The magical childhood stories

The last blog used childhood stories as an example of effective strategies for making writing more enjoyable and memorable. Other than making connections and being simplistic, what made them compelling ways to grab the attention of toddlers?

An important aspect is that while trying to construct a tiny universe of their own, the stories also leave out a significant number of details for readers to imagine. A great example is one of Hans Christian Andersen’s classics, The Little Match Girl. In the opening paragraph, Andersen mentions environmental conditions necessary for the story’s progression, including the coldness and darkness on New Year’s Eve, the little girl’s inadequate dressing and the street’s emptiness. The readers are free to picture the surroundings as they desire, adding detail and liveliness in their unique way.

Fairy tales tend to follow an established structure to get the most out of a child’s attention, and The Little Match Girl is no exception. Characters and the world are established at the beginning of a story. The introductions are often calm and organized, setting the stage for an unexpected unfolding that almost certainly follows. Andersen introduces the match girl’s situation at the story’s beginning. This middle part often creates tension and excitement through problems or conflicts, fully absorbing the listening child’s attention. Matches were running out, and the girl was gradually losing hope, painting a stressful picture with passersby adding to the direness. As the characters attempt to escape the conflicts, the story slowly comes to a resolution. When the girl lights the last match, and after she is taken by her grandmother, knowing both are with God, the story comes to a heartwarming end.

This is a highly effective formula, and its use is not limited to children’s books and stories. Science communicators have been inspired to make their stories more attractive to a broad audience.

BEST BEFORE: Forever

Adopting the structure of a children’s story is easy. First, instead of introducing the characters and the settings, a scientific article can use the beginning to bring up the importance of the research topic in a way that is easily relatable to the readers. For example, suppose the topic is neuroplasticity instead of using scientific terminologies. In that case, the writer can raise the importance of neuroplasticity in an ordinary person’s ability to remember things and how the deterioration can lead to symptoms of dementia. After successfully capturing the reader’s attention by stating the importance, the writer can elaborate on the ways that the scientists conducted the research and the challenges they faced. This is the scientific version of the problem or conflict, a perfect way to bridge the background and the results. When presenting the results, it is important to tie them back to the significance of the scientific works since it is easy to lose track of the purpose after a lengthy middle section.

Rewinding

Looking back at the last blog post about writing skills and their practical applications, it is still important to consider strategies to improve your writing. An outsider can easily spot any incoherent structure in the writing. Simplicity remains a significant pillar in delivering a concise, compelling story. Child stories can provide many suggestions since they cater to audiences with various intellectual abilities.