If you're writing stories for children, have you considered involving the children you love in the creative process? There are so many benefits to be gained, for them and for you. 

I never set out to become a children's book author. The idea emerged over time when I started inventing stories to keep my then-preschool-aged granddaughters entertained on the hour-long car ride from their home to mine. When I heard them getting restless in the back seat, I'd grab their attention with "Once upon a time!" As they got older and acquired more language, I invited them to contribute to the plots. "What do you think happens next?" I'd ask, and off they'd go, unconstrained by logic or convention or the kind of self-consciousness that might hold back a grownup. 

Kids can be a tough audience, and that's a good thing. Learning how to hold their attention will sharpen your skills as a storyteller. As I was working on my first kids' book, The Climbing Tree, the best advice I received was from my oldest granddaughter, Eleanor, the inspiration for the story. She was six years old at the time and not yet reading, but she was an astute critic.

My early drafts were too long, too bogged down in exposition and backstory, and Eleanor let me know it: "Just tell the story, Grandma!" she would admonish. It's the one piece of advice that surfaces again and again as I write in any genre, for any audience.

My granddaughters' contributions made my stories better, and being invited into the process ignited their own creativity. Being taken seriously as collaborators helped them see themselves as storytellers and taught them that their voices mattered.

When you co-create stories with children, you’re creating a shared legacy of creativity. They’ll remember the stories, but more importantly, they’ll remember that you listened.