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by Bryan Patrick Avery
There’s more than way to perform any particular magic trick. There must be at least 50 ways to vanish a coin, for instance. Why so many, you ask? One word: Creativity. Every magician brings their own skill, style, and sensibilities to the art. This leads to many variations on the same theme, but it also means the creation of new pieces of magical art that delight and inspire us. The same can be said about writing. There are many ways to tell a story, and our individual approach to telling a story makes all the difference. This month, we’ll look at two creative approaches to storytelling that create a magical experience for the reader. I’m a fan of all things Neil Gaiman but FORTUNATELY, THE MILK is one of my favorites. A brother and sister wait at the kitchen table as their father goes to the store to fetch milk for breakfast. He takes forever and, when he returns, the kids quiz him about why the trip took so long. What follows is the most entertaining, outlandish, and creative story. |
The father explains his adventures (which include alien abduction, a stegosaurus inventor, piranhas, ponies, and time travel). The veracity of the father’s story may be called into question, but the quality of his story is not. What’s unique about this story (besides the rather odd cast of characters) is that, though kids will love it, a kid isn’t the main character. In fact, we scarcely hear from the kids as the father tells his tale, with the exception of a few interruptions along the way to ask clarifying questions. FORTUNATELY, THE MILK is an entertaining tale and a great example of storytelling (Neil’s and the father’s) at its best.
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As a kid, I loved the CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE books. I also loved mysteries and I confess to being more than just a little disappointed that I could never find any good mysteries where I controlled the action. Lauren Magaziner made my dreams come true with CASE CLOSED #1: MYSTERY AT THE MANSION. Carlos, his best friend Eliza, and her little brother Jack set out to solve a mystery in hopes of saving Carlos’ mother’s struggling detective agency.
The case? Figure out who is threatening a rich widow. The challenge? The reader is in charge of the action. You decide who to question, what to investigate, and who to accuse. Along the way, you encounter danger, find clues, and solve puzzles. Choose wisely and you just might solve the case. Choose wrong? Well, let’s just say I ended up as a human dog, got locked out of the client’s house, and ended up a sidekick to an evil villain before I finally made the right choices and solved the case. It was a blast, and this is a book that readers can come back to over and over again. |
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If, by chance, you make it through all the permutations, Lauren has two more books in the CASE CLOSED series, including the recently released CASE CLOSED: HAUNTING AT THE HOTEL. Though you might never write a book in this style, it is helpful to reflect on the level of detail that goes into creating a book where the narrative is in the hands of the reader. Simply thinking through your story in this level of detail can help you craft better stories.
Well that’s all for this month. Happy writing, stay safe, and have a magical month.
Well that’s all for this month. Happy writing, stay safe, and have a magical month.
Bryan Patrick Avery discovered a love of magic and mystery at the age of four, after receiving a magic set and his first Bobbsey Twins Mystery book. Today, he is an award-winning poet and author, and a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and the Mystery Writers of America. He's also a life member of the Society of American Magicians (which was once led by Harry Houdini) and charter member of the International Association of Black Magical Artists. Bryan's greatest joy is making stories appear out of thin air.
