"What happens next?" It's all about the story.
Last week I was visiting one of my favorite independent book stores, the Tattered Cover, in Denver, and was browsing in the PB department. A little three year old girl sat, swinging her sandaled feet back and forth, listening to her Mom read to her. The Mom read, "and then ..." and paused. "And then what happened, Mommy?" asked the little girl. "Then what happened?"
There it was - the magic of story. The little girl was mesmerized with the suspense of the story in the PB - What was happening to the characters? What was coming next?
In the MG and YA department next store a brother and sister picked through the novels, sat in the comfortable easy chairs and delved into the stores. Story was alive there between the covers at the Tattered Cover.
How important it is for us children's writers to work at writing excellent stories, that entertain and educate, that build sympathetic characters, apt settings and intriguing plots. And to make the magic happen for children so that they continue to read, whether it's paper bound books in a fascinating booky book store like the Tattered Cover, or electronic ones on their iPad or Kindle.
It's all about the story and what happens next!
Thursday, June 28, 2012
"And Then What Happened, Mommy?"
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Yes, especially in PB's, the placing of those page turns is SO important!
ReplyDeleteAah, the magic of a good story. I love that image. I love when my children say 'more, more!' at bedtime, after finishing a good chapter. With our current book 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' I hear it almost every night. That is our challenge as writers, to keep our characters moving through scenes which make even mundane events magical, though plot, pacing, narrative, etc.
ReplyDelete