Craft Articles

Join us in exploring others’ craft and building our own.

Here you will find explorations of mentor texts – articles that dive into specific craft elements in published books, interviews with authors, and tips on growing and improving as a writer.

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In Summary: Backstory
Middle Grade, Picture Books, Young Adult Anne-Marie Strohman Middle Grade, Picture Books, Young Adult Anne-Marie Strohman

In Summary: Backstory

Backstory is a necessary part of telling a story, but how much to include and what to leave out can be complicated. It's rare in books for kids to have many pages of backstory in a row (though Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate does it with style). At KidLit Craft, we've explored backstory in many categories and genres. Here are our favorite posts about backstory.

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Stories are Stories: Learning from Early Reader Cat Can Fix It! by Stefanie Hohl
Middle Grade, Picture Books, Young Adult Anne-Marie Strohman Middle Grade, Picture Books, Young Adult Anne-Marie Strohman

Stories are Stories: Learning from Early Reader Cat Can Fix It! by Stefanie Hohl

Just because you have to use simple words doesn’t mean the story has to lack emotion or depth. It’s challenging, but early readers can still use all the elements of story—character, plot, setting, etc. In fact, looking to early readers as a model, writers in other categories can see how efficient storytelling can be without sacrificing emotional depth.

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Crafting Characters: Getting to Know Your Non-Fiction Characters and By Working Outside In
Middle Grade, Picture Books, Young Adult Anne-Marie Strohman Middle Grade, Picture Books, Young Adult Anne-Marie Strohman

Crafting Characters: Getting to Know Your Non-Fiction Characters and By Working Outside In

It's CRAFTING CHARACTERS post number 5! Today we've got something for everyone--working from the outside in, and special tips for getting to know your non-fiction characters. Whether it's asking "what if"? or interrogating a character's economic circumstances, whether diving into research or interviewing a real live person, in this post you'll find wisdom for taking your characters--both fictional and real--to the next level.

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Crafting Characters: Getting to Know Your Character Through Writing Your Story
Middle Grade, Picture Books, Young Adult Anne-Marie Strohman Middle Grade, Picture Books, Young Adult Anne-Marie Strohman

Crafting Characters: Getting to Know Your Character Through Writing Your Story

It's our fourth installment of our CRAFTING CHARACTERS series, and today, we check in with writers who work their characters out on the page as they draft. Some of these authors do use some freewriting techniques, but usually after they've seen their character in action on the page, or during the revision process. Read on for some excellent insights!

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Crafting Characters: Getting to Know Your Character By Thinking and Listening
Middle Grade, Picture Books, Young Adult Anne-Marie Strohman Middle Grade, Picture Books, Young Adult Anne-Marie Strohman

Crafting Characters: Getting to Know Your Character By Thinking and Listening

Welcome to our second post in our Crafting Characters series. For some people, working out character before putting pen to paper is the best way forward. Others have characters show up nearly fully formed, or at least with enough substance to have something to say. Those people often make efforts to listen to their characters--whether through freewriting, through scenes, or through meditative daydreaming. These authors and our contributors share their favorite ways to develop their characters. Read on for some mindful strategies for uncovering character and letting the characters speak.

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KidLit Craft's Comprehensive Guide to Character
Middle Grade, Picture Books, Young Adult Anne-Marie Strohman Middle Grade, Picture Books, Young Adult Anne-Marie Strohman

KidLit Craft's Comprehensive Guide to Character

Looking at voice, interiority, internal arc, character relationships, and more, our writers have analyzed mentor texts in all categories to discover strategies for creating characters that leap off the page and into readers' hearts. This list is one you can return to over and over to find just the post you need in the moment.

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KidLit Craft Goes to the Movies: The Emotional Antagonist in Eddie the Eagle
Middle Grade, Picture Books, Young Adult Anne-Marie Strohman Middle Grade, Picture Books, Young Adult Anne-Marie Strohman

KidLit Craft Goes to the Movies: The Emotional Antagonist in Eddie the Eagle

Some great stories make use of what Melanie Jacobson calls the emotional antagonist. The emotional antagonist is on the protagonist’s side, but the protagonist doesn’t have their approval or support.Jacobson believes emotional antagonist can be a powerful addition to a book because it gives a story an extra satisfying ending–a resolution with the emotional antagonist. We can see the emotional antagonist in action in Eddie the Eagle (2015).

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