Writing for kids: The author is God or Michelangelo

When I began writing a series of three storybooks for middle school kids in China, I had little idea who the characters would be or what conflicts would drive the action.

I only had a general idea: I wanted to bridge Chinese and Western cultures by telling stories of a young Chinese boy who rises to challenges, develops himself with a humble attitude and eventually becomes a hero.

This project was an outgrowth of the bedtime stories I used to make up for my children decades ago. They have pestered me for years to write them down. So this is a first step.