Ever wondered how a seasoned journalist crafts fascinating stories for children's magazines? Join us as we unravel this intriguing world with our guest, Rebekah, a content producer for Children's Magazine at DC Thompson. Rebecca gives us an insider's view on the unique aspects of writing for children, emphasizing the need for interactive elements such as quizzes, puzzles, and even coloring designs to engage young minds.
We take a deep dive into the visual aspect of children's magazine writing, where Rebecca shares her experience of sourcing images first and building stories around them. Listen in as we grapple with the challenges of editing and proofreading, with Rebecca pointing out common mistakes and offering tips on crafting relatable characters and dialogues.
In the final segment, Rebekah shares valuable advice for aspiring writers, discussing how to choose appropriate topics and themes that captivate children's interest. Furthermore, she reveals her strategies for staying abreast of current trends and the importance of creativity when writing for children. Did we mention that she also has experience as a video game reviewer? Whether you're an aspiring writer, a seasoned scribe, or just curious about the world of children's magazines, this episode is packed with insights and advice to enlighten and inspire. So grab a cup of your favorite beverage, sit back, and let's explore the magical world of children's magazines!
Ever wondered how a seasoned journalist crafts fascinating stories for children's magazines? Join us as we unravel this intriguing world with our guest, Rebekah, a content producer for Children's Magazine at DC Thompson. Rebecca gives us an insider's view on the unique aspects of writing for children, emphasizing the need for interactive elements such as quizzes, puzzles, and even coloring designs to engage young minds.
We take a deep dive into the visual aspect of children's magazine writing, where Rebecca shares her experience of sourcing images first and building stories around them. Listen in as we grapple with the challenges of editing and proofreading, with Rebecca pointing out common mistakes and offering tips on crafting relatable characters and dialogues.
In the final segment, Rebekah shares valuable advice for aspiring writers, discussing how to choose appropriate topics and themes that captivate children's interest. Furthermore, she reveals her strategies for staying abreast of current trends and the importance of creativity when writing for children. Did we mention that she also has experience as a video game reviewer? Whether you're an aspiring writer, a seasoned scribe, or just curious about the world of children's magazines, this episode is packed with insights and advice to enlighten and inspire. So grab a cup of your favorite beverage, sit back, and let's explore the magical world of children's magazines!
Hi and welcome to the Writing and Marketing Show brought to you by author Wendy H Jones. This show does exactly what it says on the tin. It's jam-packed with interviews, advice, hints, tips and news to help you with the business of writing. It's all wrapped up in one lively podcast. So it's time to get on with the show. And welcome to episode 183 of the Writing and Marketing Show with author-entrepreneur Wendy H Jones. As always, it is a pleasure to have you with me.
Speaker 1:Not a lot of news in this episode because I am recording back-to-back shows because I am going to the States in a couple of weeks time and I want to have them set up before I go to the States, just in case I'm busy with my book signings and things out there and I'm very much looking forward to going out there. Personal news from the last one there isn't much because I've not done much. I've been doing a bit of editing in between recordings and I'm very much enjoying that. So what's happening in the world? Well, at the moment the big thing, the big news in the world, is the actors and writer strike in Hollywood because of AI. So I've been keeping a close eye on the AI discussion because I want to know what's going on and it's something that, again, I may bring to you in the future. But I gave you a balanced view a few weeks ago and if you're interested in that, you can have a listen to that show and you will find out where I stand on the AI debate. I'm just basically keeping an eye on things and not using it to any extent. I'm writing my own books, which is important, just so that you know.
Speaker 1:So what about Rebecca? Well, I was absolutely delighted to have Rebecca on the show with me because she is working for DC Thompson's, which is our local newspaper here in Dundee, although she does live and work across in air. So Rebecca graduated from the University of Stirling in 2018 with an honours degree in journalism studies and has worked as a journalist ever since. She's worked for various titles, including the Press and Journal and the Daily Record. Since August 2021, she's been working as a content producer for Children's Magazine at DC Thompson. Her writing has been featured in 110% Gaming, unicorn Universe, animals in you and Shout magazine. She lives with her family in East Ayrshire, loves travelling, meeting new people and hearing their stories a woman after my own heart. So, without further ado, let's get on with the show and hear from Rebecca, and we have Rebecca with us.
Speaker 2:Welcome, rebecca how are you? I'm good. Thank you very much for having me today.
Speaker 1:Oh it's absolutely my pleasure. Thank you for joining us, and I really wanted you on this show because I know that you know what you're talking about when it comes to writing for Children's magazines, so it's absolutely delightful to have you here. So where are you in the world?
Speaker 2:I'm sunny Ayrshire, sunny, sunny Ayrshire. Well, sunny's my day bit of a stretch. It's not raining at least, so that's something.
Speaker 1:Not raining, I'd listen. It always rains on the west coast. When you're coming up from England and you get to Glasgow, you always go oh it's Glasgow because it starts raining. You could have driven up in 300 degrees heat. Yeah, it's a telltale sign. Anyway, it's really good to have you here. So we're going to be chatting today about writing for Children's magazines, which is not something I've covered on this show. So I'm excited about this and, as I say, I know you were an expert, so let's get on with the show. So my first question really is what unique consideration should writers keep in mind when crafting stories for Children's magazines, compared to other Children's literature formats?
Speaker 2:Well, I think what makes writing for Children's magazines different from other forms of literature is that they don't just want a magazine because they want to read something. I can imagine when they're in a bookshop they're drawn to a certain book because they like the illustrations or they like the sounds of a story. But with kids magazines it's a little bit more interactive. There's quizzes, puzzles, lots of different things for them to do. So that's something to keep in mind when you're writing a story. Think what else you can add to it. It doesn't have to be a puzzle. It could be maybe a colouring in a design or a drawing challenge. The way you've got to see it, especially through the titles that I write before, is that kids aren't going to be playing every single game that's covered in 110% gaming For Unicorn Universe. There's going to be some characters that like more than others, so it's just a wee extra thing that holds their attention on the page just that little bit longer.
Speaker 1:That's a great answer. I have to say, I never thought of it like that, you know, but it's true. You just they've got other things as well. I've never, you know, when my nieces were little and I was buying them comics in Children's magazines, they were held by different things in it. So, yeah, excellent. So listen, I wouldn't know where to start on this one. How do you select appropriate topics and themes for Children's magazines, articles and stories?
Speaker 2:Well, for 110% gaming. It's a case of keeping up with the latest video game releases, seeing what's coming out. That's something you know they would like. There's always four big video games. We cover every issue, so that's Roblox, fortnite, minecraft and Pokemon. So as long as you're adapting content around that, you've got ideas. I think what it can be quite challenging is when there's, you know, a dry spell for video game releases. I found that in the first half of this year there were video game releases, sure, but there were only a select handful that were suitable for our audience. So that's a case of thinking up ideas from content that isn't exactly brand new. Unicorn Universe is a little bit different. The readers are mainly girls ages five to nine, so I come up with ideas really based around important life lessons that you get at that age, stuff like how to be a good friend, the importance of showing kindness, making new friends. A lot of it's just using your imagination as well.
Speaker 1:That's definitely in my imagination, that's for sure, because I'm a long past that age. But trying to get inside the mind of a child as well, and girls and boys, I've got to ask do you get to play video games in its class to work?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm a reviewer, so I love that involved in playing the game and writing about it as well. So, yeah, I can't complain. That's great fun.
Speaker 1:What a job. So can you share some strategies for my listeners for capturing and maintaining a child's interest in short form writing, such as articles or snippets.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'd say probably the main strategy would be if you've got a point to make, be quick about it. I think when people have a lot of knowledge or are really enthusiastic about something, they could talk or write about it all day, and I think mature audiences or mature readers I should say have the patience for that. Children not so much and you could be making some really excellent points on your item, but they're not going to stick around long enough to find that out. So I'd say be brief about it. Use language that's familiar to them. If you struggle to understand something, don't expect your reader to, and I'd say you want the tone to be quite positive, quite upbeat as well. So if you're ticking all those boxes, I'd say hold their interest, no problem.
Speaker 1:Excellent, good answer. I'm liking it. You got me thinking. I want to be writing for Children's magazine now, you know, as if I haven't got enough on my plate, I want to do something else. So what role do illustrations and visuals play in Children's magazine writing, and how can writers effectively collaborate with artists to enhance their work?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think writing for Children's Full Stop illustrations and images is such a massive part of it. You could have what you think is the best idea in the world, but if you've not got a lot of images to support it, it's either not going to work the way you want it to or it might not work at all. At least that's the case where features is concerned. So the thing to do there would be to source your images first and then build your story around that. As a very visual job, I think we write. Working with an artist is concerned. You want to forward plan as much as possible. You don't want to get to the writing stage unless you had an illustration of a certain character you know doing a certain pose or wearing a certain costume. So having a thing in advance of what you need, I think, will really help you there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're right, you know giving them a brief, that will you know. You have to know what today's you want before the early straights will just come up with something that wasn't in your brain, Absolutely In your head, and I like the way you say that you know you would source the images first and then build their story around it. I think that's a really good idea and, yeah, again, it's not something I've thought of.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's definitely different from writing for adults. It's just, it's a totally different, totally different ballgame. Yeah.
Speaker 1:And the sports. The images have to appeal to them as well. It's getting the images, the right images, for that age group as well.
Speaker 2:Definitely one, something that's colorful, going to stand out, really going to catch the eye, yeah.
Speaker 1:It must be exciting when you see the images and the words in the magazine now coming together and looking good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's really rewarding. You can just imagine how excited a child is going to be when they pick it up and you do it themselves, so it's very rewarding in that regard. Yeah, yeah, it's amazing.
Speaker 1:I don't know any specific guidelines or one word count limitations that writers might need to adhere to when submitting to children's magazines.
Speaker 2:That's a tricky one. It was definitely the most challenging part about the job when I first started, especially coming from a background in news reporting where there was always a word count to work towards. I mean to answer your question, it really just depends. We have a reviews feature and 110% game in every issue, so there's a word count there, but for the other features it can totally vary. I mean, sometimes you don't know until you're writing something how many words it's going to be. I think something that can be quite helpful is to find a page layout that you like. We call that refs, and it really lets you see and imagine where the images and where the text is going to sit alongside each other. That can give you an idea of a word count, and it'll also make life for the designer a little bit easier too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean I'm making assumptions here that you do accept submissions from other people. Is that right or am I just making assumptions? Do you already have staff journalists?
Speaker 2:We have a team, an editorial team, but we also have some freelance writers as well.
Speaker 1:Okay, I've just thought I'd better clarify that before I'm asking you a load of questions about people submitting and they're not allowed to Heavens. So I mean with children. I write children's picture books and I know there always has to be a moral or some sort of educational aspect to it. So how do you approach incorporating educational elements into writing for children's magazines without sacrificing the entertainment value?
Speaker 2:That's a really good question. I think if you want something to be entertaining but fun, it's all got to be relevant and to buy in. So say you're writing, in my case, a feature on Pokemon battle strategies and you want some kind of educational element in there, you could maybe do some sort of puzzle, maybe a word scramble or a word search, based around moves that Pokemon use in battle. It's engaging, it's relevant and ties in quite well with the topic you're writing about and it doesn't feel like it's just been shrewd, horned in for the sake of it. I think when something feels a bit irrelevant and out of place with the rest of the feature is not really going to be very engaging for your readers. So I think, as long as it all ties in quite well, it'll still be fun but also educational at the same time.
Speaker 1:What a great idea. I wouldn't have thought of that at all. I'm telling you, this is impressive. I'm learning so much today. So editing, oh editing, that's the bane of everybody's life, as we currently know. But how do you I mean, can you provide insights into the editing and revision process for children's magazine writing, and what are some of the common mistakes writers should watch out for?
Speaker 2:I mean, I think with any writing job there's an expectation to proofread and fact check your work before submitting it anyway. But once we've done that, the content editor has a look over it and it's then picked up by a designer who creates the page. At that stage we proofread it and look out for things like spelling mistakes, grammar issues, really just anything that doesn't look quite right. There's lots of different eyes that look over it. I'll proofread a feature that my colleague was working on in vice versa, it just ensures that it's up to the standard that it should be by the time it goes to print.
Speaker 2:As for common mistakes, I think there's always going to be silly, wee things that trick people up. I suppose stuff like practice and practice that's one, but really more commonly especially for people who are new to writing for children is really the tone more than anything, that they don't get quite right. The quality of the writing is very good, but it reads more for an adult than it would for a child. The sentences are maybe just a little bit too long. There's really not enough descriptive words in there that catches their imagination. So I think that's the main thing that I'd say is something writers should have a wee think about.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was interviewing someone about writing children's picture books and they were saying the same that it's getting their language right and the tone right for your readers. But again, the tone might have to be different for a boys magazine or a girls magazine, but who the heck knows, because everybody reads everything now. It's a tricky balance really to get it right and admire anybody that can get it right. It's impressive. I'm a cop out because my children's picture books are for anybody, so it's so much easier. Anybody likes reading children's picture books. So what are some effective techniques for crafting relatable characters and dialogue in short stories or articles for children's magazines?
Speaker 2:I wouldn't say it's a technique as such, but what I would say is don't be free to be silly and let your imagination run wild. I think that's one of the best things about writing for children is they're not as critical about some things the way older readers can be. Unicorn Universe is a fantastic example. It's one of the magazines that I write for. There's a whole squad of unicorns with different personalities, special abilities, planets that they live on.
Speaker 2:We've got a fan favourite who's a pub called Comet. He was drinking toilet water one day and he fell through a magical portal from the human world into the Unicorn Universe. He's just such a funny character and it's just so great to write about him just because he is a bit ridiculous, just really silly and goofy. So I think, where dialogue is concerned, it's got to be something that sounds like what that character would say. So, using Comet as the example, it wouldn't really make sense for him to say something really serious. So I think, as long as you understand your characters pretty well, your dialogue is something that should come quite naturally to you. Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 1:You've got a character that fell through a portal in a toilet. I mean, seriously, that is genius, that is genius. And kids are obsessed with toilet jokes, aren't they? So yeah, it's brilliant, I love it. I'm sold off just on that character. That's superb. So you obviously have to keep up to date with current trends and topics that resonate with children when writing for magazines. Are there any research methods you find particularly helpful, including playing games?
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's a few different things. As much as the readers are too young to be on social media, that can be quite helpful too. Just because as much they're too young to be on it, the brands that they like the likes of Pokemon, fall Guys they're on social media. It can help to give them a follow. It is also useful to come up with story ideas as well. Youtube's a helpful tool, but I think probably most importantly, it's just finding out from children themselves what they like. Every so often we have a reader survey in the magazine that lets us see what they're engaging with pretty well, what they're maybe not enjoying so much, and we can adapt content around that. So I think if anyone has any like nieces or nephews, children of their own, it's well worth asking them what they think. I mean, children can be so brutally honest about what they like and don't like, and since the content's geared towards them anyway, it's worth getting their opinion on it.
Speaker 1:Good point. Yeah, asking children is a good way of getting it, and they'll tell you what content they want. You know, just chat to them generally and they'll go, oh yes, and they could do this and they could do that, and you're like, okay, that'll be the next thing then. So what advice would you give to aspiring writers who are interested in writing for children's magazines? Are there any specific magazines or publications they would recommend they explore?
Speaker 2:The best piece of advice I got when I started this job and it's something I would tell aspiring writers is to try and imagine that you're writing for your younger self. Like I said, there's plenty of talented writers out there, but writing for children is totally different from writing for adults and a lot of that comes down to the tone of the writing. So I wouldn't say there's a single publication to read per se. Obviously, read the magazine that you want to write for, but it's also worth checking out the opposition as well. I mean there's so many kids magazines out there I mean the list almost feels endless. So just read as much as you can and you'll really get a good idea for the tone and before you notice something that will just become second nature to you.
Speaker 1:So you get to read comics and play video games. I have got to explore this. I tell you Love the dream. That sounds like exploration. I could get my behind. Not at all. So my final question, rebecca, is if my listeners want to chat to you further, how can they get hold of you?
Speaker 2:Of course you can find me on Twitter at Bex underscore McVie. I'm also on LinkedIn as Rebecca McVie. If you want to get in touch, just pop my message. You know I'll get back to you.
Speaker 1:You are excellent. Thank you very much for joining us, bex. This has been brilliant and I've learned so much. Thank you, it's been a pleasure being here and enjoy the rest of your day.
Speaker 2:Thank you too.
Speaker 1:And we have Rebecca with us. Welcome.
Speaker 2:Rebecca, how are you? I'm good. Thank you very much for having me today, oh it's absolutely my pleasure.
Speaker 1:Thank you for joining us, and I really wanted you on this show because I know that you know what you're talking about when it comes to writing for children's magazines, so it's absolutely delightful to have you here. So where are you in the world?
Speaker 2:I'm sunny, ester sure. Sunny, sunny, ester sure. Well, sunny is maybe a bit of a stretch. It's not raining at least. So that's something Not raining.
Speaker 1:And listen. It always rains on the West Coast. When you're coming up from England and you get to Glasgow, you always go oh it's Glasgow, because it starts raining. You could have driven up in 300 degrees heat. Yeah, it's a telltale sign. Anyway, it's really good to have you here. So we're going to be chatting today about writing for children's magazines, which is not something I've covered on this show. So I'm excited about this and, as I say, I know you were an expert, so let's get on with the show. So my first question really is what unique consideration should writers keep in mind when crafting stories for children's magazines, compared to other children's literature formats?
Speaker 2:Well, I think what makes writing for children's magazines different from other forms of literature is that they don't just want a magazine because they want to read something. I can imagine why and they're in a bookshop they're drawn to a certain book because they like the illustrations or they like the sounds of a story. But with kids' magazines it's a little bit more interactive. There's quizzes, puzzles, lots of different things for them to do. So that's something to keep in mind when you're writing a story. Think what else you can add to it. It doesn't have to be a puzzle. It could be maybe a colouring in a design or a drawing challenge. The way you've got to see it, especially through the titles that I write before, is that kids aren't going to be playing every single game that's covered in 110% gaming For Unicorn Universe. There's going to be some characters that like more than others, so it's just a wee extra thing that holds their attention on the page just that little bit longer.
Speaker 1:Hey, that's a great answer. I have to say, I never thought of it like that, you know, but it's true. You just they've got other things as well. I've never, you know, when my nieces were little and I was buying them comics in children's magazines, they were held by different things in it. So, yeah, excellent. So listen, I wouldn't know where to start on this one. How do you select appropriate topics and themes for children's magazines, articles and stories?
Speaker 2:Well, for 110% gaming. It's a case of keeping up with the latest video game releases, seeing what's coming out. That's something you know they would like. There's always four big video games. We cover every issue, so that's Roblox, fortnite, minecraft and Pokemon. So as long as you're adapting content around that, you've got ideas. I think what it can be quite challenging is when there's, you know, a dry spell for video game releases. I found that in the first half of this year there were video game releases, sure, but there were only a select handful that were suitable for our audience. So that's the case of thinking up ideas from content that isn't exactly brand new. Unicorn universe is a little bit different. The readers are mainly girls ages five to nine, so I come up with ideas really based around important life lessons that you get at that stage, stuff like how to be a good friend, the importance of showing kindness, making new friends, and that's all I have is just using your imagination as well.
Speaker 1:That's definitely my imagination, that's for sure, because I'm a long past that age. But trying to get inside the mind of a child as well, and girls and boys, I've got to ask do you get to play video games in its class to work?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm a reviewer, so I love that involved in playing the game and writing about it as well. So, yeah, I can't complain. That's great fun.
Speaker 1:Thanks, what a job. So can you share some strategies for my listeners for capturing and maintaining a child's interest in short form writing, such as articles or snippets.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'd say probably the main strategy would be if you've got a point to make, be quick about it. I think when people have a lot of knowledge or are really enthusiastic about something, they could talk or write about it all day, and I think mature audiences or mature readers I should say have the patience for that. Children not so much and you could be making some really excellent points on your writing, but they're not going to stick around long enough to find that out. So I'd say be brief about it. Use language that's familiar to them. If you struggle to understand something, don't expect your reader to, and I'd say you want the tone to be quite positive, quite upbeat as well. So if you're ticking all those boxes, I'd say hold their interest, no problem.
Speaker 1:Excellent, good answer. I'm liking it. You got me thinking. I want to be writing for children's magazines now, you know, as if I haven't got enough on my plate now I want to do something else. So what role do illustrations and visuals play in children's magazine writing, and how can writers effectively collaborate with artists to enhance their work?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think writing for children's full stop illustrations and images is such a massive part of it. You could have what you think is the best idea in the world, but if you've not got a lot of images to support it, it's either not going to work the way you want it to or it might not work at all. At least that's the case where features is concerned. So the thing to do there would be to source your images first and then build your story around that. As a very visual job, I think we write. Working with an artist is concerned. You want to forward plan as much as possible. You don't want to get to the writing stage unless you had an illustration of a certain character you know doing a certain pose or wearing a certain costume. So having a thing in advance of what you need, I think, will really help you there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're right, you know, letting them, giving them a brief, that will you know. You have to know what today's you want before the early straights will just come up with something that wasn't in your brain, Absolutely In your head, and I like the way you say that you know you would source the images first and then build their story around it. I think that's a really good idea and yeah, again, it's not something I thought of.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's definitely different from writing for adults. It's just, it's a totally different, totally different ballgame. Yeah.
Speaker 1:And the sports. The images have to appeal to them as well. It's getting the images, the right images, for that age group as well.
Speaker 2:Definitely One, something that's colourful, going to stand out, really going to catch the eye, yeah.
Speaker 1:It must be exciting when you see the images and the words in the magazine now coming together and looking good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's really rewarding. You can just imagine how excited a child is going to be when they pick it up and you get it themselves, so it's very rewarding in that regard.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, that's amazing. I don't think specific guidelines are one word count limitations that writers might need to adhere to when submitting to children's magazines.
Speaker 2:That's a tricky one. It was definitely the most challenging part about the job when I first started, especially coming from a background in news reporting where there was always a word count to work towards. I mean to answer your question, it really just depends. We have a reviews feature in 110% game in every issue, so there's a word count there, but for the other features it can totally vary. I mean, sometimes you don't know until you're writing something how many words it's going to be. I think something that can be quite helpful is to find a page layout that you like. We call that REFs, and it really lets you see and imagine where the images and where the text is going to sit alongside each other. No-transcript.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean I'm making assumptions here that you do accept submissions from other people. Is that right or am I just making assumptions? Do you already have staff journalists?
Speaker 2:We have a team, an editorial team, but we also have some freelance writers as well.
Speaker 1:Okay, I've just thought I'd better clarify that before I'm asking you a load of questions about people submitting and they're not allowed to Heavens. So I mean with children. I write children's picture books and I know there always has to be a moral or some sort of educational aspect to it. So how?
Speaker 2:do you?
Speaker 1:approach incorporating educational elements into writing for children's magazines without sacrificing the entertainment value.
Speaker 2:That's a really good question. I think if you want something to be entertaining but fun, it's all got to be relevant and to buy in. So say you're writing, in my case, a feature on Pokemon battle strategies and you want some kind of educational element in there, you could maybe do some sort of puzzle, maybe a word scramble or a word search, based around moves that Pokemon use in battle. It's engaging, it's relevant and ties in quite well with the topic you're writing about and it doesn't feel like it's just been shrewd, horned in for the sake of it. I think when something feels a bit irrelevant and out of place with the rest of the feature is not really going to be very engaging for your readers. So I think, as long as it all ties in quite well, it'll still be fun but also educational at the same time. What a great idea.
Speaker 1:I wouldn't have thought of that at all. I'm telling you, this is impressive. I'm learning so much today. So editing, oh editing, that's the bane of everybody's life, as we currently know. But how do you I mean, can you provide insights into the editing and revision process for children's magazine writing, and what are some of the common mistakes writers should watch out for?
Speaker 2:I mean, I think with any writing job there's an expectation to proofread and fact check your work before submitting it anyway. But once we've done that, the content editor has a look over it and it's then picked up by a designer who creates the page. At that stage we proofread it and look out for things like spelling mistakes, grammar issues, really just anything that doesn't look quite right. There's lots of different eyes that look over it. I'll proofread a feature that my colleague was working on in vice versa, it just ensures that it's up to the standard that it should be by the time it goes to print.
Speaker 2:As for common mistakes, I think there's always going to be silly, wee things that trick people up. I suppose stuff like practice and practice that's one, but really more commonly especially for people who are new to writing for children is really the tone more than anything, that they don't get quite right. The quality of the writing is very good, but it reads more for an adult than it would for a child. The sentences are maybe just a little bit too long. There's really not enough descriptive words in there that catches their imagination. So I think that's the main thing that I'd say is something writers should have a wee think about.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was interviewing someone about writing children's picture books and they were saying the same that it's getting their language right and the tone right for your readers. But again, the tone might have to be different for a boys magazine or a girls magazine, but who the heck knows, because everybody reads everything now. It's a tricky balance really to get it right and admire anybody that can get it right. It's impressive. I'm a cop out because my children's picture books are for anybody, so it's so much easier. Anybody likes reading children's picture books. So what are some effective techniques for crafting relatable characters and dialogue in short stories or articles for children's magazines?
Speaker 2:I wouldn't say it's a technique as such, but what I would say is don't be free to be silly and let your imagination run wild. I think that's one of the best things about writing for children is they're not as critical about some things the way older readers can be. Unicorn Universe is a fantastic example. It's one of the magazines that I write for. There's a whole squad of unicorns with different personalities, special abilities, planets that they live on.
Speaker 2:We've got a fan favourite who's a pub, called Comet. He was drinking toilet water one day and he fell through a magical portal from the human world into the Unicorn Universe. He's just such a funny character and it's just so great to write about him, just because he is a bit ridiculous, just really silly and goofy. So I think, where dialogue is concerned, it's got to be something that sounds like what that character would say. So, using Comet as the example, it wouldn't really make sense for him to say something really serious. So I think, as long as you understand your characters pretty well, your dialogue is something that should come quite naturally to you. Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 1:You've got a character that fell through a portal in a toilet. I mean, seriously, that is genius, that is genius. And kids are obsessed with toilet jokes, aren't they? So, yeah, it's brilliant, I love it. I'm sold on just on that character. That's superb. So you obviously have to keep up to date with current trends and topics that resonate with children when writing for magazines. Are there any research methods you find particularly helpful, including playing games?
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's a few different things. As much as the readers are too young to be on social media, that can be quite helpful too. Just because as much they're too young to be on at the brands that they like, the likes of Pokemon, fall Guys, they're on social media. It can help to give them a follow. It is also useful to come up with story ideas as well. Youtube's a helpful tool, but I think probably most importantly, it's just finding out from children themselves what they like. Every so often we have a reader survey in the magazine that lets us see what they're engaging with pretty well, what they're maybe not enjoying so much, and we can adapt content around that. So I think if anyone has any like nieces or nephews, children of their own, it's well worth asking them what they think. I mean, children can be so brutally honest about what they like and don't like, and since the content is geared towards them anyway, it's worth getting their opinion on it.
Speaker 1:Good point. Yeah, asking children is a good way of getting it, and they'll tell you what content they want. You know, just chat to them generally and they'll go, oh yes, and they could do this and they could do that, and you're like, okay, that'll be the next thing then I don't know. So what advice would you give to aspiring writers who are interested in writing for children's magazines? Are there any specific magazines of publications they would recommend they explore?
Speaker 2:The best piece of advice I got when I started this job and it's something I would tell aspiring writers is to try and imagine that you're writing for your younger self. Like I said, there's plenty of talented writers out there, but writing for children is totally different from writing for adults, and a lot of that comes down to the tone of the writing. I wouldn't say there's a single publication to read per se. Obviously, read the magazine that you want to write for, but it's also worth checking out the opposition as well. I mean there's so many kids' magazines out there I mean the list almost feels endless. So just read as much as you can and you'll really get a good idea for the tone and before you know it, it's something that will just become second nature to you.
Speaker 1:So you get to read comics and play video games. I have got to explore this. I tell you Loving the dream and it sounds like exploration I could get my behind. Not at all. So my final question, rebecca, is if my listeners want to chat to you further, how can they get hold of you?
Speaker 2:Of course you can find me on Twitter at Bex underscore McVee. I'm also on LinkedIn as Rebecca McVee. If you want to get in touch, just pop my message. You know I'll get back to you.
Speaker 1:You are excellent. Thank you very much for joining us, bex. This has been brilliant and I've learned so much.
Speaker 2:Thank you, it's been a pleasure being here and enjoy the rest of your day. Thank you too.