My sister's kid asked me a simple question about my story idea

I was telling my 8-year-old niece about a fantasy story I was stuck on, with a hero trying to find a lost crown. She just looked at me and said, 'But why does he want it? Is he sad?' It hit me that I'd spent weeks on the map and the magic rules, but I never gave the guy a real feeling. I went back and wrote down three specific reasons he needs that crown, all tied to his family. Suddenly the whole plot had a point. Has anyone else had a kid point out the obvious thing you totally missed?

3 comments

3 Comments

robin59122d ago

Kids ask simple questions because they don't get the bigger picture. World-building and rules are what make a fantasy story actually work, not just some character's feelings.

the_jennifer22d ago

Tell that to the kid who asked about Hogwarts plumbing.

taylorshah22d ago

My first draft had twelve pages on the fictional economy. The main character's name was still "Protagonist." Kids cut right to the heart of the matter because they look for the story, not the scaffolding.