Teaching in disguise

One very important thing I've learned during the writing process is not to let your stories become sermons. Don't teach or preach to children in your stories. The idea is for your message to be relayed through the story itself and never in a direct way. Kids get enough teaching and preaching throughout the day, they don't need story time to be another time where they feel restricted by rules and lessons. Children learn best when they are taught in disguise.

You may notice that there are many stories where there are no parents at all in the story line. They aren't needed. Kids tend to learn from mistakes or accomplishments of others. The problem with sticking a grown-up in the story line is that it may hinder a character's problem solving skills by parental assistance. The lesson is for the child to solve the problem in their own way, without looking at the wise parent to fix it for them. How do adults know the answer?.... Well, at a young age they learned from trial and error. Author's must follow this rule to write successfully.

It is very important for writers to get in touch with their inner child. Relive the environment, emotions and lessons we learned through trial and error. It's a great approach to understanding how to best reach children through your stories.

Before you turn the page during story time, ask your child, "what do you think will happen next?" They usually answer, "I don't know." But when they come to a certain age, they may just give you a problem solving answer. That makes them feel smart and eager to read on. That's the outcome we love to see.

Poetic Part of Me

Many, many... many years ago, or so it feels like, I tried my hand at poetry putting every thought on paper. With my teenage view of the world, I mostly wrote about serious issues. I must have been a disturbed teen or had a very depressing imagination. Then, I fell in love and that need to write became love letters. When I left my parents home, I didn't box my possessions, nope not me. My happiness said, "throw that crap away, you'll never need it again." Garbage it was, or was it? High School photos, notes and my binder of poetry all found it's way to the dump. Sad as it may sound, they have crossed my mind several times since, but only NOW do I regret having "thrown" away my poetry. That was me. My own form of expression and I abandoned it, threw away my thoughts. Poetry for me was a way of saying so much, using so few words. I abandoned MY style of expression years ago. (Probably would have been a best seller collection in this day and age.)

I have been putting pencil to paper again. The quick wit and rage from years past has certainly stayed in the past. Poetry has taken a turn for me. There is rhyme, reason and excitement in my words. I think it comes from the desire to write for Children and having a different view on the world as an adult. Today, I would love to have read what my teen views looked like on paper. The pictures and notes addressed to me can remain in the trash, the poetic part of me I threw away was priceless.