Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hi and welcome to the
Writing and Marketing Show
brought to you by author Wendy HJones.
This show does exactly what itsays on the tin.
It's jam-packed with interviews, advice, hints, tips and news
to help you with the business ofwriting.
It's all wrapped up in onelively podcast.
So it's time to get on with theshow.
(00:23):
And welcome to episode 183 ofthe Writing and Marketing Show
with author-entrepreneur Wendy HJones.
As always, it is a pleasure tohave you with me.
Not a lot of news in thisepisode because I am recording
back-to-back shows because I amgoing to the States in a couple
of weeks time and I want to havethem set up before I go to the
(00:46):
States, just in case I'm busywith my book signings and things
out there and I'm very muchlooking forward to going out
there.
Personal news from the last onethere isn't much because I've
not done much.
I've been doing a bit ofediting in between recordings
and I'm very much enjoying that.
So what's happening in theworld?
(01:08):
Well, at the moment the bigthing, the big news in the world
, is the actors and writerstrike in Hollywood because of
AI.
So I've been keeping a closeeye on the AI discussion because
I want to know what's going onand it's something that, again,
I may bring to you in the future.
But I gave you a balanced viewa few weeks ago and if you're
(01:32):
interested in that, you can havea listen to that show and you
will find out where I stand onthe AI debate.
I'm just basically keeping aneye on things and not using it
to any extent.
I'm writing my own books, whichis important, just so that you
(01:53):
know.
So what about Rebecca?
Well, I was absolutelydelighted to have Rebecca on the
show with me because she isworking for DC Thompson's, which
is our local newspaper here inDundee, although she does live
(02:13):
and work across in air.
So Rebecca graduated from theUniversity of Stirling in 2018
with an honours degree injournalism studies and has
worked as a journalist eversince.
She's worked for various titles, including the Press and
Journal and the Daily Record.
Since August 2021, she's beenworking as a content producer
for Children's Magazine at DCThompson.
(02:35):
Her writing has been featuredin 110% Gaming, unicorn Universe
, animals in you and Shoutmagazine.
She lives with her family inEast Ayrshire, loves travelling,
meeting new people and hearingtheir stories a woman after my
own heart.
So, without further ado, let'sget on with the show and hear
from Rebecca, and we haveRebecca with us.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Welcome, rebecca how
are you?
I'm good.
Thank you very much for havingme today.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Oh it's absolutely my
pleasure.
Thank you for joining us, and Ireally wanted you on this show
because I know that you knowwhat you're talking about when
it comes to writing forChildren's magazines, so it's
absolutely delightful to haveyou here.
So where are you in the world?
Speaker 2 (03:18):
I'm sunny Ayrshire,
sunny, sunny Ayrshire.
Well, sunny's my day bit of astretch.
It's not raining at least, sothat's something.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Not raining, I'd
listen.
It always rains on the westcoast.
When you're coming up fromEngland and you get to Glasgow,
you always go oh it's Glasgowbecause it starts raining.
You could have driven up in 300degrees heat.
Yeah, it's a telltale sign.
Anyway, it's really good tohave you here.
So we're going to be chattingtoday about writing for
Children's magazines, which isnot something I've covered on
(03:48):
this show.
So I'm excited about this and,as I say, I know you were an
expert, so let's get on with theshow.
So my first question really iswhat unique consideration should
writers keep in mind whencrafting stories for Children's
magazines, compared to otherChildren's literature formats?
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Well, I think what
makes writing for Children's
magazines different from otherforms of literature is that they
don't just want a magazinebecause they want to read
something.
I can imagine when they're in abookshop they're drawn to a
certain book because they likethe illustrations or they like
the sounds of a story.
But with kids magazines it's alittle bit more interactive.
There's quizzes, puzzles, lotsof different things for them to
do.
So that's something to keep inmind when you're writing a story
(04:30):
.
Think what else you can add toit.
It doesn't have to be a puzzle.
It could be maybe a colouringin a design or a drawing
challenge.
The way you've got to see it,especially through the titles
that I write before, is thatkids aren't going to be playing
every single game that's coveredin 110% gaming For Unicorn
Universe.
There's going to be somecharacters that like more than
others, so it's just a wee extrathing that holds their
(04:53):
attention on the page just thatlittle bit longer.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
That's a great answer
.
I have to say, I never thoughtof it like that, you know, but
it's true.
You just they've got otherthings as well.
I've never, you know, when mynieces were little and I was
buying them comics in Children'smagazines, they were held by
different things in it.
So, yeah, excellent.
So listen, I wouldn't knowwhere to start on this one.
(05:17):
How do you select appropriatetopics and themes for Children's
magazines, articles and stories?
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Well, for 110% gaming
.
It's a case of keeping up withthe latest video game releases,
seeing what's coming out.
That's something you know theywould like.
There's always four big videogames.
We cover every issue, so that'sRoblox, fortnite, minecraft and
Pokemon.
So as long as you're adaptingcontent around that, you've got
(05:45):
ideas.
I think what it can be quitechallenging is when there's, you
know, a dry spell for videogame releases.
I found that in the first halfof this year there were video
game releases, sure, but therewere only a select handful that
were suitable for our audience.
So that's a case of thinking upideas from content that isn't
exactly brand new.
Unicorn Universe is a littlebit different.
(06:06):
The readers are mainly girlsages five to nine, so I come up
with ideas really based aroundimportant life lessons that you
get at that age, stuff like howto be a good friend, the
importance of showing kindness,making new friends.
A lot of it's just using yourimagination as well.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
That's definitely in
my imagination, that's for sure,
because I'm a long past thatage.
But trying to get inside themind of a child as well, and
girls and boys, I've got to askdo you get to play video games
in its class to work?
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Yeah, I'm a reviewer,
so I love that involved in
playing the game and writingabout it as well.
So, yeah, I can't complain.
That's great fun.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
What a job.
So can you share somestrategies for my listeners for
capturing and maintaining achild's interest in short form
writing, such as articles orsnippets.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Yeah, I'd say
probably the main strategy would
be if you've got a point tomake, be quick about it.
I think when people have a lotof knowledge or are really
enthusiastic about something,they could talk or write about
it all day, and I think matureaudiences or mature readers I
should say have the patience forthat.
Children not so much and youcould be making some really
(07:24):
excellent points on your item,but they're not going to stick
around long enough to find thatout.
So I'd say be brief about it.
Use language that's familiar tothem.
If you struggle to understandsomething, don't expect your
reader to, and I'd say you wantthe tone to be quite positive,
quite upbeat as well.
So if you're ticking all thoseboxes, I'd say hold their
interest, no problem.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Excellent, good
answer.
I'm liking it.
You got me thinking.
I want to be writing forChildren's magazine now, you
know, as if I haven't got enoughon my plate, I want to do
something else.
So what role do illustrationsand visuals play in Children's
magazine writing, and how canwriters effectively collaborate
with artists to enhance theirwork?
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Yeah, I think writing
for Children's Full Stop
illustrations and images is sucha massive part of it.
You could have what you thinkis the best idea in the world,
but if you've not got a lot ofimages to support it, it's
either not going to work the wayyou want it to or it might not
work at all.
At least that's the case wherefeatures is concerned.
So the thing to do there wouldbe to source your images first
and then build your story aroundthat.
(08:24):
As a very visual job, I thinkwe write.
Working with an artist isconcerned.
You want to forward plan asmuch as possible.
You don't want to get to thewriting stage unless you had an
illustration of a certaincharacter you know doing a
certain pose or wearing acertain costume.
So having a thing in advance ofwhat you need, I think, will
really help you there.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Yeah, you're right,
you know giving them a brief,
that will you know.
You have to know what today'syou want before the early
straights will just come up withsomething that wasn't in your
brain, Absolutely In your head,and I like the way you say that
you know you would source theimages first and then build
their story around it.
I think that's a really goodidea and, yeah, again, it's not
(09:05):
something I've thought of.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Yeah, it's definitely
different from writing for
adults.
It's just, it's a totallydifferent, totally different
ballgame.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
And the sports.
The images have to appeal tothem as well.
It's getting the images, theright images, for that age group
as well.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Definitely one,
something that's colorful, going
to stand out, really going tocatch the eye, yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
It must be exciting
when you see the images and the
words in the magazine now comingtogether and looking good.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Yeah, it's really
rewarding.
You can just imagine howexcited a child is going to be
when they pick it up and you doit themselves, so it's very
rewarding in that regard.
Yeah, yeah, it's amazing.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
I don't know any
specific guidelines or one word
count limitations that writersmight need to adhere to when
submitting to children'smagazines.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
That's a tricky one.
It was definitely the mostchallenging part about the job
when I first started, especiallycoming from a background in
news reporting where there wasalways a word count to work
towards.
I mean to answer your question,it really just depends.
We have a reviews feature and110% game in every issue, so
there's a word count there, butfor the other features it can
totally vary.
(10:09):
I mean, sometimes you don'tknow until you're writing
something how many words it'sgoing to be.
I think something that can bequite helpful is to find a page
layout that you like.
We call that refs, and itreally lets you see and imagine
where the images and where thetext is going to sit alongside
each other.
That can give you an idea of aword count, and it'll also make
life for the designer a littlebit easier too.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
Yeah, I mean I'm
making assumptions here that you
do accept submissions fromother people.
Is that right or am I justmaking assumptions?
Do you already have staffjournalists?
Speaker 2 (10:43):
We have a team, an
editorial team, but we also have
some freelance writers as well.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
Okay, I've just
thought I'd better clarify that
before I'm asking you a load ofquestions about people
submitting and they're notallowed to Heavens.
So I mean with children.
I write children's picturebooks and I know there always
has to be a moral or some sortof educational aspect to it.
So how do you approachincorporating educational
(11:09):
elements into writing forchildren's magazines without
sacrificing the entertainmentvalue?
Speaker 2 (11:17):
That's a really good
question.
I think if you want somethingto be entertaining but fun, it's
all got to be relevant and tobuy in.
So say you're writing, in mycase, a feature on Pokemon
battle strategies and you wantsome kind of educational element
in there, you could maybe dosome sort of puzzle, maybe a
word scramble or a word search,based around moves that Pokemon
(11:39):
use in battle.
It's engaging, it's relevantand ties in quite well with the
topic you're writing about andit doesn't feel like it's just
been shrewd, horned in for thesake of it.
I think when something feels abit irrelevant and out of place
with the rest of the feature isnot really going to be very
engaging for your readers.
So I think, as long as it allties in quite well, it'll still
be fun but also educational atthe same time.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
What a great idea.
I wouldn't have thought of thatat all.
I'm telling you, this isimpressive.
I'm learning so much today.
So editing, oh editing, that'sthe bane of everybody's life, as
we currently know.
But how do you I mean, can youprovide insights into the
editing and revision process forchildren's magazine writing,
(12:23):
and what are some of the commonmistakes writers should watch
out for?
Speaker 2 (12:28):
I mean, I think with
any writing job there's an
expectation to proofread andfact check your work before
submitting it anyway.
But once we've done that, thecontent editor has a look over
it and it's then picked up by adesigner who creates the page.
At that stage we proofread itand look out for things like
spelling mistakes, grammarissues, really just anything
that doesn't look quite right.
There's lots of different eyesthat look over it.
I'll proofread a feature thatmy colleague was working on in
(12:51):
vice versa, it just ensures thatit's up to the standard that it
should be by the time it goesto print.
As for common mistakes, I thinkthere's always going to be silly
, wee things that trick peopleup.
I suppose stuff like practiceand practice that's one, but
really more commonly especiallyfor people who are new to
writing for children is reallythe tone more than anything,
that they don't get quite right.
(13:12):
The quality of the writing isvery good, but it reads more for
an adult than it would for achild.
The sentences are maybe just alittle bit too long.
There's really not enoughdescriptive words in there that
catches their imagination.
So I think that's the mainthing that I'd say is something
writers should have a wee thinkabout.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Yeah, I was
interviewing someone about
writing children's picture booksand they were saying the same
that it's getting their languageright and the tone right for
your readers.
But again, the tone might haveto be different for a boys
magazine or a girls magazine,but who the heck knows, because
everybody reads everything now.
It's a tricky balance really toget it right and admire anybody
(13:55):
that can get it right.
It's impressive.
I'm a cop out because mychildren's picture books are for
anybody, so it's so much easier.
Anybody likes readingchildren's picture books.
So what are some effectivetechniques for crafting
relatable characters anddialogue in short stories or
(14:16):
articles for children'smagazines?
Speaker 2 (14:19):
I wouldn't say it's a
technique as such, but what I
would say is don't be free to besilly and let your imagination
run wild.
I think that's one of the bestthings about writing for
children is they're not ascritical about some things the
way older readers can be.
Unicorn Universe is a fantasticexample.
It's one of the magazines thatI write for.
There's a whole squad ofunicorns with different
personalities, special abilities, planets that they live on.
(14:42):
We've got a fan favourite who'sa pub called Comet.
He was drinking toilet waterone day and he fell through a
magical portal from the humanworld into the Unicorn Universe.
He's just such a funnycharacter and it's just so great
to write about him just becausehe is a bit ridiculous, just
really silly and goofy.
So I think, where dialogue isconcerned, it's got to be
something that sounds like whatthat character would say.
(15:02):
So, using Comet as the example,it wouldn't really make sense
for him to say something reallyserious.
So I think, as long as youunderstand your characters
pretty well, your dialogue issomething that should come quite
naturally to you.
Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
You've got a
character that fell through a
portal in a toilet.
I mean, seriously, that isgenius, that is genius.
And kids are obsessed withtoilet jokes, aren't they?
So yeah, it's brilliant, I loveit.
I'm sold off just on thatcharacter.
That's superb.
So you obviously have to keepup to date with current trends
(15:41):
and topics that resonate withchildren when writing for
magazines.
Are there any research methodsyou find particularly helpful,
including playing games?
Speaker 2 (15:51):
Yeah, there's a few
different things.
As much as the readers are tooyoung to be on social media,
that can be quite helpful too.
Just because as much they'retoo young to be on it, the
brands that they like the likesof Pokemon, fall Guys they're on
social media.
It can help to give them afollow.
It is also useful to come upwith story ideas as well.
Youtube's a helpful tool, but Ithink probably most importantly
(16:14):
, it's just finding out fromchildren themselves what they
like.
Every so often we have a readersurvey in the magazine that
lets us see what they'reengaging with pretty well, what
they're maybe not enjoying somuch, and we can adapt content
around that.
So I think if anyone has anylike nieces or nephews, children
of their own, it's well worthasking them what they think.
I mean, children can be sobrutally honest about what they
(16:36):
like and don't like, and sincethe content's geared towards
them anyway, it's worth gettingtheir opinion on it.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Good point.
Yeah, asking children is a goodway of getting it, and they'll
tell you what content they want.
You know, just chat to themgenerally and they'll go, oh yes
, and they could do this andthey could do that, and you're
like, okay, that'll be the nextthing then.
So what advice would you giveto aspiring writers who are
interested in writing forchildren's magazines?
(17:04):
Are there any specificmagazines or publications they
would recommend they explore?
Speaker 2 (17:10):
The best piece of
advice I got when I started this
job and it's something I wouldtell aspiring writers is to try
and imagine that you're writingfor your younger self.
Like I said, there's plenty oftalented writers out there, but
writing for children is totallydifferent from writing for
adults and a lot of that comesdown to the tone of the writing.
So I wouldn't say there's asingle publication to read per
(17:31):
se.
Obviously, read the magazinethat you want to write for, but
it's also worth checking out theopposition as well.
I mean there's so many kidsmagazines out there I mean the
list almost feels endless.
So just read as much as you canand you'll really get a good
idea for the tone and before younotice something that will just
become second nature to you.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
So you get to read
comics and play video games.
I have got to explore this.
I tell you Love the dream.
That sounds like exploration.
I could get my behind.
Not at all.
So my final question, rebecca,is if my listeners want to chat
to you further, how can they gethold of you?
Speaker 2 (18:09):
Of course you can
find me on Twitter at Bex
underscore McVie.
I'm also on LinkedIn as RebeccaMcVie.
If you want to get in touch,just pop my message.
You know I'll get back to you.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
You are excellent.
Thank you very much for joiningus, bex.
This has been brilliant andI've learned so much.
Thank you, it's been a pleasurebeing here and enjoy the rest
of your day.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
Thank you too.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
And we have Rebecca
with us.
Welcome.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
Rebecca, how are you?
I'm good.
Thank you very much for havingme today, oh it's absolutely my
pleasure.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
Thank you for joining
us, and I really wanted you on
this show because I know thatyou know what you're talking
about when it comes to writingfor children's magazines, so
it's absolutely delightful tohave you here.
So where are you in the world?
Speaker 2 (18:56):
I'm sunny, ester sure
.
Sunny, sunny, ester sure.
Well, sunny is maybe a bit of astretch.
It's not raining at least.
So that's something Not raining.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
And listen.
It always rains on the WestCoast.
When you're coming up fromEngland and you get to Glasgow,
you always go oh it's Glasgow,because it starts raining.
You could have driven up in 300degrees heat.
Yeah, it's a telltale sign.
Anyway, it's really good tohave you here.
So we're going to be chattingtoday about writing for
children's magazines, which isnot something I've covered on
(19:26):
this show.
So I'm excited about this and,as I say, I know you were an
expert, so let's get on with theshow.
So my first question really iswhat unique consideration should
writers keep in mind whencrafting stories for children's
magazines, compared to otherchildren's literature formats?
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Well, I think what
makes writing for children's
magazines different from otherforms of literature is that they
don't just want a magazinebecause they want to read
something.
I can imagine why and they'rein a bookshop they're drawn to a
certain book because they likethe illustrations or they like
the sounds of a story.
But with kids' magazines it's alittle bit more interactive.
There's quizzes, puzzles, lotsof different things for them to
do.
So that's something to keep inmind when you're writing a story
(20:07):
.
Think what else you can add toit.
It doesn't have to be a puzzle.
It could be maybe a colouringin a design or a drawing
challenge.
The way you've got to see it,especially through the titles
that I write before, is thatkids aren't going to be playing
every single game that's coveredin 110% gaming For Unicorn
Universe.
There's going to be somecharacters that like more than
others, so it's just a wee extrathing that holds their
(20:31):
attention on the page just thatlittle bit longer.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
Hey, that's a great
answer.
I have to say, I never thoughtof it like that, you know, but
it's true.
You just they've got otherthings as well.
I've never, you know, when mynieces were little and I was
buying them comics in children'smagazines, they were held by
different things in it.
So, yeah, excellent.
So listen, I wouldn't knowwhere to start on this one.
(20:55):
How do you select appropriatetopics and themes for children's
magazines, articles and stories?
Speaker 2 (21:01):
Well, for 110% gaming
.
It's a case of keeping up withthe latest video game releases,
seeing what's coming out.
That's something you know theywould like.
There's always four big videogames.
We cover every issue, so that'sRoblox, fortnite, minecraft and
Pokemon.
So as long as you're adaptingcontent around that, you've got
(21:23):
ideas.
I think what it can be quitechallenging is when there's, you
know, a dry spell for videogame releases.
I found that in the first halfof this year there were video
game releases, sure, but therewere only a select handful that
were suitable for our audience.
So that's the case of thinkingup ideas from content that isn't
exactly brand new.
Unicorn universe is a littlebit different.
(21:44):
The readers are mainly girlsages five to nine, so I come up
with ideas really based aroundimportant life lessons that you
get at that stage, stuff likehow to be a good friend, the
importance of showing kindness,making new friends, and that's
all I have is just using yourimagination as well.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
That's definitely my
imagination, that's for sure,
because I'm a long past that age.
But trying to get inside themind of a child as well, and
girls and boys, I've got to askdo you get to play video games
in its class to work?
Speaker 2 (22:20):
Yeah, I'm a reviewer,
so I love that involved in
playing the game and writingabout it as well.
So, yeah, I can't complain.
That's great fun.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
Thanks, what a job.
So can you share somestrategies for my listeners for
capturing and maintaining achild's interest in short form
writing, such as articles orsnippets.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
Yeah, I'd say
probably the main strategy would
be if you've got a point tomake, be quick about it.
I think when people have a lotof knowledge or are really
enthusiastic about something,they could talk or write about
it all day, and I think matureaudiences or mature readers I
should say have the patience forthat.
Children not so much and youcould be making some really
(23:01):
excellent points on your writing, but they're not going to stick
around long enough to find thatout.
So I'd say be brief about it.
Use language that's familiar tothem.
If you struggle to understandsomething, don't expect your
reader to, and I'd say you wantthe tone to be quite positive,
quite upbeat as well.
So if you're ticking all thoseboxes, I'd say hold their
interest, no problem.
Speaker 1 (23:21):
Excellent, good
answer.
I'm liking it.
You got me thinking.
I want to be writing forchildren's magazines now, you
know, as if I haven't got enoughon my plate now I want to do
something else.
So what role do illustrationsand visuals play in children's
magazine writing, and how canwriters effectively collaborate
with artists to enhance theirwork?
Speaker 2 (23:41):
Yeah, I think writing
for children's full stop
illustrations and images is sucha massive part of it.
You could have what you thinkis the best idea in the world,
but if you've not got a lot ofimages to support it, it's
either not going to work the wayyou want it to or it might not
work at all.
At least that's the case wherefeatures is concerned.
So the thing to do there wouldbe to source your images first
and then build your story aroundthat.
(24:02):
As a very visual job, I thinkwe write.
Working with an artist isconcerned.
You want to forward plan asmuch as possible.
You don't want to get to thewriting stage unless you had an
illustration of a certaincharacter you know doing a
certain pose or wearing acertain costume.
So having a thing in advance ofwhat you need, I think, will
really help you there.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
Yeah, you're right,
you know, letting them, giving
them a brief, that will you know.
You have to know what today'syou want before the early
straights will just come up withsomething that wasn't in your
brain, Absolutely In your head,and I like the way you say that
you know you would source theimages first and then build
their story around it.
I think that's a really goodidea and yeah, again, it's not
(24:42):
something I thought of.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
Yeah, it's definitely
different from writing for
adults.
It's just, it's a totallydifferent, totally different
ballgame.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
And the sports.
The images have to appeal tothem as well.
It's getting the images, theright images, for that age group
as well.
Speaker 2 (24:58):
Definitely One,
something that's colourful,
going to stand out, really goingto catch the eye, yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
It must be exciting
when you see the images and the
words in the magazine now comingtogether and looking good.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
Yeah, it's really
rewarding.
You can just imagine howexcited a child is going to be
when they pick it up and you getit themselves, so it's very
rewarding in that regard.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
Yeah, yeah, that's
amazing.
I don't think specificguidelines are one word count
limitations that writers mightneed to adhere to when
submitting to children'smagazines.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
That's a tricky one.
It was definitely the mostchallenging part about the job
when I first started, especiallycoming from a background in
news reporting where there wasalways a word count to work
towards.
I mean to answer your question,it really just depends.
We have a reviews feature in110% game in every issue, so
there's a word count there, butfor the other features it can
totally vary.
(25:46):
I mean, sometimes you don'tknow until you're writing
something how many words it'sgoing to be.
I think something that can bequite helpful is to find a page
layout that you like.
We call that REFs, and itreally lets you see and imagine
where the images and where thetext is going to sit alongside
each other.
No-transcript.
Speaker 1 (26:09):
Yeah, I mean I'm
making assumptions here that you
do accept submissions fromother people.
Is that right or am I justmaking assumptions?
Do you already have staffjournalists?
Speaker 2 (26:20):
We have a team, an
editorial team, but we also have
some freelance writers as well.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Okay, I've just
thought I'd better clarify that
before I'm asking you a load ofquestions about people
submitting and they're notallowed to Heavens.
So I mean with children.
I write children's picturebooks and I know there always
has to be a moral or some sortof educational aspect to it.
So how?
Speaker 2 (26:44):
do you?
Speaker 1 (26:45):
approach
incorporating educational
elements into writing forchildren's magazines without
sacrificing the entertainmentvalue.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
That's a really good
question.
I think if you want somethingto be entertaining but fun, it's
all got to be relevant and tobuy in.
So say you're writing, in mycase, a feature on Pokemon
battle strategies and you wantsome kind of educational element
in there, you could maybe dosome sort of puzzle, maybe a
word scramble or a word search,based around moves that Pokemon
(27:16):
use in battle.
It's engaging, it's relevantand ties in quite well with the
topic you're writing about andit doesn't feel like it's just
been shrewd, horned in for thesake of it.
I think when something feels abit irrelevant and out of place
with the rest of the feature isnot really going to be very
engaging for your readers.
So I think, as long as it allties in quite well, it'll still
be fun but also educational atthe same time.
What a great idea.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
I wouldn't have
thought of that at all.
I'm telling you, this isimpressive.
I'm learning so much today.
So editing, oh editing, that'sthe bane of everybody's life, as
we currently know.
But how do you I mean, can youprovide insights into the
editing and revision process forchildren's magazine writing,
(28:00):
and what are some of the commonmistakes writers should watch
out for?
Speaker 2 (28:06):
I mean, I think with
any writing job there's an
expectation to proofread andfact check your work before
submitting it anyway.
But once we've done that, thecontent editor has a look over
it and it's then picked up by adesigner who creates the page.
At that stage we proofread itand look out for things like
spelling mistakes, grammarissues, really just anything
that doesn't look quite right.
There's lots of different eyesthat look over it.
I'll proofread a feature thatmy colleague was working on in
(28:29):
vice versa, it just ensures thatit's up to the standard that it
should be by the time it goesto print.
As for common mistakes, I thinkthere's always going to be silly
, wee things that trick peopleup.
I suppose stuff like practiceand practice that's one, but
really more commonly especiallyfor people who are new to
writing for children is reallythe tone more than anything,
that they don't get quite right.
(28:49):
The quality of the writing isvery good, but it reads more for
an adult than it would for achild.
The sentences are maybe just alittle bit too long.
There's really not enoughdescriptive words in there that
catches their imagination.
So I think that's the mainthing that I'd say is something
writers should have a wee thinkabout.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
Yeah, I was
interviewing someone about
writing children's picture booksand they were saying the same
that it's getting their languageright and the tone right for
your readers.
But again, the tone might haveto be different for a boys
magazine or a girls magazine,but who the heck knows, because
everybody reads everything now.
It's a tricky balance really toget it right and admire anybody
(29:33):
that can get it right.
It's impressive.
I'm a cop out because mychildren's picture books are for
anybody, so it's so much easier.
Anybody likes readingchildren's picture books.
So what are some effectivetechniques for crafting
relatable characters anddialogue in short stories or
(29:53):
articles for children'smagazines?
Speaker 2 (29:56):
I wouldn't say it's a
technique as such, but what I
would say is don't be free to besilly and let your imagination
run wild.
I think that's one of the bestthings about writing for
children is they're not ascritical about some things the
way older readers can be.
Unicorn Universe is a fantasticexample.
It's one of the magazines thatI write for.
There's a whole squad ofunicorns with different
personalities, special abilities, planets that they live on.
(30:20):
We've got a fan favourite who'sa pub, called Comet.
He was drinking toilet waterone day and he fell through a
magical portal from the humanworld into the Unicorn Universe.
He's just such a funnycharacter and it's just so great
to write about him, justbecause he is a bit ridiculous,
just really silly and goofy.
So I think, where dialogue isconcerned, it's got to be
something that sounds like whatthat character would say.
(30:40):
So, using Comet as the example,it wouldn't really make sense
for him to say something reallyserious.
So I think, as long as youunderstand your characters
pretty well, your dialogue issomething that should come quite
naturally to you.
Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
You've got a
character that fell through a
portal in a toilet.
I mean, seriously, that isgenius, that is genius.
And kids are obsessed withtoilet jokes, aren't they?
So, yeah, it's brilliant, Ilove it.
I'm sold on just on thatcharacter.
That's superb.
So you obviously have to keepup to date with current trends
(31:18):
and topics that resonate withchildren when writing for
magazines.
Are there any research methodsyou find particularly helpful,
including playing games?
Speaker 2 (31:28):
Yeah, there's a few
different things.
As much as the readers are tooyoung to be on social media,
that can be quite helpful too.
Just because as much they'retoo young to be on at the brands
that they like, the likes ofPokemon, fall Guys, they're on
social media.
It can help to give them afollow.
It is also useful to come upwith story ideas as well.
Youtube's a helpful tool, but Ithink probably most importantly
(31:52):
, it's just finding out fromchildren themselves what they
like.
Every so often we have a readersurvey in the magazine that
lets us see what they'reengaging with pretty well, what
they're maybe not enjoying somuch, and we can adapt content
around that.
So I think if anyone has anylike nieces or nephews, children
of their own, it's well worthasking them what they think.
I mean, children can be sobrutally honest about what they
(32:13):
like and don't like, and sincethe content is geared towards
them anyway, it's worth gettingtheir opinion on it.
Speaker 1 (32:19):
Good point.
Yeah, asking children is a goodway of getting it, and they'll
tell you what content they want.
You know, just chat to themgenerally and they'll go, oh yes
, and they could do this andthey could do that, and you're
like, okay, that'll be the nextthing then I don't know.
So what advice would you giveto aspiring writers who are
interested in writing forchildren's magazines?
(32:41):
Are there any specificmagazines of publications they
would recommend they explore?
Speaker 2 (32:47):
The best piece of
advice I got when I started this
job and it's something I wouldtell aspiring writers is to try
and imagine that you're writingfor your younger self.
Like I said, there's plenty oftalented writers out there, but
writing for children is totallydifferent from writing for
adults, and a lot of that comesdown to the tone of the writing.
I wouldn't say there's a singlepublication to read per se.
(33:09):
Obviously, read the magazinethat you want to write for, but
it's also worth checking out theopposition as well.
I mean there's so many kids'magazines out there I mean the
list almost feels endless.
So just read as much as you canand you'll really get a good
idea for the tone and before youknow it, it's something that
will just become second natureto you.
Speaker 1 (33:26):
So you get to read
comics and play video games.
I have got to explore this.
I tell you Loving the dream andit sounds like exploration I
could get my behind.
Not at all.
So my final question, rebecca,is if my listeners want to chat
to you further, how can they gethold of you?
Speaker 2 (33:46):
Of course you can
find me on Twitter at Bex
underscore McVee.
I'm also on LinkedIn as RebeccaMcVee.
If you want to get in touch,just pop my message.
You know I'll get back to you.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
You are excellent.
Thank you very much for joiningus, bex.
This has been brilliant andI've learned so much.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
Thank you, it's been
a pleasure being here and enjoy
the rest of your day.
Thank you too.