Tag Archives: children’s short stories

Pace the story

Posted on October 31, 2014 by

Copyright © 2014 Jerry Dunne Narrative pace concerns how fast or slow the plot movement feels to the reader as they make their way through the story. Good pace enables the narrative to offer a feeling of smooth and constant … Continue reading →

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Well-structured dialogue

Posted on August 31, 2014 by

Copyright © 2014 Jerry Dunne Dialogue is a powerful tool in the development of character, conflict, humour, drama, tension, suspense and pace. But dialogue must be handled skilfully in order to accomplish any of its objectives. Without a proper understanding … Continue reading →

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Where do you get your ideas for your stories?

Posted on January 10, 2012 by

Copyright © 2012 Jerry Dunne Like so many storytellers this is a question I’ve been asked a lot. And it’s a question I don’t generally take seriously because ideas come easily and often from so little that I never think … Continue reading →

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Exercises for sparking up character in the short story

Posted on December 8, 2011 by

Copyright © 2011 Jerry Dunne This post is a follow-on from the post Sparking Up Character In The Short Story. http://is.gd/HTd7je So now we know we need to find the attitude of the character as related to the idea and … Continue reading →

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Sparking up character in the short story

Posted on December 7, 2011 by

Copyright © 2011 Jerry Dunne It’s difficult enough to bring character to life in a novel, but a short story offers an even trickier challenge. Many writers need time to build their character and give it energy. They can’t just … Continue reading →

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Give child readers what they want to read, not what you want them to read

Posted on November 16, 2011 by

Copyright © 2011 Jerry Dunne The beginner writer of children’s fiction can run quickly into difficulties if they insist on applying their own tastes and desires to the genre. You cannot write for children some of the types of stories … Continue reading →

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The trickiness of writing the children’s short story (for the middle reader)

Posted on November 15, 2011 by

Copyright © 2011 Jerry Dunne Short story writing is a hard discipline just like all the other fiction crafts. But I suggest here that it is trickier to get right than a novel, though it is much shorter than a … Continue reading →

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