Thrilling shock of play

“Stop, Gavin. Be Joyful!” “Be Playful!” “Focus on the Positive!” These words were boldly directed towards me as I jumped ship and started to write for children.

I was startled by the punchy forthrightness; I could ignore the first person thinking she didn’t really know me but when three people pressed me on the matter I had to stand up and pay attention!

My children’s book adventure was as much a surprise to me as it was for everyone else who were used to my writing on finding gratitude in all things from an adult perspective. But here I suggest 3 things that made it all worth it:

1. Child’s Heart: I’ve been able to put myself in the shoes of 8 to 10-year-olds (the age of the main characters in my first and second story). I use fun words such as swished and swooned and phrases such as Golden sunflowers lifted their faces to him and I will kiss the raindrops a thousand times.
2. Awe and Wonder: In my first story we see the heartwarming reaction of grumbling granny when her dream for her grandson is fulfilled. In my second story we see the creative genius of a young girl who connects with her universe and her colourful friend, resulting in more play and wonder to come.
3. Silliness: I went wild with a creative exercise at a recent online course that focused on promoting a most-loved story. I stated: “You’ll love Grandpa is Here, especially the scene of the homely meal filled with fresh walnuts from grandpa’s garden. Or the scene of the tranquil countryside with rabbits, pheasants, horses and more!”

Finally, I’d like to share a bit about my own process in writing my first story. I can say it was both an enormous challenge and a thrilling shock of play when ideas for a story on a grumbling granny started to surface in early 2022.

Since then, I collaborated with an illustrator on an artist residency in Sicily, fine-tuned my text with a Canadian editor and took on board feedback from primary school children and their principal.

I also got back on the horse to make the necessary changes, for example, focusing on a simple, warm and gentle concept to suit the child audience such as meadow over the hill instead of a seemingly profound concept such as Kingdom of Light.

I hope my story will bring joy to children and their families 🙂

Call to Action: Write about a recent experience when you were able to tune into a positive movement!