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You have a day job and it’s bringing in the money, but you have this nagging thought that if you just knew the right steps to take, you could be a successful children’s author.  There’s always the go-back-to-college-and-get-a-degree plan.  This really only gives you a title, although of course you get experience honing your writing skills and working with already accomplished writers.  Then there’s also the matter of taking courses you don’t really want and/or need in order to get your degree.

The best way for already working people to start a foray into another possible job is to concentrate specifically on what they want to accomplish.  If you want to write for children, there is a great program designed specifically for that.  It is The Institute of Children’s Literature (ICL). 

About the Institute

ICL is based in Redding, CT.  It is BBB-accredited and approved by the Connecticut Commissioner of Higher Education.  ICL offers a writing course designed specifically for those who wish to write for children.  You can even receive college credits for the course!  The staff consists of a score or so of accomplished and published writers.

How the Course Works

The course is designed wonderfully.  There is a short “aptitude test” to take in order to be accepted.  The test has a variety of exercises of varying but reasonable length.  Once accepted, students receive their course packet and required reading material in the mail.  Each student is paired with an instructor, so you are working on a close one-on-one basis.  You can communicate with your instructor, and send/receive assignments, via snail mail or e-mail.

The course runs much like a long-distance college course.  There are a set number of lessons that each student progresses through.  The timeline for completion can be very flexible if that’s what the student needs.  Your instructor will look over and critique your work exactly as a college professor would: they check grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, style−everything that goes into good writing and good stories.  The student is sent the critiqued assignment and rewrites if necessary, then does the reading assigned by the instructor.

Readings and Helpful Tips Online

Some readings can be found on the Institute’s online site, which offers not only course readings, but also other resources, including:

•  “Rx for writers” with advice on how to tackle specific problems you might have in your writing,
• Chat room
• Forum
• Links to other writing sites 
• On-site bookstore.

Your instructor will help you realize your goals, and lets you focus on the age range you want to write for:  

• very young readers
• intermediate readers
• teenage readers

Maybe even all three!  The great thing about this course is not only the detailed suggestions and instructions from your instructor, but also that ICL helps you to get published.  One of the course books lists a plethora of children’s magazines; the age ranges they cater to and the type of articles they prefer.  Not only that, your instructor will suggest different articles you might be interested in writing.  He or she will help steer you towards the path you want to the take, and even help you refine a story and/or article for publication. 

For those wondering about costs, the rate is very reasonable, and a variety of payment plans are available, including small monthly installments.  The cost is more than compensated by the thoughtful instruction provided.  If you’re interested in becoming a student, visit the Institute of Children’sLiterature website, and take a look at their list of accomplished instructors and successful students.