Paul Bristow – TV and radio script-writer; story-teller; writer of children’s fiction and non-fiction, is fascinated by folk tales and legends. Yesterday he gave Ayr Writers’ Club members a very enjoyable and informative heads up on writing for children, with our next club competition in mind. The competition theme – a story inspired by a folk-tale or legend – may have worried some members, but Paul’s talk put us on the right track.
‘Who are you writing for?’ he asks. While you should have a target age-group in mind, essentially, you are writing for YOU. Paul says he generally writes for himself, aged about ten. This helps to step back into the mindset of a ten-year-old; what interests them? What limits them? It also helps you use language appropriate to the age-group.
Whether you are a ‘pantster’ or a planner, (come on, you know what it means!) story structure is key. The ordinary world is changed by an ‘inciting incident’ that sets the main character on a new path with a problem to solve. Through increasingly difficult obstacles and challenges, this character struggles on, learning from mistakes, until we reach the mid-point of the story. Here the character understands exactly what they are up against and we reach the ‘nothing can save them now’ moment. By their own efforts, the character finally succeeds and the story reaches a satisfactory conclusion. It doesn’t necessarily have to be entirely ‘happy ever after,’ but must certainly be upbeat.
So that’s the structure – what about story ideas? Paul suggests throwing together two unlikely components to see where that might lead (see title!) or, you could take a traditional story and turn it on its head, or bring it into the present day. Scotland, indeed all of the UK, has a wealth of local legends and stories that could be the start of an idea. If you choose a local folk tale, some of Paul’s writerly essential items come into play:-
- Notebook and pen (for sure)
- Good footwear
- Camera – 2 and 3 go together for exploring the area where your story is set and taking pictures. Little, seemingly unimportant details give authenticity.
- Books – Don’t just rely on memories of your own favourite childhood books, read what is being written today for your chosen age-group.
If you are looking to publish a full-length children’s novel, Paul has some useful advice. He says the first draft is more of a pantster splurge. Put it away for a while and then re-examine it once you have crystalised exactly what your story is about. Incidentally, he recommends Expo North as being helpful for this. This is a competition where you pitch your story idea in a tweet. Pitching your 40,000 word story in a single sentence sounds like a bit of a challenge, but it’s an essential skill. When you have your pitch sentence, look back at your first draft, take out anything that doesn’t relate to it and strengthen the parts that do. He recommends entering other competitions such as the annual Kelpies or Exeter Publishing prizes. Sometimes opportunities come out of it even if you don’t win.
Thank you, Paul, for a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Unfortunately, I have to follow this tour de force, with a workshop on children’s writing. It’s a bit of a ‘how do you follow that?’ situation, I think. We’ll just have to see if we can put all this good advice into practice. Right, I’m off now, boots on and camera at the ready, in search of local legend. Bye the noo!
Maggie Bolton