Next Up: Improving Your Work

When you're writing for yourself - and not your teachers - you don't get grades. You don't get comments scribbled in red ink all over the page (thank goodness!). But without those clues, how can you know what will improve your work??

Next up: a writers' trick you can use to figure it out yourself. No teachers required!

Cool Career: Writing for Children's Television

Shows like "Sesame Street," "Little Einsteins" and "Super Why!" may seem a little babyish after a while. But if you still love watching them, there could be a very grown-up reason: They're great shows! And the reason behind that? Talented writers.

You could grow up to be a writer for children's television. Jennifer Hamburg did. (She's also author of the picture book A Moose That Says Moo and creator of Dramatic Fanatic mystery theater parties for kids). Here's what she has to say about her career. Learn more at www.jenniferhamburg.com.

How did you get your first job writing for children's television?

I went to grad school to study Educational Psychology. After I graduated, I was hired to do research for a "Blue's Clues" spin-off called "Blue's Room." They knew I was interested in writing (because I kept reminding them!). After that job was finished, they asked me to stay on as an assistant writer. 

What did you like most about the job?

I really got to see the ins and outs of how a TV script was written. Every show is different. For some the writers work together. They brainstorm ideas and each leave with specific writing assignments. Other times writers get a treatment and a deadline and work on their own. 

How long does it take to write a script?

Two weeks is typical for writing a script and maybe one week for a revision.  Sometimes I’m asked how long I need, and other times I’m given the date and time to hand it in.

What's the biggest challenge writing for children's television? 

I write for many different shows now. Each show has a specific tone, feel, style of humor, etc. My job as a writer is to take my writer “personality” and fit it into the particular show I’m writing for. It’s harder than it sounds! 

Also, lots of preschool shows have specific lesson plans for each episode. I need to include learning moments in the story, which can be tricky.

What's your favorite part of writing for children's television?

I like diving into a new script and going over and over it until it sounds just right. I think of rewriting as a creative exercise. I think of it as a puzzle - a very, creative, fun puzzle! I'm inspired by the shows I write for, and each script makes me a better writer. Most of all, I love knowing that my work is making kids smile. 

Glossary and Sneak Peek

Remember Elmo? Little Einsteins? Caillou? Up next, an interview with children's television writer Jennifer Hamburg! Here are some new words that appear in the article.

deadline: the date an assignment is due

script: the written form of a show

spin-off: a show created from a similar show

treatment: a summary of an episode

"Write what you know."

Heard it before? Most students get that message over and over again. But there's a lot of satisfaction in writing what you don't know. In fact, that's the basic idea behind many paying writing gigs. Newspaper reporters, for example, don't know everything about everything before they get started. They ask questions, get answers, and in the process, gather material they can use to write their articles.

When you open your mind to writing about subjects you're not familiar with, you can write about anything. There are no limits, and that's exciting. There is, however, one major hurdle to overcome. That would be your ignorance about the subject matter you plan to tackle. How, for example, can you write a story about a girl living on a horse farm if you've lived your whole life in the city or suburbs?

The answer is simple: research. 

Once you know what you want to write about, no matter how little you know about it, you can find out more. There are many ways to approach your research. In the case of the horse farm story, you could actually visit a horse farm to get some details. You could also interview a horse owner, read about horses and their care, attend horse shows, watch youtube videos of equestrian events, and the list goes on wherever your imagination might take you. 

It doesn't matter if you start writing the day you start researching or when you decide you're done. (Some writers get really caught up in research - it's fun to learn about something that interests you!) The point is, once you start, you'll know more about your subject than you did the day before. That knowledge allows you to write about it. 

So in the end, maybe once you do some research, you're writing what you know after all! 

Got your own ideas about how to research writing topics? Please share!