Have you ever read your children’s story and thought, Something is missing.
The writing may be good. The characters may be interesting. And the story may even have an important message.
But somehow, it feels flat.
One of the most common reasons for this is surprisingly simple:
Nothing really changes.
Many manuscripts I review have this problem. Things happen, characters talk, and pages go by, but when the story ends, the reader may wonder, What actually happened?
THE IMPORTANCE OF PROBLEM, STRUGGLE, CHANGE, AND RESOLUTION
A children’s story needs movement. It needs purpose.
At its most basic level, a story needs:
• A problem
• A struggle
• A change
• A resolution
Without these elements, your manuscript can feel more like a series of events than an actual story.
Let’s go over these four needed elements of a good story.
A STORY NEEDS A PROBLEM (CONFLICT)
Every story needs something that disrupts the character’s normal world.
Something has to happen that creates a problem, challenge, need, or desire.
Maybe the main character wants something but can’t get it. This happens to Wang in fantasy chapter book “Walking Through Walls.”
Maybe something important is lost. Perhaps the character is afraid of something or needs to solve a problem.
The problem gives the story a reason to move forward. It’s its purpose.
For example, imagine a story about a little girl who loves seashells. She spends the day walking along the beach, collecting them.
That might be pleasant, but where is the story?
Now imagine her favorite seashell has disappeared.
Suddenly, there is a problem.
The little girl (and the reader) wants to know what happened to the seashell.
Will she find it? Will she need help?
The story now has direction.
THE CHARACTER MUST STRUGGLE
Once you introduce a problem, don’t solve it immediately.
This is another issue I often see in manuscripts. The author introduces a problem and then fixes it almost instantly.
There is no struggle. And some new authors want it this way.
But it’s the struggle that creates interest and keeps readers turning the pages.
Your main character needs something to do.
The first attempt to solve the problem doesn’t work. Maybe the character makes a mistake, or obstacles get in the way.
For children’s stories, the struggle doesn’t need to be dramatic or frightening. It can be simple.
• A little girl loses her favorite stuffed bear and searches several places before finding it.
• A young boy wants to make a new friend but doesn’t know how to go about it.
• A girl wanted to get on the school’s soccer team but didn’t make the cut. How can she turn it around?
The important thing is that the character faces obstacles.
A common strategy for overcoming a problem is to create a pattern in which a character makes three attempts to solve a conflict or overcome an obstacle.
If everything comes easily, there is very little story.
The struggle gives the character opportunities to make choices, take action, and learn.
SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE
Perhaps the most important element of storytelling is change.
By the end of the story, something should be different. The problem should be resolved, or in some stories, the character should come to understand or accept something new.
The change can be external.
The lost bear has been found. The young boy figures out how to make a new friend. The girl figures out how to get good enough to make the team.
But change should also happen within the character. This is considered the character arc.
• Maybe the little girl learns she can be brave.
• The boy learns how to approach a potential friend.
• The girl learns that practice, something she doesn’t like doing, is how to improve a skill.
In most, if not all, satisfying children’s stories, both things happen: the external problem is resolved, and the character changes because of the journey.
THE RESOLUTION
Once the change has started, and the story moves to an end, it’s resolution time.
This is the external sorting out of the plot. It answers the story’s main question, ties up loose ends, and establishes a new normal. (Example: The asteroid is destroyed, and Earth is safe.)
At this point, the character’s internal change (growth, transformation, or realization) has also taken place. (Example: The Tin Man realizes he does have a heart.)
When Resolution Is The Change
Sometimes, resolution can’t happen until the character changes. The internal shift allows them to solve the problem. In The Wizard of Oz, the resolution and change happen when Dorothy realizes “there’s no place like home,” and returns to Kansas.
Sometimes writers believe that simple children’s books don’t need much of a plot.
That’s not true.
A picture book can have a very simple storyline, but something still needs to happen, just like in any other genre’s storyline.
Think about the beginning, middle, and end—the story arc.
• At the beginning, the character is in one situation.
• Then something changes.
• The character faces a problem and attempts to deal with it.
• Finally, something is different.
That doesn’t mean every children’s story needs a complicated plot filled with twists and dramatic events. In fact, adding too much can make a story confusing, especially for young readers.
The key is not complexity. The key is movement.
So, what do you do when you’re faced with the question, “What’s wrong with my children’s story?”
ASK YOURSELF: WHAT CHANGES?
If your story feels flat, take a close look at your manuscript and ask yourself a few questions:
• What does my main character want?
• What problem does the character face?
• What is preventing the character from easily solving the problem?
• What does the character do to overcome the obstacles?
• Does anything go wrong along the way?
• How is the problem resolved?
• What is different at the end of the story?
• Has my main character changed, learned something, or grown?
If you have difficulty answering these questions, your story may need more development.
A good story takes the reader on a journey.
It doesn’t have to be an exciting adventure across the world. The journey can be small and simple.
But the character should start in one place—physically, emotionally, or both—and end somewhere different.
That’s what gives a story purpose.
That’s what creates a satisfying reading experience.
And that’s what prevents the reader from reaching the last page and thinking: Well… nothing really happened.
SUMMING IT UP
Every story needs basic elements to create an understandable and enjoyable book. If your story feels flat, look closely at its movement.
Is there a problem?
Is there a struggle?
Is there a resolution?
And most importantly: Does something change?
Even in the simplest children’s story, change is a must.
The Foundation of a Children’s Story
Should Your Message Rule Your Children’s Story?
I’m a working children’s ghostwriter, book doctor, editor, and self-publishing consultant. I help turn your idea, outline, or manuscript into a book you’ll be proud to call your own—and provide hands-on guidance through every step of the self-publishing process.
OTHER HELP I OFFER:
HOW TO WRITE A CHILDREN’S FICTION BOOK
A 200+ page book that will help you write your own children’s book.
CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOK AND CHAPTER BOOK COACHING
4- to 12-week programs
WRITERS ON THE MOVE SELF-PUBLISHING GUIDANCE & SERVICES
Guidance and more for children’s authors (specializing in picture books and chapter books)
You can contact me at kcioffiventrice@gmail.com.
