Everyone has a different method for writing stories. Here’s mine, with some tongue in cheek 😉

1. Get busy doing something. Preferably somewhere that you can’t use a pen. a) driving is good; b) go for a run; c) take the dog for a walk; d) going to the toilet works too!
2. Inspiration will strike!
3. When inspiration strikes, repeat the story idea in your head over and over until you can a) park the car; b) stop running; c) find a park bench; d) wash your hands!
4. Once you have stopped your activity, grab pen and paper and write down your idea before it slips away forever! If I don’t have pen/paper with me, I record the start of the story on my phone.
5. Ponder idea. Let it percolate through your brain for as long as it takes. This could be hours, days, weeks, months, years! The story will formulate clearly when the time is right. Repeat your mantra of “There’s a story in there somewhere” as often as possible to provide comfort.
6. Write, write, write!
7. Edit.
8. Re-write.
9. Repeat steps 7 & 8 as required.
10. Protect the story and your heart until it is ready to be shared, and you are ready to share.

The story of how stories are created can be as joyful and interesting as the stories themselves. I’ve written previously about the origins of Lum, Animalympics, Brave Brian and Monster Bites, but there are plenty of other stories I’ve penned which have fun starts and I’d like to share one with you here.

Misheard Names

When my son was very small he loved Star Wars and Lego, so putting those together was almost more excitement than we could cope with. Imagine our delight when we discovered Lego Star Wars Movies! One day, we sat down to watch Bombad Bounty. We were entranced from start to finish. Luckily it was only 20 minutes long – lucky for him as he was only little and couldn’t sit still for long, and lucky for me because I’m not good at sitting still either! As the film ended my son said to me “Which one was Barry?” Puzzled, I asked what he meant. “The film is called Big Bad Barry, I don’t know which one is Barry.” When I stopped giggling, I repeated my mantra, wrote down the name and knew that Big Bad Barry would get his story, and maybe, one day, his own film.

Not long after the Big Bad Barry moment, it was followed up with See-Through Tom. A mishead rendition of Tree-Fu Tom. Did you watch him on CBBC? My daughter and I loved that programme.

So, with Big Bad Barry and See-Through Tom in my head, I had no choice but to give them a story. You can read it below.

Making Friends

Barry had a problem
He hid it from his Dad
He didn’t want his Mum to say
“He’s just a growing lad”

Barry was a big boy
Tall and big and strong
He liked to run and shout a lot
Other children thought it wrong

When Barry went to school each day
He didn’t like it there
Other children wouldn’t play with him
He wanted to hug his bear

The other children ran away
They called him a nasty name:
‘Big Bad Barry’ they would chant
It really was a shame

Barry wanted to tell them
He couldn’t help his size
That he wanted to be friends
If only they’d see his sad eyes

Then one day he met a boy
Who he’d never ever seen
Tom and Barry played all day
Barry asked where Tom had been

Tom had a problem
It really was unfair
He was such a small and quiet boy
No-one saw him there

 “I call myself a nickname”
Tom told Barry sadly
“I call myself ‘See-Through Tom’
It really hurts so badly.”

See-Through Tom and Big Bad Barry
Vowed to change their names
They’d show the other children
And be allowed to join in games

Barry and Tom played together
They played hop scotch and run
They laughed together, joked about
It really was such fun

Children came to see the friends
They watched them playing games
Barry is no longer ‘Big Bad Barry’
No more nasty names

Barry and Tom are best friends
Tom now knows he’s seen
He’s forgotten what he called himself
And no-one’s ever mean.

Underlying Messages in Stories

You can see from the story that it is all about accepting yourself and being kind to others. However, it really did just start with the boys’ names and grow from there. I never start a story by thinking of a ‘theme’ or ‘message’ that I want to get across. Sometimes, I don’t even see the underlying theme or message until someone else points it out.

I have not shared Big Bad Barry and See-Through Tom before. I hope you enjoyed reading their story. It’s on stage 6 of my list. I might send it off to be edited one day. I’m not sure that it is a story that could become a book. Not all stories do. Sometimes, it’s just fun to write and not add any pressure to produce the next book.

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