Nathan Bransford, TVWriter™’s favorite publishing know-it-all, gives us advice that most writers for all media and genres desperately need. This time around he goes right to the heart of things and tells us why one of the most successful children’s books of all time works.
by Nathan Bransford
A lot of the writing advice out there focuses on what NOT to do. “Why it works” is my occasional series where I take books I love and try to pinpoint
what the author does especially well.
Beverly Cleary’s recent passing led me to revisit one of my favorites from my childhood: Ramona the Pest.
All these years later, it really holds up. Ramona is a thoroughly engaging and entertaining protagonist and there are some moments that are almost transcendent.
After my years working in publishing, I’m also amazed that Beverly Cleary broke one of the now-almost-ironclad convictions in children’s publishing that kids only want to read about characters who are as old or older than them. Cleary had me enraptured by a kindergartner’s antics when I was an 8 or 9 year old reader.
How does she do it? Here are some of my takeaways.
Ramona is thoroughly in charge
One of the absolute best passages in Ramona the Pest arrives when Ramona is reflecting on why it’s so annoying when her classmate Susan calls her a pest (bolding mine):…
Read it all at nathanbransford.com
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For my best advice, check out Nathan’s guide to writing a novel (now available in audio) and his guide to publishing a book.
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