Dr Seuss was a creative genius. What can we learn from him about the craft of writing books for children?

Millions of people grew up loving Dr Seuss, the master of the verse genre. His books look so easy. The story lines flow, the rhymes come naturally.

But just because his verse looks simple when you read it, it doesn’t follow that it is easy for beginners to write it well.

Getting your verse up to a publishable level takes hard work and commitment to perfecting the craft.

How to Write Good Verse

To write verse well you need more than a sense of rhythm and a rhyming dictionary. You also need the training to know:

When to break the rhythm, when to introduce elements of surprise, and how to maintain the story line within the tight constraints of the rhythm and rhyme structures.

Too often writers bend and twist the story line because they need to find a word that rhymes. The result is always weak writing.

Training in Writing Verse is Essential

If you are determined to succeed in this genre, make sure you get thorough training in the art of verse writing, either in your community, or online from a reputable writing college.

2. The Story Takes Precedence over the Moral or the Lesson.

Many new writers think that every story has to teach a moral or educate children. They first decide what they would like to teach their reader, then they think up a story to make their point. They are working back to front.

When writers devise characters and plots just in order to make a point, their books are almost always tedious and formulaic, and lack a creative edge.

Children are discerning, and they quickly reject stories that do not engage them. If they don’t identify with the characters and their actions, they may read the book but will not remember or be influenced by it.

Writing Books that Influence Children Positively

In fiction the story line is always more important than the lesson you are trying to teach the reader.

If you feel strongly enough about an issue it will come through in your writing anyway, in a subtle non-intrusive way, which the child will absorb along with the story.

Dr Seuss did this perfectly in ‘The Lorax’.

Although he was making a point about the importance of preserving the environment, his storyline was so creative and entertaining that the book can be read over and over again without losing its freshness.

3. The Illustrations Really Count

Dr Seuss’s whacky, totally original drawings are part of his genius. Unless you are a trained illustrator, or have an extremely strong visual concept in mind, don’t worry about providing your own illustrations. The publishers will look through their files and find an illustrator who they think will complement your story.

You can read more about writing technique in Writing Simply but Effectively.