Just as I was worrying what to write about, another of my stories was published!
This one is about an energtic little boy - but of course, it’s about a lot more than that.
This week, I’ll be explaining how a little kernel of an idea turned into a 3000-word story told from two different viewpoints - something I haven’t done before for this audience!
THE IDEA
My loose idea concerned an energetic little boy and the tune in my head was DON’T STOP ME NOW (by Queen) which was actually the working title for the story!
At the start, I only knew I wanted to write about the exhaustion of looking after an energetic young boy (yes, I had one!) and different approaches to parenting over the generations. I wanted there to be some kind of tension between the mum and the grandmother around parenting approach.
That’s where the real-life connection ended really. The rest was total fiction.
GROWING ON ME
I had an ending in mind but firstly I enjoyed writing the little boy’s energy and the tension between the two females - mother and grandmother. Then the secondary story started to grow and I enjoyed it very much.
LESSON NO.1
The secondary story involved the little boy’s dad and his successful catering business that had seen him over-extend himself in all directions. You can begin to understand where the little boy inherited his energy from, can’t you?! Here came the B-Story and the reasoning behind the story. It now had the ability to grow into something much more meaningful. Don’t be afraid when this happens - try going with it! It was obvious at this point that this wasn’t a 1,000 or 2,000 word story. It grew to a comfortable 3,000 words.
EMPATHY
I hoped that any parent reading would have an immediate empathy with the young mum struggling to cope with the demands of her little boy and her workaholic husband, as well as an impossibly perfect Mother-in-Law who had brought up three little girls alongside her son - yes, four children!
LESSON NO.2
I hit upon giving the grandmother twins, then an additional daughter, all while trying to keep her eldest, very active son, entertained.
And here was where I found my rather lovely pinch point, which made me cry all over again when I read it in print.
For the full effect, you will have to read it for yourself. However, it concerns regret at not giving each of the children equal attention, something most parents may experience at some point, I am sure.
The grandmother relishes the time spent with her live-wire grandson, and their relationship is quite precious once we get over the initial bumps in the opening. You could say that this relationship helps show a whole new side of Linda!
I accomplished this by taking a risk and trying something new. I wrote from two viewpoints in this story - through the mum’s eyes, and through the grandmother’s eyes. It was interesting to do and it paid off!
HIDEY INDOOR TENT
I remember days of hiding under a makeshift tent made out of a sheet slung from the back of the sofa. My own children played under a similar tent made from a sheet slung over rows of dining room chairs - like a long tent tunnel. My daughter would crawl out the end, shouting “Boo!” and her baby brother in his bouncy chair would laugh over and over, no matter how many times she did it.
This was partly the inspiration for the grandmother’s makeshift tent for her grandson and dog to play in - and it tied in nicely with the memory of her own son seeking some peace and quiet from his three little sisters.
LIFE IMITATING ART
I don’t often write “real life” - in fact, not really at all. However, I do find inspiration for stories in all of my lifetimes! My youth, my teenage years, my years as a young bride and mother, children leaving for university, weddings, travels - all sorts have inspired me. There’s no doubt at all that you, dear reader, dear writer, also have those experiences! You don’t have to write them - you merely have to be inspired by the bits that connect with others.
LESSON NO.3
When I am inspired by little thoughts, I spend a few moments wondering what parts of those experiences might be shared by others…then it sends me off on a much bigger story as I find common ground that I hope readers will relate to.
It’s important for the type of market I sell to - the women’s magazine market, in particular, The People’s Friend. These stories must be wholesome, emotional, and hopefully thought-provoking at times, but never preachy or pretentious. It can be a hard balance - one that I’ve not always gotten right the first time! Yes, I’ve had rejections but I hope I’ve always been able to learn from them.
HAPPY ENDINGS
I do love a happy ever after. All my stories end with hope. In the case of this week’s story, the narrator mum still has all the worries she had before, but she can trust that even with his so-called “issues”, her son can find his talent and be successful just like his dad, and the grandmother has found her way of connecting closer to her daughter-in-law, her son, and her grandson.
And of course, there’s a dog. I always seem to write in a dog. In this case, Rufus! That’s two weeks in a row that my stories have had illustrations featuring dogs!
Not only am I keeping note of character names I’ve used, but now I’ll have to keep track of dog pedigrees and names!
VISUAL IMPACT
I’m so fortunate that many of my stories have received commissioned artwork. A few of them have had neat little graphic designs, eg, my cruise ship entertainer story had a simple disco ball; my story about soup and the secret ingredient had a graphic of a pot!
This week’s story is once again illustrated by Pat Gregory, who has picked out so much detail in a smart illustration depicting the main characters, including an active little boy and dog, and even the food they were eating! Fabulous!
The only thing I would change is the title - I much preferred my working title, Don’t Stop Me Now, although perhaps that only works if you know that’s a Queen song, as the little boy was listening to a Queen album in the story! Mother Knows Best does rather pick up on the mood of the story after all, and could be referring to both the mother and the grandmother! So, I guess the editors really do know what’s best!
Photo by Jackie Morrison: Artwork Pat Gregory for People’s Friend magazine/D.C.Thomson
WHY, OH WHY?
Sometimes I wonder about what I’m doing writing here on Substack - my offerings are pretty simple - but then I receive a lovely message from a subscriber (thanks, Vicky!) which reminds me why I do it!
My story writing isn’t complicated. I write about the simple things in life and hope to connect with readers that way, and it’s the same here.
I keep it as simple as I can when it comes to explaining how I come up with my stories and how I complete them. I hope it is interesting, but most of all, I hope it is useful.
I aim to demonstrate how story can come from anything in life - and it usually isn’t about something terribly complicated (well, not for this type of story anyway). The story and plot is important - otherwise, where is it going? - but characters and relatability are key as well.
I just realised as I was writing this that I did say something pretty important for writers just then….
how I come up with my stories and how I complete them….
Having the idea isn’t enough. Sometimes the first draft isn’t enough either.
Usually you have to work out what’s the point of our story? I won’t pretend that’s always easy - I have a folder full of story drafts that haven’t met the standard…yet. In my eyes, they are not properly complete, and I leave them there with the intention of going back at some point and adding what is necessary to properly complete them!
Once you identify that key element, you can go back in and pop in some subtle points to lead up to a hammer blow (no, really - no hammer blows in this kind of story - but you get my point. Hammer it home but gently within the story).
Don’t leave your reader in any doubt that you had A POINT to your story but don’t lecture either. Lecturing isn’t allowed.
You do have to finish it. Starting isn’t quite enough! It took me until now to come up with this not very subtle point, but I think that the explaining of this story illustrates how I did it. I went back in and gave the grandmother a relatable mothering story relating to her own son. Yes, sometimes you have to work at it!
What are you working on right now? I’m working on my next Pocket Novel whilst also wrangling with a much bigger story that I’m finding harder to pin down.
I have to say, that I can’t wait for Autumn to come. The trees here are already on the turn, and I acknowledge that I am much happier hunkered down in a cosy jumper by the glow of the log fire when I’m writing.
So, perhaps I’m not really stuck with my longer writing - maybe I’m just awaiting the right season for it!
My essays are free to share, so please feel free to comment, like or restack so that more people can find me in the Little Writing Corner x x
As always, thanks for being here, and best wishes with your writing, from Jackie in the Little Writing Corner.
NOTE:
Mother Knows Best is one of the short stories in this week’s People’s Friend, available from Wednesdays in supermarkets in the UK.
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