both books contain very similar material and advice and this, too, is inevitable. There is only so much to be said on such a subject, and both books say it.

However there is a difference in slant. The Jones/Pollinger book is in a 'Teach Yourself' series. It is set out in the manner of a textbook, with exercises to do, and I imagine some readers might find these useful, as well as being given a satisfying feeling that progress is being made. The chapter on picture books is particularly good. As I read it I cringed at the memory that I attempted my own first book in this genre without knowing even the basics.

As a practical guide this book is undoubtedly useful. Having said that, I found its occasionally jokey tone irritating, and sometimes wondered who the unnamed authors and publishers consulted by Jones/Pollinger were. The quotes, in italics throughout, are sometimes of a breathtaking banality:

Oh, and don't forget to post the package; as one author said to us

'The most useful piece of advice that anyone gave me was 1. finish the book and 2. it won't get published lying in a drawer somewhere.

I particularly wondered about the identity of an editor who says, on the subject of writer's block: 'We're not exactly dealing with brain surgery here. It's not that important!'

In Clark's book all sources are named and by and large she seems to have consulted better writers. She examines in detail certain books, demonstrating how they achieve their effects, and is particularly good on Philippa Pearce's The Way to Sattin Shore and Jan Mark's The Dead Letter Box.

If I were starting out as a writer I thin I would prefer the Clark book, because it allows more space. I am not told to keep a notebook, or have brainstorming sessions with friends - neither of which I have ever done or would dream of doing. This, however, is a purely personal view, and may even be coloured by my having as a teenager borrowed from the library Teach Yourself Welsh (in order to feel closer to Dylan Thomas) and having signally failed to do so. It is definitely coloured by my feeling that writing of any kind is a deeply mysterious process, and not easily nailed down or subjected to Dos and Don'ts.

Reading is mysterious, too. Clark quotes Joan Aiken (who was doubtless being asked the perennial silly question 'what age do you writer for?'):

It is impossible to predict what a child's mind will seize on at any stage. Their minds are like houses in a staggered process of building - some rooms complete with furniture, others just bare bricks and girders.

My advise to any aspiring writer for children would be - read both these books, take from each what you find useful and benefit from their valuable practical advice. Then put them to one side and start writing the way you want to writer. No one ever wrote a good book by rule, or by looking over her shoulder.

PS There is no reference in either book to writing for television. Given that most children spend more time watching it than in reading books, it seems a curious omission. Or are we saying that prose fiction is per se more important than drama? If so, where does that leave Dennis Potter let alone William Shakespeare?