Children’s Stories: the Unexpected (Mis)Adventure

There’s a reason they say to try new things—I never thought I would author a children’s book, yet here we are.

How did that happen?

Well, let me tell you…

Once upon a time, there was a young woman who wrote stories.

But not stories like the one you are reading now. She spent hours poring over historical fiction novels, period dramas, BBC miniseries, and biopics of historical figures—so it was no surprise that her first complete scripts, novel, and short stories should consist of such material.

Sure, she wrote some silly things every now and then, but that was only for fun. Her propensity for puns, satire, and alliteration, she kept out of her published works. But why?

Why did she consign the quirks to a corner?

This question surfaced at last when a friend posed to her an unprecedented challenge: to write a children’s story.

The answer to the question?

She couldn’t give one. And so she began to write a story, whose inception began with a title. A rogue title, mind you, for it came both unexpectedly and unaccompanied by any context:

The Misadventures of Melvin the Missing Sock.

Penning a children’s story was no small challenge.

Having no nieces, nephews, or children of her own, this young woman considered her skill set utterly insufficient. How could she pivot from tales of clan warriors to bedtime stories about socks?

Her deliverance came from that quirky little corner, in which all her literary oddities lingered. The puns, the satire, the alliteration, the personifications—they were free! No longer must they bow their heads and remain bashfully tucked away from the page. Suddenly they received freedom—sweet freedom!—to roam and rollick in the open, leaving footprints in the form of ink.

The work was hard and the nights were late and the revision, of course, was no picnic. It never is. But the young woman found help along the way.

Family and friends who critiqued.

A fellow writer undertaking a similar endeavor.

An illustrator whose art brought the story to life.

And a host of those who supported and inspired.

And now, thanks to all of them, Melvin himself will receive his debut in print at the end of this month.

            THE END.

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Actually, what this marks is not the end, but the beginning.

It is the beginning of a new genre in my literary career that I never saw coming, and I could not be more excited to share it with you.

In fact, there is a lot I intend to share with you, including the process of storyboarding, re-writing, and preparing for publication. And, of course, a sneak peek at what’s inside. 😉

Click below to pre-order your copy of Melvin, and it will get in the mail as soon as it rolls off the press on July 22nd!

SHIPPING IS FREE.

What have you learned from stretching yourself?

Have you ever tried something new and been surprised by how “snug” of a fit it was?