Flash Fiction: Half-Minute Horrors

"Half-Minute Horrors" is a collection of short, scary stories by some of today's most popular authors.  Be thrilled by Margaret Atwood, Kenneth Oppel, Neil Gaiman, Holly Black, James Patterson and more.

Although the book is marketed for children, be warned that I would not recommend it for younger readers. Click here for some excerpts. 

Writer's Challenge:  If you are an aspiring children's writer, I challenge you to write a horror story for children in no more than 500 words.  Post your story here, if you dare.

Click here for my flash fiction horror story, "Dinnertime", which won a "Shortest Scariest Story Ever Told" contest.   


  

Steampunk Picture Book Writing Prompts

With the rising popularity of steampunk in young adult and children's literature (e.g. Arthur Slade's The Hunchback Assignments I think there would be a market for steampunk picture books or early chapter books.

If you are an aspiring writer and here are some possible titles for steampunk stories for kids to help inspire you:

• The Clockwork Unicorn
• The Airship Adventures of Goggles Girl
• Professor Twist and the Unspeakable Invention
• Chronicles of the Secret Steamboat Society
• The Return of the Floating City 
• The Princess and the Pocketwatch 
• The Key to the Mechanical Menagerie

If you know of any steampunk picture books to recommend, or if you want more suggested titles (for any type of children's books), please leave a comment.

Update:  If you are interested in writing a teen steampunk series, click here for some writing prompts.

Writing Prompts: Christmas Story Ideas

Do you want to write a Christmas-themed children's story?  Here are some ideas to help inspire you:

1.  A boy wakes up in the middle of the night and goes to discover that Santa has left presents, but the special homemade cookies he and his little sister left out for him were not eaten.  What if he hears a noise outside and chases after Santa to give him the cookies?  What if he hears his sister coming down the stairs and has to hide the cookies so she won't be disappointed too?   You decide what happens next.  

2.  On Christmas day, all the kids in town are crying because they all received coal in their stockings.  Some of the older children decide to travel to the North Pole and demand that Santa give proper gifts to the younger children.  When they get there, what do they find?  Do you think it was Santa who left the coal?  You decide what the answer is.

Bedtime Tips: Create Stories with Your Children

Children love using their imagination, so instead of just reading bedtime stories to your children, why not make some up with them? 

For younger children, you may need to invent most of the story, but that doesn’t mean they still can’t contribute.  For example, let them decide the name of the prince, or the colour of the princess’s pet dragon. 

If you aren’t confident in your storytelling abilities, start by retelling your favourite fairytales, and your child can provide some new twists.  Who says “Little Red Riding Hood” can’t become “Little Purple Riding Hood”, or that “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” can’t become “Goldilocks and the Three Aliens”?

For older children, you can take turns adding a new sentence to the story.  Some suggested opening lines to get your story started are: 

• On the first day of winter Prince Woebegone looked out his tower window and saw….
• When Mage the Magician asked for a volunteer from the audience….
• Princess Brave was not afraid of anything, until she…..
• As they left the pet store, Sam and Julie asked their mom if they could….
• One night, Martin heard a strange noise coming from under his bed, so he decided to….
• When the frog jumped into Ashley’s purse she....

Don’t forget to write down the best stories.  Your child can even draw pictures to accompany them. 

If you have an original story to share that you have written with your child, please post it in a comment below.