It’s a common assumption, unfortunately, that writing for children is a simple task. However, as Jenna Brooks (UK), winner of our Writing for Children Competition, demonstrates, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Writing for children requires as much craft, artistry, and revision as any writing aimed at adults. For her winning story, Jenna not only researched the elements of a good children’s book, but she also studied examples, went through multiple drafts, and got input on her illustration notes from an artist friend—all of which clearly paid off.
In this interview, we talk more about her writing process, the children’s books that served as inspiration, and her admiration for Oscar Wilde.
Guest judge Kathryn Otoshi called “The City in the Sky” “a sophisticated story, simply told, with lyrical phrases that roll off the tongue.” Where did your inspiration come from for this piece, and how did you go about crafting it?
The first thing that came to my mind was the image of a boy climbing the night sky, using the stars as handholds. The more I thought about the story, the more images like a city in the sky or walking along a moonbeam floated around in my mind. I did a lot of research into what makes a good children’s book, and one of the bits of advice I came across was that “kids like stories that show them how to deal with problems, even if not explicitly.” I realised that the adventure in the sky was an escape for Jai, and perhaps a way of processing or avoiding a problem. I have never had to move country like Jai did, but I think we can all relate to losing something important to us or feeling uprooted and lost. I think a message that I certainly need is that we do have to move on and progress from any unwanted change, so I built the plot around showing readers that things will turn out okay if you accept the change.
I used Once There Were Giants as inspiration for the prose and said the phrases aloud to get the rhythm of them, because that’s how a child would receive them. I toyed with a lot of styles in drafts, eventually settling on a more simple narration so as not to intrude on the magical imagery and to try to capture the experience like a child would—from their level, the world often does look more wondrous.
Are there any picture books you loved as a child that you referenced or used as inspiration when working on your entry?
When I was looking back at the books I loved as a child (and, to be honest, still read and enjoy now) I realised that most of them have a common theme: leaving the world of reality to deal with a problem. For example, Where the Wild Things Are, The Enchanted Wood (to the point where I’d check for a world at the top of any trees I climbed), and one where the children use a desk as a boat or rocket to go on imaginary adventures. I am a general fantasy lover so I also loved world-building books like Fairy Shopping and The Gruffalo. It’s partly because of these books that I tried to use a journey into fantasy to help Jai realise there’s more to the world than his house and playground.
Kathryn Otoshi said your illustration notes were "clear, yet open enough to allow an illustrator to paint their own vision of what a Moon Path could be, as well as the dreamy imagery surrounding it.” What was your process for writing these notes?
The first thing that came to my mind were the images—the story is built around them. I really wanted them to be awe-inspiring and create a sense of magic, but understood that if the book was illustrated, it wouldn’t look exactly like the images I had in my mind.
To try and convey the right amount of detail, I talked through the pictures with an artistic friend and noted down the details she picked out, leaving the style up to interpretation. It really helped to see how someone else interpreted the images so I could also work out how best to convey my vision.
If you could have dinner with any author, who would you choose and why?
I think I’d settle on Oscar Wilde? He had an interesting life, lived in another era, seemed very perceptive, and would be great to try and understand. He also studied classics, so it would be cool to learn from him.