Now you can’t just come right out and say what their problem is. The story must evolve in such a way as to make it readily apparent what they are going through. For example, anyone who read Harry Potter could tell that he had family issues and that he felt different from the other kids because of his personal history. R.K. Rowling never had to come out and say these things. The story naturally led you to these conclusions.
Now on to the solution to your character’s problem. As these are children’s stories feel free to be creative. In Harry Potter, Harry develops close relationships and gains popularity and a sense of having a home through his adventures at Hogwarts. By fighting a common evil he gains the other students’ respect and loyalty.
So think now on the problem that your story’s character has. How can he or she solve it in an exciting way?
Having difficulty deciding what to write? Go to the standard good versus evil scenario. All great stories use this. There must be something that you character must overcome and there is usually a nemesis involved. So let’s say that your character is feeling awkward at his new school. He wants to fit in. Perhaps there is a popular crowd that doesn’t really give him a chance. Maybe he is really intelligent. I mean an off the charts genius when it comes to book smarts, but has almost no social skills. How could this boy genius make friends? Could he develop a machine that makes anyone who uses it more likeable? Does it work or backfire? What lesson does he learn in the end.
Most good stories have lessons. Think of every Grimm fairy tale out there. This is not a new concept. The trick is to not beat your readers over the head with it. They should come to the conclusion themselves without having to spell it out for them.
Learning how to write a great story involves subtlety and imagination. Have fun with it. Do not pressure yourself on getting the exact right word when you first write your story. That is what editing is for. Focus instead on writing a good tale, one where even if you misspelled ever fourth word the reader would keep reading because the story line is just that good.
Tags: book smarts, boy genius, close relationships, grimm fairy tale, hogwarts, personal history, popular crowd, potter harry, r k rowling, subtlety