Many children today have not learned to read for pleasure. Eight tips for writing chapter books that will appeal to reluctant readers and hook them on reading for life.

Modern kids don’t read because they have ‘nothing to do.’ There is always something to do for the modern child, and many are reluctant to move away from the noisy interactive world they have grown accustomed to into the quieter more imaginative world of literature.

Childhood Today Differs from Previous Generations

Today TV broadcasts children’s programs and movies 24 hours a day. Many kids have their own computer and access to the Internet. They have a Nintendo Wii or PlayStation for gaming. And the iPod as well as the cell phone in their pocket ensures that they can take their music, video clips, cameras and instant messaging wherever they go.

With all these electronic toys, the child waiting for the bus isn’t forced to read a book anymore. School holidays don’t drag on week after week. ‘I’ve got nothing to do,’ is rarely heard. Writing books that hook children on reading is a real art.

Books For Reluctant Readers Have To Be Carefully Crafted

For a book to lure a reluctant child away from electronic media, it has to be carefully written. The pace has to be fast, the illustrations engaging and possibly in a style reminiscent of what they see on TV and in PC games, and the storylines edgy and relevant to their lives.

Gifted Readers

Of course there are children who are gifted readers, who choose books above any other form of entertainment, and they usually have a reading age far above their biological age.They were usually hooked in young.

Many live in families where electronic media is banned on school days. But worldwide statistics show that the reading age of the average child is dropping.

Writing For Reluctant Readers Can Be Very Rewarding

The libraries are full of books for gifted readers and they are a pleasure to write. But writing books that lure reluctant readers into the world of literature and reading for pleasure involves specialised technique. But the rewards are immense. The first book that is read from cover to cover and enjoyed may well change that child’s life forever, opening up a whole new world for him or her.

Eight Tips to Writing for Reluctant Readers

1. Make your stories fast paced.

2. Cut all unnecessary words from your writing to make it snappier.

3. It’s better to have many short chapters than fewer overly long ones.

4. In transition and chapter books the illustrations can carry some of the detail. By cutting details from the text you speed up the pace.

5. Try and keep your paragraphs short – three to four sentences each.

6. Reluctant readers like to see ‘white space’ on a page. Too much writing can intimidate beginners. So keep sentences short.

7. Cut lengthy descriptions of characters and use dialogue to show characterisation

8. Use humour as a way of creating a bond with your reader

You can read more about the technique of writing for reluctant readers in Writing Simply but Effectively