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Find Storie Ideas For Children's Fiction
Author: Arline Chandler
While visiting my granddaughter’s kindergarten class to explain the difference between fiction (or pretend) stories and non-fiction (or true) stories, a little boy wriggling in his chair exclaimed, "Sometimes the words just come from your head!" Indeed.
Finding that "one great idea" for your children’s storybook is often the biggest hurdle new writers face. Paralyzed with fear, they spend a great amount of time wondering, "Where do story ideas come from? Do thoughts roam around neighborhoods or city malls waiting to be grabbed? Do they magically appear in a list? Can they be found on publishers' websites, writing forums, or writers' groups?"
Ideas are all around, you've just got to look for them. In Sandy Asher’s book, Where Do You Get Your Ideas?, she states that ideas come from two places: outside and inside. Outside—everything we see and do; everything that happens to us. And inside—when our own special imagination starts mixing with the outside.
Once, while reading the Sunday newspaper, I read a feature story about the revival of bear hunting in my state and my imagination went wild! I saw a grandmother pouring over a recipe written on a yellowed, ragged paper. The little girl standing beside her saw the image of a bear in one of the stains. And from there a story idea formed and a young adult novel was written.
Recently, I read a newspaper column by historian, Tom Dillard, head of the special collections department, at the University of Arkansas Libraries. He spoke of several folk tales that involved snakes in Arkansas. I had been seeking ideas for an upcoming contest sponsored by Children’s Writer which specifically asked for folktale or fantasy stories for children age seven. The information Dillard provided about a certain snake that, according to old timers, put its tail in its mouth and rolled hoop fashion through the hills helped me formulate just the right entry.
Speaking with children’s writer, Kathryn Lay (www.kathrynlay.com), I discovered that she picked up her idea for Crown Me! while sipping a cold drink at a Renaissance Festival. "I saw ‘the King’ walking toward me, his arms folded across his chest," said Kathryn.
"He said, ‘If I were king of my school, everyone would have to do as I say or they’d be thrown in the dungeon. We’d have pizza every day and no homework on weekends!' I thought, hmm, what if a kid was King of his class? Back at my desk, I developed a boy who becomes King during a two-week history project. As he solicits voters for the upcoming Student Council election, he creates havoc and enemies. In the end, he learns that good leadership means listening to those around him."
"What If..." two words that form the strongest springboard for a writer’s imagination.
Jot Down Ideas
Start an "Idea Notebook". On days when the well of ideas appears empty, pull out your idea notebook. You will be in awe of the number of ideas waiting right there inside your own head.
You can tailor your notebook to fit your personal style by decorating the outside, color coding pages, or dividing your notebook into categories like I do: recorded events, descriptions/phrases, names/characters, story ideas, and non-fiction ideas.
When you run across an interesting story idea, a description, phrase, or name, simply jot it down in your notebook. Then when you're ready to start writing, flip through your notebook for ideas―it's also a great way to unlock writer's block when you're in the middle of a story.
Ask Questions
Play the "What If" game. Start with the words, "What If", then complete the phrase. What if monkeys could fly? What if children grew flippers when they entered the water? What if a child discovered an alien? What if...
Aside from observing your surroundings and playing word games, you can find story ideas by reading newspapers and magazines. With scissors in hand, look for ideas in advertisements, human interest stories, and historical accounts. Clip out words, phrases, images, or complete text, then insert them into your idea notebook.
Indeed, story ideas are endless.
This column first appeared on DM in 2009, but we think you'll agree that it still has some good information!
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