Sunday, June 17, 2007

The Humor Factor

I recently read a story, If You Can't Sleep, to my children. It was written by a member of my critique group. It's not published yet, but it's such a sensational story, that I'm sure it will be soon. My girls loved it. They want to hear it over and over again. Which makes me wonder: What about it makes the story successful?

Is it the topic? All kids an relate to not sleeping.

Is it the furry, friendly, lovable sheep? It could be. Children love soft and cuddly things.

Could it be both of these things? Probably, but I think it's what I call "The Humor Factor". The girls' favorite part of the story was the flying sheep. I won't say much else about the story. I'm sure it will be published, and I don't want to ruin the surprise.

Was the story great on its own? Absolutely. It had a problem, which, deepened as the story went on. It became an instant hit, however, the first time the sheep flew through the air. It landed in a way that made the girls laugh so hard, they fell out of bed! Yes, really.

Add a little humor to the ingredients of a good story: action, conflict, problems, and you may have a recipe for a favorite bedtime story.

2 comments:

Wendy said...

That's awesome, Jen. Thank you. And Abby and Woolly thank you, too. May they be in print one fine day.

And the poem is beautiful. One of your hidden talents. I think you should do more poetry.

Keep writin' and keep bloggin' my friend.

W

Jennifer Gladen said...

Thanks for stopping by Wendy! That means a lot. I can't wait till the day your book is published! You have a great voice for writing for Children. I can't wait to see what else you come up with.
Keep it comming!

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