Written by: Donna Beserra
Many people dream of writing a children's book, but just can't seem to get around to doing it. I would like to encourage those people to go ahead and do it. The hardest part is getting started. Some people aren't even sure what they want to write about. For those people I would suggest brainstorming. Think about your interests and experiences. Jot down thoughts even if they are random.
To get ideas think of your day to day life. Reminisce about your childhood. If you have your own children let them inspire you. Or even observe other children. Maybe they can give you ideas.
As an example, I will describe how I created my Twirly Shirley stories. I began writing the stories through the inspiration of a hobby I shared with my children. They loved to dress up and act out fairy tales, so I created costumes and allowed them to perform the stories on home video.
I eventually decided it would be great to create a fairy tale of my own. It wasn't difficult for me to think of a story. My son Donnie loved inventions. He especially enjoyed making things spin. I helped him and we started out by making a miniature fan. Donnie created a small spinning car that lit up like a space ship. He called it a Wacky Spinmobile and entered it in the school science fair. We ended up in the newspaper the next day.
I later made Donnie an Inspector Gadget costume with various gizmos including a spinning helicopter hat. He wore it for Halloween. In addition, I designed a special costume for my daughter Shereene. It included spinning braids. She wore it in the school parade and the other kids loved it. They were asking how we made her "hair" spin.
The girl with the spinning braids became Twirly Shirley, (Twirly for the braids, and Shirley because it rhymed with Twirly, and also happened to be my mother's name),Twirly Shirley is very emotional ( a trait shared my daughter Shereene and myself).
Shirley's braids spin whenever she becomes excited. Shirley also loves performing arts, as do my children. She tries out for a part in a play of The Wizard Of Oz, which was one of my kid's favorite stories.
I'm sure that if you think it over, you can find something interesting to write about. Once you have some ideas on paper, start building a story around those ideas. Keep writing until you have finished the story. Don't worry about revising or perfecting your book. First finish it. I can't emphasize this enough. You can revise it later. Being too much of a perfectionist can hold you back and you may never finish. A lot of people get through half a story then give up because they keep trying to improve it repeatedly.
Once you have completed a book, you can edit it. Just don't overdo it. Many imperfect stories are great. Do the best you can. It is important to check spelling and grammar, but as long as the story is interesting don't worry about perfection. Just enjoy your book and let others have the opportunity to enjoy it as well.
Hurricane Shirley is here! Hurricane Shirley is now available through Barnes & Noble, as well as through the following links: 
