A Successful Story
Greetings;
Before you begin a short story for children, decide what age group you want to target and place your POV (point of view) main character within that age group. If your character is too old or too young for the reader to identify with, interest will be lost. It’s also important to introduce the main character immediately, perhaps through conversation with a friend or parent or by placing him in the middle of a problem right away. “Midnight’s thunder and lightning pounded Jeff’s tree house. He cringed in the corner and covered his head with shaking hands.” What does my story opening SHOW about Jeff and the scene? Because the reader or EDITOR immediately has questions, he or she will continue reading. (That’s a HOOK.) WHY is Jeff alone in the middle of the night? In a tree house? (Yes, it’s not a complete sentence, but once in a while, it makes a better point. Alternating short and long sentences is a useful technique; short sentences within conflict situations SHOW stress.)
Each POV must be interesting. I know that sounds like common sense, but too often the character is left unexplained and the story is ultimately rejected. WHAT is he feeling and thinking, or HOW does he react to a problem? Please, please describe what he looks like so the reader can “see” who she is reading about.
The WHO and WHY of your character must be clear in your own mind before you begin to write. What gives your main character the right to be one? What makes him UNIQUE is of great importance. What is the MOTIVE for your POV’s reasoning? Is it selfishness, greed, insecurity, etc., and does a negative personality transform during the story from being disliked or misunderstood by peers or parents(CONFLICT) to a child who is welcomed and praised by all? It should.
Many stories are rejected because the main character loses his importance when a parent or peer provides the solution to the story’s problem. The POV must find a way to provide an ultimate solution. What talents are possessed which will help him solve the conflict?
What is also needed to successfully move your story along are sequences providing continuing curiosity and/or suspense for the reader. If the outcome is obvious, why bother to continue reading? Would you?
Finally, when the main character and the story is set down, will your reader or listener be able to IDENTIFY with the POV and the story line? Is it believable enough for a child? (Adults, as a rule, don’t believe in talking animals, but children can identify with their small size and their reactions to fear and/or joy; that’s belief enough in the young age group.) To find out if your story works, read it to a child within the age group you’re hoping to target. (perhaps an elementary school class) Watch for reactions of interest or of boredom. Is the child curious about ANYTHING in the story? If not, it’s time to re-write. If your listener has questions or sits still listening right to the end, you have arrived. Good job.
God willing, I’ll be back to visit with you next Wednesday. If you have a question I haven’t touched upon, feel free to contact me. lewilliamsrn@aol.com We eight writers at www.capecodchildrenswriters.com enjoy hearing from interested and interesting people. Be well Linda

Metaphorically Speaking

Greetings;
“I’m a plane!” chants Joey as he races across his back yard. When Mom replies, “Remember to land for supper,” his make-believe world becomes a bit more real AND more fun. Smart , Mom. In like manner when a child connects with a point-of-view character, his story world becomes more believable and interest is maintained.
As children grow into adults, they tend to lose their natural ability to BE whatever they want to be in the moment. The metaphors become more logical with the realization that although one can’t really BE a plane, one can ease the loss by perhaps becoming a pilot.
Young people are great at using metaphors and similes to express their feelings. Take for instance, “Daddy is strong as a tree!” is a simple simile where the meaning is clear; no abstract thought or consideration needed or intended. But, if a writer has the main (POV) character say, “Dad is a tree!” what is implied? Not that Dad is literally a tree, unless of course some small sapling is speaking. What the POV means depends on his or her age. If a third-grader states, “My dad is tough,” does he mean Dad’s strong or that the child feels safe when Dad is close by? Or unsafe? When the POV character is an eighth-grader, he might mean his dad is immovable or unwilling to change his mind about some rule. Precise wording will SHOW the reader what is intended. It’s so important to know what age group you’ve written about in order to utilize appropriate language and meanings. The middle-grade and YA (young adult) reader possess more knowledge and experience of the real world (logic has arisen). They also possess an added ability to read humor or anger and such into a metaphor making it “more real”.
Professor Bill Roorbach used examples in class like, “The sentence was suspended.” More than one meaning there. It could mean a guilty person didn’t have to go to jail. It could also lead one to imagine a group of words (sentence) dangling (suspended) beneath a bridge. Hmm. Have you ever come across a metaphor that made you pause and consider the reasoning? Unlike a simile, where the thought is clearly stated, a metaphor makes the writer think and that’s a good thing, but keep it for the older child. Knowing your reader’s age makes a story “fit”.
Those of us who write for children must refrain from “growing up” for our child memories and thoughts need to be captured and re-captured to keep our stories real.
One of my favorite metaphors was written by the poet, Howard Nemerov, who described a purple finch as being, “…a sparrow dipped in raspberry juice.” I’ve never forgotten those words because I could IDENTIFY with his thoughts having lived on a small farm. Vivid memories remain of pausing to watch sparrows circling high above our clothesline when I was supposed to be hanging wet sheets on the line with those stiff wooden clothespins. On scorching hot days, I’d wipe my drippy forehead in one corner of a wet sheet and think, that one will have to go on my bed. After chores were completed, I’d rush carefree and bare-footed into the woods behind the house to pick ripe raspberries from their vines. Within those cool woods, I’d plunk down on coal-black soil and prickly pine needles, whose scent was Christmas, and revel in the wonderful taste of that purple fruit. I also remember my mother scolding when she tried unsuccessfully to remove raspberry juice stains from my white jersey and black dirt from the seat of my shorts! The point I am making is that one metaphor created a whole series of memories for me, and hopefully we as writers can do the same for our readers because when they can identify with our POV character the story will come ALIVE.
One last thought: There are ninety-six, fifteen-minute periods in a day. Please capture at least one for you. See you next Wednesday, God willing. Linda

Greetings;
All stories begin with an idea, but some begin to emerge in rhyme form. When that happens, new writers (and even some of us “older” ones) forget about the most important element—the story–in the quest to create a rhyming pattern. Suddenly, verbs and adjectives are turned around and the meter, the musical rhythm of the story, ends up out of sync causing editors to cringe. It’s not that editors don’t want rhyming stories; they just don’t like bad rhyming stories.
Reading great rhyme is like breathing in fresh air after the rain. John Greenleaf Whittier wrote a poem in SNOWBOUND called “Winter Day”: It began: “The sun that brief December day Rose cheerless over hills of gray, And, darkly circled, gave at noon A sadder light than waning moon.”
A reader can identify with such feelings because Whittier’s words SHOW us a clear picture while creating a gentle rhyme and rhythm which, rather than detracting, adds to the whole.
In A CHILD’S KEEPSAKE, the poem, “The Raven and the Bumblebee” depicts a friendship between two unlikely friends. (A good hook) The story is in rhyme, but doesn’t lessen the story’s plot. It begins, “Rachel Raven rarely roams very far from friends and home. She flies on high above the trees With tiny Beatrice Bumblebee.” It ends, “It makes no difference, size or sound, For they’ve discovered a common ground. They’re friends, you see, like you and me, The raven and the bumblebee.” The rhythm sings even though the rhyme could be criticized for words having an “s” at the end while its partner doesn’t. Depends on the editor. When an editor loves the story idea, the “s” will pass.
My favorite rhyming story is, “The Night Before Christmas.” The story is prime, enhanced, yet not ruled by the rhyme.
When you’re tempted to write a rhyming story, consider whether that format is restricting your story idea. I heard someone say in a writing class, “…Rhyme is the icing, but the story is the cake,” so if you’re trying too hard to force a rhyme, perhaps the ideas should be reworded into prose. You have the right to change direction because YOU are the boss of your story. Good luck and most of all have fun with words and rhyme.
God willing, I’ll be back to visit with you next Wednesday. Be well. Linda

Greetings;
The formation of words in a story begins with a new idea. By rendering a novel approach to an old theme, (I heard someone say in a writing class years ago there is no new theme under the sun; only a new direction) one can create a completely new story.
When I come across an interesting thought in a book or story, I stop reading, write the sentence down and place it in what I call my idea file. Myriad pictures of animals, scenery, room descriptions, etc. are included. When my brain’s stock of ideas dozes off, I take out the idea file and search for new beginnings. It always works.
Example: A picture of a cricket. Nothing unusual at first glance, but it’s a cute cricket and the creative side of my brain takes a closer look. Hmm. Questions emerge as I read the notation, “The black cricket rubbed its back legs and chirped.” It’s not a unique happening, but how can that particular cricket become the point-of-view character in a novel story?
Possibilities: Why is he chirping? Is he lost? At whom is the cricket chirping? Is there danger and he is alerting his family or his animal friends? Do crickets’ chirps have different sounds for different meanings? Research time. Each time I research, I come across facts that cause new ideas to form. To avoid getting off course, I quickly note the new idea, place it in my idea file, and than return to point.
When he begins to chirp, where is he? Is he in a forest, under a small child’s bed, or in a garden? And, come to think of it, can only boy crickets chirp or can girl crickets also chirp? Another subject to research and, perhaps, another new idea for my file.
Now take it a step further. If he’s under a child’s bed, how did he get there? Does he waken the young child? (New thought. It could also be a teenager with a new set of possibilities and conflicts. Throw that thought into the idea file and get back to the cricket.)
If the chirping cricket is under the bed, does the child awaken and try to find the cricket? If unable to catch it, does the child run to Mommy or crawl under the bed and watch the cricket? Do they become friends? I know, some editors abhor communication between child and animal, but some don’t mind at all. Anyone remember Bomba, the jungle boy or maybe the Tarzan series? They sold millions of copies.
A story needs dialogue to come alive, so if the child says, “Stop chirping!” does he receive another cricket call or an answer understandable to people? What might the cricket say if he could talk to people? Is it as simple as he has no warm bed to sleep in, or is the problem more complex? (Remember to keep in mind the age group you are trying to reach regarding conflict situation, vocabulary use, and word count.)
So many ideas have arisen from observing one picture of a tiny cricket. My idea file keeps me from the frustration of writers’ block. I hope you will think about creating your own idea file
Have a creative, fun day. Linda