Become a Children’s Writer: Insider Secrets by Jill McDougall

Review by Susan Stephenson

When writing obsessed me, in 2004, I grew into a writing book junkie. I spent more time reading about writing than actually practising it. Nowadays, it takes something special to tempt me into purchasing another writing resource.

Become a Children’s Writer: Insider Secrets, an e-book by Jill McDougall, IS special. For a start, Jill packed it with down-to-earth, accessible information, and she’s written the book in an engaging and humorous style. When I wasn’t scribbling down notes and ideas from Jill’s prompts, I was giggling over the way she illustrated points.

Don’t get the idea that it’s lightweight. It’s chockfull of practical material, from writing tips, to markets, to an analysis of common mistakes and how to fix them. Jill doesn’t talk down to her readers. Rather, she treats them as colleagues with whom she’s sharing hard-learnt lessons. With over 100 books accepted for publication, Jill speaks with authority. In fact, she confides that she’s made most of the mistakes she tells us how to fix!

I’m not a beginner as a writer. However, only one of my published credits is in this genre. I know now I needed to listen to a multi-published writer able to give me some inside knowledge. I believe the timesaving strategies and tricks in Become a Children’s Writer will help my writing sparkle.

As a tutor in a children’s writing course, Jill has seen thousands of stories by developing writers. When she revealed her list of the ten most common mistakes developing writers make, I cringed to realise I’d made many of them. Lucky for me, she included fixes in her e-book. I’m motivated to take to some of my stories with a scalpel, and I know they’ll be the better for it. Thanks, Jill.

Still wondering if this book is for you? Look at Jill’s site: http://www.jillmcdougall.com.au/ You’ll find free articles for writers, which give an idea of her engaging writing style. You can also read reviews and download a free preview of the book.

To help the Museitup Club, purchase it from http://museitupclub.tripod.com/ (Scroll down for the book cover.)

I’m so glad I bought Become a Children’s Writer: Insider Secrets. Apart from sending me into a constant ripple of laughter, Jill McDougall’s book has more than fulfilled its promise. I can’t wait to put all those secrets into practice!

   *HIGHLY RECOMMENDED