Character + Problem = Story
Today we received the expected feedback from our lovely editor: “Good first draft. We just need to work a little more on the dramatic tension…”
Writing a children’s book is sometimes very much like doing a math problem. We start with a concept or idea – in this case, it’s Christmas – and try to figure out what problem our hero is wrestling with. What does Gerry want, relative to Christmas – and what problem, or obstacle, does she encounter?
But it’s not enough to just establish a problem and then have the character solve it. The problem needs to escalate, to get compounded in some way as the story goes on so as to make the reader curious enough to keep turning the pages. Even when we are busy being distracted by details like whether a word has too many syllables or how to say something without using a contraction (or making sure the voice is consistent, or the rhyme is true, or any of the other myriad rules relative to writing children’s books) we still have to remember, first and foremost, to keep raising those stakes. After all, it’s a story.
Back to the drawing board – er, computer. But, like any math problem, I’ve come to trust that if we keep whittling away at it, the answer will reveal itself.