Children’s stories are often written with a specific age group in mind. Are you trying to write a story for toddlers? For older children? Identify if you are writing for children age 2-4, 4-7, or 8-10. The language, tone, and style of the story will change based on which age group you are writing for.  For example, if you are writing for a 2-4 or 4-7 age range, you should use simple language and very short sentences. If you are writing for an 8-10 age range, you can use language that is a bit more complex and sentences that are longer than four to five words. Think about memories of your childhood that were exciting, strange, or a bit wondrous. Use a memory as the basis for the children’s story. For example, maybe you had a strange day in third grade that you could turn into an entertaining story. Or perhaps you experienced a foreign country when you were very young and have a story from the trip kids would enjoy. Pick an everyday activity or event and give it some whimsy. Make it fantastical by adding an absurd element to it. Use your imagination to try to view it as a child might. For example, you may take a common event like going to the dentist and make it fantastical by having the machinery used by the dentist come alive. Or you may take a child’s first time in the ocean and make it fantastical by having the child go into the deep depths of the ocean. Having a central theme for the story can help you generate ideas. Focus on a theme like love, loss, identity, or friendship from a child’s point of view. Think about how a child might view the theme and explore it. For example, you may explore the theme of friendship by focusing on the relationship between a young girl and her pet turtle. Sometimes a children’s story hinges on a main character that is relatable and unique. Think about character types that do not get represented often in children’s stories. Make your character particular by using real life qualities in children and adults that you find interesting. For example, you may notice that there is not a lot of children’s stories where a young girl of color is the main character. You may then create a main character that fills this void. Make your main character stand out to readers by giving them unique physical traits such as a certain hair style, a particular style of dress, or a distinct walk. You can also give the main character personality traits like a kind heart, a love for adventure, or a tendency to get into trouble. For example, you may have a main character who always wears her hair in long braids and has an obsession with turtles. Or you may have a main character who has a distinct scar on her hand from that time she fell off a tree. Plot out the story in six parts, starting with the exposition, or the set up. In the set up, you introduce the setting, the main character, and the conflict. Start with the name of the main character, and then describe a particular place or location. You can then outline the character's desire or goal, as well as an obstacle or issue they have to deal with. For example, you may have exposition like: a young girl named Fiona who wants a pet discovers a turtle in the lake by her house. This is the event or decision that changes or challenges the main character. The event or decision can come from another character. It can also come from an institution, such as a school or a job. Or it can come from nature, such as a storm or a tornado. For example, you may have an inciting incident like: Fiona’s mother says she cannot have a pet because it is too much responsibility. The rising action is where you develop your main character and explore their relationship with other characters in the story. Show them living their life in the midst of the inciting incident. Describe how they cope or adjust to the inciting incident. For example, you may have rising action like: Fiona captures the turtle and hides it in her backpack, carrying it everywhere with her in secret so her mother does not find it. The climax is the high point of the story, where the main character has to make a major decision or choice. It should be full of drama and be the most exciting moment in the story. For example, you may have a climax like: Fiona’s mother discovers the turtle in her backpack and tells her the turtle cannot be her pet. The falling action is the point where the main character deals with the results of their choice. They may have to make amends or make a decision. The character may also join together with another character in this section of the plot. For example, you may have falling action like: Fiona and her mother get in an argument and the turtle escapes. They then both go in search of the turtle when they discover it missing. The resolution wraps up the story. It tells the reader whether the main character succeeds or fails to achieve their goal. Maybe your main character gets what they want. Or perhaps they make a compromise. For example, you may have a resolution like: Fiona and her mother discover the turtle in the lake and watch it swim away together. Get a better sense of the genre by reading examples of children’s stories that have been successful. Try to read stories that focus on the demographic or age group you’d like to write for. You may read:   Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak  Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White  The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson  The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
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One-sentence summary -- Identify the age group you are writing for. Use a memory from your childhood as inspiration. Take a common thing and make it fantastical. Pick a theme or idea for the story. Create a unique main character. Give your main character one to two distinguishing traits. Create a set up. Have an inciting incident. Include rising action. Have a dramatic climax. Include falling action. End with a resolution. Read examples of children’s stories.

Article: Meanwhile, prepare a 9-inch by 5-inch (23-cm by 13-cm) loaf pan by lightly greasing the bottom and sides with nonstick cooking spray or shortening.  Alternatively, you can use two 8-inch by 4-inch (20-cm by 10-cm) loaf pan. Make sure that the total loaf pan volume can hold 8 cups (2 L).  To further prevent sticking, consider lightly dusting the bottom of the pan with a little flour after greasing it. You may also use parchment paper, but using aluminum foil since the foil can cause quicker browning and uneven cooking for this recipe. In a large bowl, mix together the flour and sugar until evenly combined. Depending on your personal sense of taste and the lemon-lime soda used, you may need to alter the amount of sugar. If you have a notably sweet soda or prefer blander bread, cut the sugar back by 1 Tbsp (15 ml). If you have a mild soda or strongly prefer very sweet bread, consider adding another 1 Tbsp (15 ml) of sugar. Pour the carbonated soda over the dry ingredients and mix well using a mixing spoon or clean hands. Lightly knead the dough in the bowl until it comes together.  Note that the dough will likely be somewhat lumpy. Do not attempt to knead out all the lumps since over-mixing the dough can cause problems with the finished texture. For a blander bread, consider using club soda instead of lemon-lime soda. You can experiment further by using different flavors of carbonated soda, but each different flavor will have a different effect on the final taste of the bread. Transfer the dough into your prepared loaf pan. Use your hands to spread it out evenly over the entire pan. Pat on the top surface to flatten it out. If using two loaf pans instead of one, evenly divide the dough between the two. Place the filled loaf pan in the oven and bake the bread until the top turns light golden-brown. This will usually happen after 45 minutes, but some ovens may require additional bake time. Remove the finished bread from the oven. After 10 minutes, remove the loaf from the pan and allow it to continue cooling on a wire rack. Enjoy slightly warm to room temperature. The finished bread will be somewhat crumbly and chewy, with a flavor somewhat reminiscent of homestyle biscuits. You can slice it thin or thick.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Combine the flour and sugar. Mix in the lemon-lime soda. Form the loaf. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes. Serve.