We present an extract from Making It Up As You Go Along: A Children's Guide to Writing Stories, the new book Laureate na nÓg (Ireland's children's literature laureate) Patricia Forde, illustrated by Mary Murphy.
Offering a creative philosophy for a new generation of young Irish storytellers, in this fun and practical illustrated guide, young writers can learn from some of Ireland's most beloved authors, including Eoin Colfer (Artemis Fowl) Catherine Doyle (Twin Crowns), Pádraig Kenny (Stitch) and Derek Landy (Skullduggery Pleasant), with imaginative exercises, accessible explanations of writing terms and engaging illustrations!
Inspiration and Ideas - Finding the Spark
Let's begin! First, we need an idea. Ideas come and go all the time. I imagine them running about looking for a human to play with. When an idea comes, you can befriend it, or you can ignore it.
Most writers carry a notebook with them in case an idea sneaks up on them when they are half asleep, or on the bus, or queuing for the bathroom. They write down the idea and think about it later. Like them, you may like to carry a notebook too.
Sometimes a new idea might just leave. If it does, don't worry, the world is full of ideas. I find ideas everywhere – in songs, in games, in old folktales and in stories I read in the newspaper.
Writers read a lot. Books can lift you up, making you want to inspire or entertain people the way your favourite book inspires and entertains you. Someone else’s creation may spark an idea in your mind, leading to a whole NEW story.
TIP: Read like a writer
Writers learn a lot from reading. With that in mind, read like a writer. Try to see what kind of stories you like. Do you love dialogue? Description? How did this writer hold your interest?
Read stuff you like and stuff you hate. If you read a book that you like, make notes. If you read a book that you really don’t like, make notes. I have a notebook especially for this.
Every story is an experiment. Some stories are a huge hit with the people who read them and some are not. Some experiments work, some don’t. If you didn’t like a particular story, ask yourself why not.
Over to You
- Pair up with a friend and pretend you’re interviewing them. Ask your friend about the last book they read. What did they like best? What did they dislike? Who was their favourite character?
Have a look at what I might have written in my notebook about a book that I didn’t like:
Title: The True Tale of May Penny-Goode.
Stars: *****
Problem: I didn’t believe the main character. May didn’t feel like a real person to me.
Dialogue: Nobody speaks like that. Nobody!
Character: She was a total goody-two-shoes. Even very good people have flaws.
Plot: Two-thirds of the book happened without magic. Then at the end, when everything else has failed, May finds a MAGIC spell. Really? I didn’t believe it.
- Think of a book that you enjoyed. Pretend you are a news reporter. Do a report from outside the courthouse where the antagonist (the baddie!) is on trial. Video yourself, as though you were reporting for the evening news, or write an article as though you’re a journalist for a local paper.
Get the Idea?
One of your ideas might just give you a JOLT OF EXCITEMENT, a spark that could give you the nucleus of your story. In other words… INSPIRATION!
From the attic of your UNIQUE mind, you might find bits and pieces that you could add to that idea and form a brand new story.
Hunting for Inspiration
You are made of stories. You have been hearing stories since the day you were born. Many of those stories are about you – the day you took your first step, the day you said your first word, the day you covered your hair in strawberry jam.
You hear family stories and friends’ stories. You hear stories from your teacher, read stories in books, watch stories in videos and films. You hear people tell one another stories as you wait for the bus, as you sit in the back of the car listening to the adults chatting or as you hang out in the school yard.
Think about all of the stories that you already know, especially fairy tales or stories from folklore. Could they inspire a new story?
Who Knew?
Point of view is the angle through which the story is told. You can tell a story in the first, second, or third person.
First person (I/We):
I knew that there was trouble ahead.
Second person (You):
You knew that there was trouble ahead
Third person (She/He/It/They):
She knew that there was trouble ahead.
Changing the point of view can refresh an old story and create something totally new.
Over to You
- We know how Red Riding Hood’s story starts. What about rewriting the story starting with a different point of view?
"The wolf’s mother watched him go. What was he up to now?"
- The story of Oisín in Tír na nÓg is normally told from a third-person point of view. Could you retell the story from the point of view of the horse? Maybe they’re a very cranky horse? You could start like this:
"I knew that fella Oisín would be nothing but trouble the first day I saw him…"
- Write a story called "Snow White and the Seven Dragons" from the point of view of one of the elves.
- Write a Christmas story where Santa forgets his list, but tell it from the point of view of the smallest elf.
Objects that Inspire
Search your home for an interesting object. It could be an old rusty key, a souvenir spoon from Spain or a bottle that looks like it could have once housed a genie. If you can’t find anything at home, you might find something in a charity shop. You don’t necessarily need to buy the object – you could just note it or make a quick sketch.
Take some time to daydream about it. What was its history? Could it be magical?!
Over to You
- Build an ideas museum, on your own or with friends. Collect old objects (or ones that look old) and set them up as you might in a museum. Write a card describing each object. (It doesn’t have to be the truth!)
For example, you could have: A key with a tag attached saying: Rapunzel’s Tower
A baby’s shoe with a card that says: This shoe belonged to a full-grown man after he swallowed a Wonderland shrinking potion.
A vase with a card saying: This vase once housed a genie who was held captive for a hundred years. She escaped in 2020 during the Covid pandemic.
- With friends, each make a story box. First, find a suitable box then put a set of objects into it. You could include a letter, a piece of jewellery or a photograph from the past. Swap boxes with a friend and write a story inspired by what you found in their box.
TIP: Make a mind map
When I’m looking for inspiration, I sometimes make a mind map. I put the main idea in the centre of the page and then brainstorm. I write down all the ideas that come to mind.
Here is an example of one that I did for my book Bumpfizzle the Best on Planet Earth.
Over to You
Make a mind map based on one of these prompts:
- A gorilla learns to talk
- A girl wakes to find that her baby sister has grown wings overnight
- You discover that you can predict the future
- Two friends find a suitcase with loads of money in it
Sunrise, Sunset
Nature has an amazing reputation for inspiring people. She also has some excellent devices – sunsets, sunrises, the sea, the sky, the moon and stars, lonely daffodils, singing birds.
Take advantage! Go outside and be inspired. Bring your notebook… and an umbrella.
Be Swept Away
Music is a fabulous source of inspiration because it comes in every colour, every mood. Play it in the background as you write and let it sweep you away.
I prefer to listen to instrumental music with no words; lyrics distract me. But you might be inspired by a song’s story – every writer is different!
If you are lucky enough to live near an art gallery, go visit! Paintings may suggest stories or different moods. If there’s no art gallery near you, go to the library and look at art books. That can be just as inspiring.
Make It Up As You Go Along
Try free writing. Set a timer for three minutes and start to write. Write anything you like! Even write I can’t think of anything to write – just don’t stop. Keep your hand moving all the time. You might be surprised at what you produce!
Over to You
- Put on some music. Close your eyes and doodle. Then gaze at the doodle until a picture emerges. Does it give you any ideas?
- Put on some very exciting music and write a very exciting scene. Maybe a battle? Now, choose some quiet, thoughtful music and write a quiet, thoughtful scene. Maybe a scene where bad news is delivered?
- Look up Salvador Dalí’s painting The Persistence of Memory. Describe what you see.
What If?
Two of the most powerful words at a writer’s disposal are what and if. Put these words together and you can generate stories all day long.
I write speculative fiction where I wonder what the world will be like in the future. Asking What If? helps me to explore ideas and find inspiration. Here are some examples of questions I have asked myself:
In the future…
- What if wishes were granted or refused by a government-controlled computer?
- What if everyone was born knowing the exact day they would die?
- What if all the paintings in the world came to life?
If you ask What If? and let your mind wander and explore lots of ideas, you may find the inspiration you need, just like that!
TIP: Write what you like
Make a list of your favourite books and films. See what they have in common. That might tell you the type of story that you are drawn to and the story that you’d like to write.
Daydream
Daydreaming has had some very bad press. It’s been described as a waste of time and it’s even been banned in many classrooms! But daydreaming is one of the ways that we can make contact with our imagination. When you’re writing a story it’s so easy to become distracted with the internet or the phone, with TV or friends. A story needs somewhere to grow, to put down roots, to develop.
Looking out the window and allowing your mind to drift can give your imagination time to do that work. Think of it like a seed buried deep in the ground. Down there, in the dark, in the quiet, the seed germinates and puts up little green shoots. Your story will behave likewise.
You could daydream about a story you’ve read or a film you’ve seen, imagining other scenarios rather than the one the storyteller chose. You could daydream about what you would like to do in the world. You could daydream about helping animals or living wild in a forest or flying through the night sky on the back of an owl.
Write a list of WHAT IFS in your notebook.
If you feel a buzz of excitement, write the story! Here’s the thing though… don’t think about it too much. Just write! You can always go back and fix it later.
- What if you believed that your mother had robbed a bank?
- What if memories could be bought and sold?
- What if animals took over the world?
Have a go at one of these... I daydreamed about "What if I believed my mam was a bank robber?"
- I’d invent a robotic octopus that can steal eight time more than a human.
- I’d find CLUES. A mask? Her diary? A book called Robbing Banks for Dummies?
- I’d try to STOP her.
- I’d JOIN her! But first she’d make me do lots of ROBBER TESTS.
I’d have most fun imagining I was a robber, so that’s the story I would mind-map next. I might keep the octopus though…
Don't worry! Every writer hears this voice.
How can we get rid of it?
Imagination! Let's pretend to trap the voice in a jar and bury it in the garden.
That sounds like FUN!
Whatever happens, DON’T BELIEVE the voice!
Instead, remember you are brilliant, funny and creative! And no-one has ever seen the world through your eyes before.
Making It Up As You Go Along: A Children's Guide to Writing Stories is published by Little Island - find out more here
