The character they laugh at. The phrase they join in with. The ending they want to hear once more. We help you develop your idea for young readers, paying attention to the language, rhythm and moments that make a story a pleasure to read aloud.
Begin with the child who will hear it.
Is this a picture-book idea for reading aloud, a story for a child beginning to read, or something for an older reader? We discuss the age group, your central idea and what you want the child to experience. That gives us a practical starting point for the language, length and story structure.
Bring your draft, character idea or a story you already tell. You don’t need illustrations to begin a conversation about the writing.
We work on what happens on every page.
We help you develop the characters, decide what changes during the story and build towards an ending that earns its place. For stories read aloud, we pay attention to rhythm, repetition, dialogue and phrases that are awkward to say.
For a picture book, we also discuss what the words need to explain and what could be shown in the pictures. We can help organise the manuscript into a proposed sequence for discussing illustration and layout.
Know what is ready—and what comes next.
You review the proposed writing changes and decide what fits your story. We revise the agreed material and help you see whether further development or proofreading is needed.
When you are ready to discuss a finished book, we explain the cover, illustration and formatting requirements. Illustration needs and any additional services are discussed separately, so you can plan the next stage and its cost.
Who would you love to read your story to?
Tell us the age group, your idea and whether you have begun writing. We’ll discuss how to develop it and which parts of the process you want help with.
Let’s develop my children’s story