Ready to outline a children’s book? It might not be as simple as you think. If you want to learn how to publish a children’s book or how to make money from children’s books, you must understand the process.
Some folks have made the mistake of making a children’s book author mad by stating that they would love to how to write a children’s book someday, since it’s not nearly as hard as writing a real book.
There’s this idea that since children’s books are, in some ways, simpler than adult fiction, they must be easy to write. This hints that the people who write them must not be particularly talented writers. The good news is, this isn’t true! Learning how to outline a children’s book is not for the faint of heart, but it can be done.
Learning to write children’s books is a process unto itself, and it’s a skill that needs developed just like any other kind of writing. And just like any other kind of writing, it comes with a unique set of challenges. Use this guide to help you through the process!
Outline a children’s book: what’s covered
- What is the typical format of a children’s book?
- How do you structure a children’s book?
- How to create an outline for a children’s book?
What is the typical format of a children’s book?
The thing is, children’s books are still books—in other words, they’re still stories—so you outline a children’s book in a similar way to a novel.
This means that writers sitting down to outline their children’s books should ultimately outline a story in the same way that someone brainstorming how to write a novel would.
Here’s where things differ: in children’s books, the story is much shorter, much more streamlined, and generally contains some kind of message or literary devices (such as allegory). The allegory isn’t a requirement for children’s literature, but it’s pretty common.
What does this mean? Instead of mapping out countless subplots and fleshing out endless backstory, you’re going to want to keep things short, tight, and super focused on the core components of a story.
If you dream of learning how to write a children’s book series, it’s even more important to dial in this process so you can outline all of them at once, before starting to write.
How do you structure a children’s book?
When you outline a children’s book you use a similar story structure to the 3 Act Story Structure, which is the basic structure of an outline.
The basic structure of a children’s book shouldn’t differentiate too much from an adult fiction book. Stories are stories, and all of our stories have a core structure. However, you’ll want to really zero in on these core components when learning how to outline a children’s book.
Because a children’s books’ word count is so short, everything needs to be clear, concise, and intentional. There’s not as much room for meandering between acts as there might be in adult fiction, where readers are willing to sit down for three hundred pages and hear you out. Let’s go over the basic structure of a children’s book. These pieces will be the bones of your outline.
Side note: if you’re writing middle grade fiction, you’ve got a little more room to work with things like romantic subplots and side characters. Your outline might not need to look quite as bare-bones as this, and may look a little more like a young adult outline.
When thinking about how to outline a children’s book, remember, your children’s book will have four basic components:
- Beginning
- Middle
- Climax
- Ending
Let’s get started on how to outline a children’s book by a brief discussion of structure.
Beginning of story
The beginning of your story should introduce the children’s book characters, themes, setting of a story, and conflict. We should have a clear sense of the world where the characters live, the rules for the universe, and who our protagonist is.
When you start to outline a children’s book, remember to start the action sooner rather than later. Many children’s books begin the action as soon as you open the story (typically on page one or page two).
There may be some characters our main cast encounters on their journey, and it’s fine to introduce those in the middle, where the bulk of the story takes place. But all of our main characters should be introduced in the beginning. This introduction should be clear in a children’s book.
It should be obvious where the story is taking place and what that setting looks like, and it should be stated very clearly who we’ll be following throughout the narrative.
It should also be very clear what sorts of conflict the characters will need to grapple with—is it an internal conflict, like the need to acquire more cookies, or is it an external conflict, like the need to take down a bad guy threatening the village? Character development plays a large role in children’s books.
Middle of story
This is, for all intents and purposes, your second act. Most of the story will be in the middle. The characters should grapple with the conflict introduced in the first part of the story, and they should work to overcome different challenges in order to meet their goal. If you’re writing allegory, ask yourself what sorts of challenges represent their real-world equivalents.
For example: in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, an enormous toxic self-help ox represents the sort of selfish and aggressive self-help advice that can ruin people’s friendships.
A character following that advice has to grapple with having become too aggressive. The obstacles in the middle of the story should tie to your theme, and they should work toward solving the central conflict.
Don’t be afraid to introduce fun new characters for your main cast to interact with, or new settings for your characters to travel through! Just keep it all as simple and easy to follow as possible so it’s not confusing. It should always be crystal-clear why characters are doing what they’re doing.
Story climax
Just like in adult fiction, this is your big hurrah. This is where your characters overcome that central conflict you’ve been building up to the entire time—the monster is defeated, the mouse finds his way home at long last, et cetera.
Pay special attention to the climax section of your story as you begin to outline a children’s book. The climax should be a very clear resolution of the conflict introduced in the first part of the story. If you set up an evil groundskeeper, the conflict should involve our characters handling him, and the way they handle him should speak to the message and themes of the book.
Do your characters throw him into a pit? Do they realize he’s just misunderstood and befriend him? The way your characters handle the climax should be a culmination of their character arc.
For example, a shy character might finally work up the nerve to stand up to her bully, or an aggressive character might learn to be soft and kind to her friends.
Not to sound like a broken record, but again, this should be a very clear culmination from the character we met back in the beginning. Learning how to outline a children’s book means creating a fantastic climax.
Ending and wrap up
The ending of your children’s book is going to be the most important part in terms of theme. The ending should immediately follow the climax—the princess marries the prince, and they live happily ever after!
The way the book ends tells us the overall message and ties up the theme. If the characters defeated the groundskeeper with violence and they’re all celebrating, we’ve learned that violence was an acceptable and understandable way to handle this conflict.
If the characters gather around and vow to stay best friends forever despite the events of the story, we learn that friendship can endure even the toughest hardships.
A note on morals: while adult fiction tends to question our morality and offer tons of grey space for our principles, children’s fiction tends to be more black and white.
This isn’t to say that children’s literature can’t grapple with intense topics like grief or social injustice issues, and it isn’t to say that children’s literature can’t grapple with those issues with nuance and understanding.
What I mean here is that children need a simple, clear message that ends the story on a satisfying note. This means that whatever your message is, it shouldn’t be difficult to pick apart.
How to create an outline for a children’s book?
Now we know what the basic structure for a children’s book looks like, it’s time to discuss how to outline a children’s book! Here are a few tips and tricks to use when learning how to write a story outline.
1. Identify your theme
Before you get started on how to plot a children’s book, identify your theme, especially if you’re setting out to write an allegory.
What problem are the characters going to solve? What does that problem represent? Does it have an analogy to real-world conflict? If it does, what is that real-world conflict?
For example: a cruel and vicious groundskeeper might represent a mean parent or an unjust government leader.
These analogies should be kept in terms that children understand and relate to, so it’s best to stick with issues children face. Parental struggles, friendship problems, school problems, etc. These are straightforward themes to use as you outline a children’s book.
Children also deal with things like grief and trauma. If you’re writing about something like that, just make sure you’re keeping the child’s perspective in mind as you outline a children’s book.
2. Know your characters
In a children’s book, it’s especially important to have recognizable, memorable characters. Make sure you have only as many characters as you need to tell the story. A story with too many characters can get confusing.
It’s also important to make sure these characters are distinct and motivated. If your book is illustrated, making the illustrations visually distinct will be a huge help. Learn how to find an illustrator here.
Otherwise, make sure the character names don’t look the same (Sarah and Sandra might be a little confusing). Make sure each character has their own strong characterization and motivation as well. It can also help to give characters a unique trait or quirk, like a hairstyle, special power, or catchphrase.
These can get gimmicky, so don’t rely on them for characterization, but if your genre calls for it, play around with it! The ponies in My Little Pony, for example, all have distinct colors, styles, and special powers.
3. Find your conflict
Once you’ve got your theme and your characters, you’re ready to identify your conflict. Conflict plays a big role in how to outline a children’s book. The conflict should arise naturally from the distinct characters you created and the setting you put them in.
If the characters and setting all totally gel with each other and there’s no tension or potential for tension between them, you might want to rework it.
If your story is going to involve some external conflict, like an alien invasion, you should still have some internal conflict for your character to work through. Maybe your character needs to learn to be brave, for example. Identify these and keep them in mind for your climax.
4. Map out your plot points
Now that you’ve got all that, it’s time to hit up the basic structure we talked about earlier. Go through and map out your beginning, middle, climax, and end. If you’ve only got one of those pieces in mind right now, that’s fine! Write it down and fill in the rest as it comes to you.
If you’re working with an illustrator, it might be helpful to use a storyboard format to outline. Even just sketching some stick figures or describing what you want to go on in the scene can be helpful. For inspiration, try looking at movie directors’ and comic book writers’ storyboards.
5. Plan for variety
Finally, you should plan a few different endings for your story. Children’s books are short, and you might need to play around with different versions of the story. Part of how to outline a children’s book includes planning for variety. Maybe in one version the climax goes differently or the ending has a more serious or less serious note.
You don’t have to go crazy as you outline a children’s book with various options, but having these alternate versions readily available will help when it comes to getting feedback.
This way, you can ask your readers which versions they prefer and why, and if you need to head back to the drawing board, you won’t be left with absolutely nothing.
How to format a children’s book template?
Once you learn how to outline a children’s book and complete your draft, it’s time to format your book for publication. As you move from how to outline a children’s book to how to publish a children’s book, keep the following list in mind.
Details to consider:
- Page number
- Page size
- Margin
- Placement of illustrations
You can always hire a formatter to help you. You’re the creative, so focus on how to outline a children’s book and write it, and then work with a team to help you format.
Outline a children’s book: your next step
Now that you know how to outline a children’s book it’s time to take your next step. You identified your theme, know your characters, found the conflict, established your plot points, and planned for variety. You now have what it takes to outline a children’s book!
But now it’s time to outline a children’s book yourself. If this sounds like something you’d enjoy trying, register below for our free online class on writing children’s books where we’ll cover all of this and more!
Outlining a Children’s Book FAQ
How do you structure a children’s book?
A children’s book typically follows a simple structure: beginning, middle, climax, and ending. The beginning introduces the characters, setting, and conflict. The middle develops the story and the conflict, the climax is the peak where the conflict is addressed, and the ending resolves the story, often with a clear moral or lesson.
How do I create an outline for a children’s book?
Creating an outline for a children’s book involves identifying your theme, knowing your characters, finding the conflict, mapping out your plot points, and planning for variety. This structured approach ensures a coherent and engaging story for young readers.
What is the typical format of a children’s book?
Children’s books often follow a specific format, typically 32 pages long, with concise text and engaging illustrations. Each page or spread usually advances the story, keeping it simple and easy for children to follow.
How do you write a story outline for kids?
To write a story outline for kids, start with a clear theme or message. Outline the beginning, middle, climax, and ending, focusing on simple, engaging plot points. Include memorable characters and ensure the story flows logically and clearly from one point to the next.
What is the formula for writing a children’s book?
The formula for writing a children’s book includes having a relatable theme, memorable characters, a clear conflict, and a satisfying resolution. The story should be simple yet engaging, with age-appropriate language and concepts.
How do I plan a children’s book?
Planning a children’s book involves brainstorming ideas, outlining the story structure, creating detailed character profiles, and deciding on the conflict and resolution. Consider the age group you’re writing for and ensure the content is appropriate and engaging for them.
