The Fairies – Petal & Nettle and The Best Story Ever: A magical picture book celebrating friendship, imagination and the joys of storytelling!

Written by Kirstie Watson

Illustrated by Tilia Rand-Bell

A cute picture book about two friends who are fairies. When Nettle decides he will write the best story ever, he soon gets stuck.

Enter his friend Petal. She coaxes Nettle not to give up by revealing one at a time the elements necessary to a good story. Characters, setting, plot, and a problem to solve.

Together these two friends, along with others that they meet during their adventure, inspire young readers to persevere and never give up on their dreams. They also teach children the qualities and value of true friendship.

This book is appropriate for elementary and middle grade readers.

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I recently read this book that I think both fiction and nonfiction writers will benefit by putting it on your reading list. Authors are storytellers. They reveal their soul to the world, whether that be creating fiction or talking about elements of the real world.

Here is my review of this thought-provoking book.

GETTING YOUR STORY OUT TO THE WORLD

THE STORY ADVANTAGE

Written by L J Bloom

If you want to effectively transmit your story to the world, this book will give you the tools to not only write but promote your story to your ideal audience. Nonfiction as well as fiction writers will find it useful.

Bloom begins by reminding us about the origin of storytelling, how the art has evolved over time, and the way stories need to be communicated in today’s world. The key to success is to make your story relevant to the type of audience who will benefit and relate to it. Bloom then explores the reasons we tell stories, and the many diverse types of stories that can be told.

The second part of the book gets into the nitty gritty of how to craft your story. That involves becoming clear about your audience and becoming clear about your message. Next, authors must find a way to make it pertinent to their audience. How can you make your message useful to them? A key ingredient is to get your readers emotionally involved in the story.

The last part of the book is the actual telling of the story. How does the storyteller use body language, voice, physical setting, and firsthand experiences to transmit the story in a memorable way to the listener? Only after accomplishing all these tasks will an author be able to successfully engage, inspire and influence her audience.

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Check out my learning resources for parents, teachers, and children at http://www.LittleMissHISTORY.com

Do you ever feel stuck in rut? Want to find some fresh ideas?

Here are some things I do to get my juices flowing:

• Invent a brand new character

• Use the conditional term, What if? to create new possibilities and scenarios

• Reimagine a character or a setting from a previous book or article and give it a new perspective.

• Watch a movie, documentary or TV show that feature the genres in which you write.

• Read books in many types of genres. Mix up the classics with new releases.

• When reading periodicals, clip articles of interest and revisit them from time to time for new ideas.

• Do the same with photos. You can put them into groups like travel, people or memorable events.

• Eavesdrop wherever you go. Listen to what members of each generation are talking about on public transportation, at the park or on the street.

• Hang out with people in different age groups. Learn about what generates their interest. Include these ideas when targeting that age group.

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