Everyone, at every age, can write a story, and you are never too young or old to start. My granddaughter Olivia, who lives in the city, loves animals and she reads and writes about them at every opportunity. Recently Olivia and her sister accompanied me to a local animal shelter to choose a new kitten to adopt. Besides the cattery, we also visited all the other animals available for adoption. We would have liked to fill our car with pets to take home that very day. This experience became Olivia’s inspiration for the story I share with you here.
Notice a few things about Olivia’s story – for instance:
* the date – always place the date on your work to preserve it as a snapshot in time
* the name – always write your name
* the title – always give your story a title
* the series – Olivia is optimistic – she plans to write more than one animal story. This is Book 1. Be hopeful and confident at all times!
* the content – Olivia includes some direct speech and some little illustrations to add interest for the reader, and her story has a start, a middle, an ending, and a message. Be creative and map your story.
* Olivia is adept at using a laptop but has chosen to write this story with pen and paper – this makes her story more authentic, and enables her to feel close to her story, holding the pen and touching the paper. She is able to express her thoughts and feelings freely.
* the initiative – you do not need to do anything extraordinary before you start to write. Like Olivia, you can take an everyday experience and use it as a foundation and frame for your story.
Enjoy Olivia’s story. I am confident she will inspire you to start writing! If you feel in need of encouragement, contact me on june@junealexander.com