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Welcome to the Bookshelf Detective, a site packed with tricks and tips for readers and writers of children's literature. Thank you for visiting!
Cheers,
Kim Tomsic

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

The Mistake to Avoid When Writing Your Story


Hello! You're probably reading this because you are a writer. If so, I'll bet you've been asked, "What is your story about?" Knowing your story's aboutness and being able to talk about it in a couple of concise sentences says you're on the right track for delivering a focused story. 

What is “Aboutness”:

Some people call “aboutness” the theme. However, that word feels intimidating to me, so I


stick with talking in terms of  “aboutness”. Your story will be about something, right? Examples include friendship (Sophie’s Squash), boredom and conflict (The Longest Storm), problem solving (The Teacher’s Pet), navigating a new situation like a first day of school or moving (Evelyn Del Ray is Moving Away), answering the question “Where do babies come from?” (The Baby Tree), ingenuity and kindness (Extra Yarn), bravery (Truman), self-love and the power of words to hurt and heal (BIG), innovation and perseverance (Guitar Genius), curiosity and determinations (The Fire of Stars), trust and friendship (The Elephants Come Home), perspectives (Two Together), the environment and the interconnections of the natural world (A River of Dust: The Life-Giving Link Between North Africa and the Amazon) 
etc.

The above are picture book titles. My newest book (co-written with Mark Parisi) The Truth About 5th Grade is about friendship and perspectives. There are always two sides to every story!

 

Pro tip: THE MISTAKE to avoid 

Oftentimes, new writers believe picture books are about teaching a lesson. They are not.

Have an aboutness without hitting the reader over the head with a lesson. Entertain with interesting hooks, words, characters, and action. If a picture book comes across didactic or “lesson-y”, the young reader will probably tune out. Kids can smell preachy lessons from a mile away.


I appreciate how Ann Whitford Paul says “Children are wise enough to figure out what a story is about without an explicitly stated moral. We’re in the business of writing engaging stories, not teaching lessons” (Writing Picture Books, page 13).

Good luck with the story you are writing. 

Cheers,

Kim

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