There is one aspect of writing which many people try and many people, including famous writers, do badly. This is writing child characters, and the younger the age, the harder it is to do well.

This is because although it’s tempting to write children as small adults, the world of children is much smaller, both in experience and how they can express themselves. The things they care about and the ways of reacting to things are more limited. Children also lack the perspective of experience so they tend to feel things as strongly or stronger than adults (for example, for a 5-year-old, not getting a piece of birthday cake really does feel like the end of the world.)

Story Prompt: November 11, 2024

Write a story from the perspective of a child

Child is a relative term, but I’m thinking of someone under 10 years old. The best way to make this realistic is to do a lot of observation of children; if you’re a parent, you probably do too much of this already. But in thinking of a child as a story character, think about their motivation: what they want and need, and what is stopping them from getting that.

You can send me a link if you write a story for this prompt and post it on your own site or send it to me at info@greenwalledtreehouse.com. You can also submit your story here for a chance to have it published on the site next week.

Stay warm out there, if you’re in an area that is getting colder. Have a good week.