The standard advice for new writers — “Write what you know” — is good advice for all writers. When you write about what you know first hand, you have your own experiences to draw on. You can fill in all those details from your own life to make your characters, their emotions, and the situations they find themselves in believable. It’s not surprising that most of the stories we publish in Stone Soup by girl authors have girls as the main characters. And most of our boy authors write about boys. But every once in a while, we find a great story where the author has managed to create believable characters of the opposite sex. In our November/December 2015 issue, we have not one but two such stories! In “Face Your Fears,” 12-year-old author Jem Burch, a boy from California, writes about two sisters who were abandoned by their parents when they were very young. Flash forward eight years, and the sisters are living what should be a happy life with their loving adoptive mom, Amber. But older sister Katherine can’t get past the trauma of losing her parents. It’s younger sister Lily who finally helps Katherine face her fears and snap out of her depression. “Thank You, Mr. Huffington,” by 10-year-old Nadia Suben of New York, shows us a young boy who is also dealing with loss. Josh misses his dad terribly. He reluctantly joins the school band. He likes the band teacher, Mr. Huffington, but he doesn’t practice his trumpet. Then there’s a pivotal scene where Mr. Huffington confronts Josh, and Josh confides, “My dad… he was a jazz musician.” Josh starts to cry, and Mr. Huffington, great guy that he is, knows just what to do. He puts his arm around Josh to comfort him. He helps Josh see that music can help him cope with a tough situation. Josh will never forget Mr. Huffington’s advice, or his kindness. Both of our young authors show a deep understanding of their characters. Both make us believe that these are real people. We are moved by them. We feel what they feel. How do Jem and Nadia do it? How do they put themselves in the minds of a character of the opposite sex? Perhaps Jem has a sister he knows really well. Perhaps Nadia has a brother. I bet both authors read a lot and get ideas for their own work by paying close attention to what they read. While it may not be the obvious choice for a boy to write about girls, or vice-versa, why not give it a try? Start by thinking about the stories Jem and Nadia wrote. Then think about your favorite kids’ books by adults. Harry Potter comes to mind, of course. Give yourself a challenge and try writing a story from a point of view that is very different from your own, but still believable.
Using Silence to Create a Mood
Every once in a while a story comes along that is unlike any other. Dancing Birds, the featured story from our September/October 2015 issue, is such a story. What makes it so special? Yes, the characters and setting are exotic. A Welsh girl named Glas lives with her family in a French-speaking village in Quebec. Glas makes mechanical animals in her attic. She misses her father, who is in Denmark, helping his sick brother. She misses her grandmother, who has gone home to Wales. Then her cousin Maskine arrives, sad and silent. But beyond the unusual characters and setting, the story, by 11-year-old Ayla Schultz, is special for the mood it creates. When we finish reading it, our mood has changed too. We feel the sadness, the loneliness, and the final glimmer of happiness. We are in the world of the story. How does Ayla do it? Read the story carefully, and you will see that it is full of descriptions that engage our senses. We see Glas’s dark blue eyes and her grandmother’s red coat. We smell and taste the cinnamon hot chocolate. The bare trees, icy water, and freezing rain tell us how cold it is. But above all, sounds—and especially silence—set the mood of this story. In the first scene, Glas sits silently atop a sand dune, staring at the chilly scene below, thinking about happier times. When cousin Maskine arrives, she doesn’t say a word for weeks. Finally, she speaks a few words to Glas, then grows silent again. Maskine is deeply worried about her family back in Denmark. Sometimes the silence is broken by a doorbell, a knock, or a slammed door. The postman is chatty when he brings a letter. Then all is quiet. In the story’s final scene, Glas has invited Maskine up to her attic workshop. Glas silently hands her the key to a beautiful mechanical bird. From their one conversation, we know that the girls have a bond. They share a love of birds and the way they appear to dance on the sand. Maskine turns the key and the mechanical bird lifts it legs one by one, just like the birds on the beach. For the first time since she arrived, Maskine smiles. No words are spoken, and the story ends with this perfect moment of understanding. The next time you write a story, think about sounds. Which sounds will you include, and which will you leave out? Will your characters reveal themselves through dialogue or through their thoughts? Sometimes a connection can be made between two people from a shared experience, without any words being exchanged. See if you can create a mood that stays with your reader long after the story has ended.
A Touching Story by a Boy
Maybe you’ve noticed. Stone Soup publishes more writing by girls than by boys. This is not intentional. We would love to include an equal number of contributions by boys and girls in every issue. We can think of two reasons for the imbalance: 1) we receive more submissions from girls than from boys, and 2) many of the stories we receive by boys contain violence, which makes them inappropriate for Stone Soup. However, we do get some great writing by boys on themes that are appropriate for Stone Soup. This month’s featured story (July/August 2015 issue), Grandpa and the Chicken Coop, is a good example. Eleven-year-old Jack Zimmerman, who lives in New York City, is happiest when he is with his grandfather and they are building something together. But Grandpa lives in California and the two don’t get to see each other very often. Jack envies his cousin Logan, who lives closer to Grandpa. The story takes place during the summer after third grade, when at last Jack gets to visit Grandpa, and the two have a grand time building a chicken coop together. But that’s not what the story is really about. Over and over we learn how much Jack loves Grandpa, and why. “My grandpa is so great and does everything I like to do, and for that reason I love him so much,” says Jack, after a phone call with Grandpa that leaves him feeling sad that they are so far apart. Then, when the two finally get together and spend the day building the chicken coop, Jack realizes something: “Each time I would make a mistake he would correct me and teach me how to do it right. That was what I loved most about him during this project.” At the end of their perfect day, Jack gets to tell Grandpa how he feels: “Oh, Grandpa. I love you so much.” Jack is not afraid to express his feelings, and the result is a very touching story about the love between a boy and his grandfather. Not all boys (or girls, for that matter) would feel comfortable expressing these strong feelings. Maybe, like Jack, you have a family story you’d like to share with our readers. Or maybe you’re into fantasy, science fiction, or historical fiction. If your story has a strong plot, believable characters, and colorful descriptions, it is a good candidate for publication in Stone Soup. So, all you boys out there, get busy! We want to publish your work! Take the extra steps to polish your story by reading it over a few times, adding more detail where you think it’s needed and cutting any boring parts you find. No matter what genre you choose, base your characters on people you know, so their thoughts, feelings, and language are realistic. Use settings you’re familiar with, so you can capture the look, feel, and smell of a place. If you need to, ask your parents for help getting your story ready to send to Stone Soup, following our contributors’ guidelines. We’re eager to hear from you!
