Sammy Westfall set her story, “More or Less” (the featured story from our January/February 2014 issue) in the Philippines, where her family lives part of the time. It’s fascinating to get a glimpse of another culture and learn some words in Tagalog, the language of the Philippines, but Sammy’s story is a timeless one that […]
teaching writing
Realistic Storytelling
I don’t know about you, but I like the characters in the stories I read to seem like real people. Realistic characters have strengths and weaknesses, they talk in everyday language, they joke with their friends. A story can have an interesting plot, gripping suspense, life lessons, but if the characters don’t seem like real […]
History Comes Alive
Many Stone Soup readers tell us that historical fiction is their favorite genre. We think we know why. Realistic characters, whose feelings and concerns are similar to our own, can bring the events of history to life better than a dry textbook. A perfect example of historical fiction is “Curtis Freedom,” the featured story from […]
