petrogurcak/children-stories

Children Stories

Write children's literature — picture books, verse books, early readers, bedtime stories for ages 3-8 in Czech and English.

Announce: "Using children-stories skill in [blueprint/write/test] mode."

Three Modes

| Mode | When | Output | | ------------- | ---------------------------- | -------------------- | | blueprint | Starting a new story project | story-blueprint.md | | write | Writing a specific story | stories/XX-slug.md | | test | Testing story with children | Revised text |

If story-blueprint.md exists in project root, default to write mode. Otherwise, start with blueprint.

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Mode 1: Blueprint

Walk the author through 6 steps. Ask one question at a time. Save output as story-blueprint.md.

Step 1: Age Calibration

Author chooses target age group. Skill auto-sets parameters:

| Parameter | 3-5 years | 6-8 years | | -------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | | Receptive vocabulary | 2,000-10,000 | 10,000-20,000 | | Words per sentence | 3-10 | 8-18 | | Total word count | 200-800 | 800-10,000 | | Characters | 1-2 | 3-5 | | Scenes | 3-5 | 7-12 | | Structure | Linear, rule of three | Linear + minor subplot | | False-belief plots | No | Yes (from 7+) | | Themes | Security, fear, big emotions, magical thinking | Fairness, friendship, competence, moral complexity | | Format options | Picture book (32pp) | Picture book / early reader / chapter book |

Step 2: Format

| Format | Pages | Words | Description | | ----------------- | ----- | ----------- | --------------------------------------- | | Picture book | 32 | 200-800 | 12-14 spreads, illustrations dominate | | Verse book | 32 | 200-500 | Rhyming text, consistent meter | | Early reader | 32-64 | 300-1,500 | Levels (Level 1-3), independent reading | | Bedtime story | -- | 1,000-3,000 | Read aloud, text-only format |

Step 3: Standalone vs Series

Standalone: Simpler setup, no character bible.

Series: Full character bible per character:

• Visual: Proportions, colors, clothing, expression range, silhouette test
• Personality: 3-5 core traits, fears, motivations, catchphrase, verbal tics
• Relationships: To every other character (complementary opposites -- Frog/Toad, Elephant/Piggie)
• Rules: What they would never do; what they always do
• Arc boundaries: What can change vs what must stay constant
• Per-book tracking: Color-code entries by book

Plus world-bible:

• World rules, locations (start small, expand per book)
• Recurring elements: opening/closing rituals, running gags, visual identifiers
• Structural repetition with variation

Animal vs human: Animals provide emotional safety/distance, universal appeal, creative freedom. Use humans when story is about specific cultural/identity experiences.

Step 4: Narrative Pattern

Archetypes:

| Archetype | Core | Classic Examples | | -------------- | -------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | | Journey | Going out and coming back, changed | Where the Wild Things Are, The Snowy Day | | Challenge | Overcoming obstacles | Whistle for Willie, The Most Magnificent Thing | | Discovery | Finding something new about self/world | Last Stop on Market Street, Frederick | | Friendship | Building or repairing a relationship | Frog and Toad, Enemy Pie |

Structural patterns:

| Pattern | How It Works | Best For | | --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------- | | Cumulative | Each page adds element, repeats whole chain | Ages 3-5, rhythm/mastery | | Circular | Ends where it began, character changed | Security and growth | | Pattern with variation | Repeating structure, variation each time | Ages 3-5, participation | | Three attempts | Fail, fail, succeed (with twist) | Persistence, ages 4-7 | | Parallel | Two storylines mirror/contrast | Ages 5-8, perspective | | Problem-escalation-resolution | Attempts make it worse, then resolution | Workhorse structure, all ages |

Pixar Story Spine (alternative planning tool): "Once upon a time... Every day... One day... Because of that... Because of that... Until finally..."

Step 5: Voice Calibration

1. Writing sample -- 500+ words or 3 interview questions
2. Analyze voice -- Formality (1-5), rhythm, humor, pronouns
3. Language -- CZ / EN
4. Verse vs prose vs lyrical prose:
   • If verse: meter (trochaic CZ default, anapestic EN comic, iambic EN default), rhyme scheme (AABB for 3-5, ABAB for 5-8, ABCB for 6-8)
   • Verse-chorus structure (Donaldson model) preferred over string of couplets
   • Naked Story Test -- story must work in prose first
5. Sound profile per scene type:
   • Calm/bedtime: sonorants (m, n, l) + long vowels
   • Action/comedy: plosives (b, p, t, k) + short vowels
   • Mystery/magic: sibilants (s, š) + fricatives
   • Joy/energy: bilabials + reduplication
6. Anti-patterns (always banned):
   • Moralizing: "a tak se naucil ze..." / "and so he learned that..."
   • Diminutives: "malicky kralicek" / "the teensy little bunny"
   • Emotion-telling: "byl smutny" / "she felt sad"
   • Condescension: writing from outside-in (Nordstrom principle)
   • AI-isms: "In this story we will...", "Let's dive in"

Step 6: Illustration Brief Template

• Format: Inline [bracketed notes] in italics
• 3-question test before every note:
  1. Is this clear from the text? -> delete
  2. Will the story break without this visual? If no -> delete
  3. Am I saying WHAT not HOW? If how -> rewrite
• Legitimate uses: Visual irony, character identity not in text, wordless spreads, page-turn reveals
• Never specify: Exact composition, color palette, artistic medium, character appearance (unless plot-critical)

Save blueprint as story-blueprint.md in project root.

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Mode 2: Write

Pre-Writing

1. Load story-blueprint.md
2. Select story — standalone (theme/assignment) or series episode (number + theme)
3. Knowledge gathering:
   • NotebookLM: query notebook for relevant techniques
   • Interview: 3-5 targeted questions ("What happens? Main conflict? How does it end?")
4. Load adjacent context (series) — previous episode + character bible

Page-by-Page Storyboard

Before writing — lay out on 14 spreads (for 32-page picture book):

| Spreads | Function | | ------- | ---------------------------------------- | | 1-2 | Character, world, conflict setup | | 3-8 | Rising action, attempts to solve problem | | 9-11 | Climax sequence | | 12-13 | Resolution | | 14 | Final image / button ending |

Author approves storyboard before writing begins.

Writing Rules

Rhythm and Sound (per spread)

• Alternate short/long sentences (staccato for action, longer for calm)
• Onomatopoeia at physical moments (max 3-5 per book)
• Alliteration as "sprinkle" (2-3 words, never forced syntax)
• Sound symbolism: sonorants for calm, plosives for action, sibilants for mystery
• Page-turn hook on right-hand page of every spread
• Build-and-punch: long sentence → short punch
• Mouth feel: bilabials, reduplication, multisyllabic novelties

Text-Image Relationship

• Target complementary-to-counterpointing (never symmetrical/redundant)
• Remove text that illustrations handle (appearance, setting, body language)
• Text carries: dialogue, time passage, abstract concepts, names, sound/smell
• Illustration briefs: inline [bracketed], only where 3-question test passes
• Identify 2-3 visual subplot opportunities per story

Show Don't Tell for Children

• Action replaces narration: not "Max was angry" → he chases the dog with a fork
• Dialogue reveals emotion: not "she was worried" → "What if he doesn't come back?"
• Sensory details replace abstractions: not "beautiful day" → "puddles shone like mirrors"
• The body tells the story: stomping (anger), hiding (fear), jumping (joy)
• Never explain the moral

Verse Mode

If verse selected in blueprint:

• Strict consistent meter throughout
• Rhyme scheme consistent across entire book
• Verse-chorus structure (Donaldson model): encounters as verses, refrain as chorus
• Each refrain repetition must escalate
• Naked Story Test: strip rhyme/meter, story must stand as prose
• 6 Rhyme Crimes check:
  1. Misplaced stress — natural pronunciation distorted
  2. Forced/predictable rhymes — tired pairings
  3. Inverted syntax — twisted word order
  4. Rhyme dictates story — story suffocated by constraints
  5. Inconsistent meter — uneven rhythm
  6. Filler words — padding to hit syllable count

Storytelling Integration

Invoke storytelling skill for narrative arc (SB7 for journey, ABT for shorter forms).

Self-Edit Pass

10-point checklist:

1. Age test — word count, sentence length, characters in norms?
2. Read-aloud test — read aloud, note stumbles
3. Show-don't-tell scan — no "byl smutny/felt sad", "naucil se/learned that"
4. Text-image redundancy — cut what illustrations say alone
5. Concrete test — abstract claim → concrete example within 2 sentences
6. Anti-moralizing — no "a tak se naucil ze sdileni je dulezite"
7. Forced asymmetry (series) — different structure than previous episode
8. Verse check (if verse) — 6 Rhyme Crimes, Naked Story Test
9. Page-turn check — every right-hand page has reason to turn
10. Participation check — at least 1-2 places child can join in

Output

YAML frontmatter template:

---
story: 1
title: "Story Title"
series: "Series Name" # or null
episode: 1 # or null
age: "3-5"
format: "picture-book"
verse: false # or meter + scheme
words: 487
language: "cs"
status: draft
---

[Spread 1]
Text...

[Spread 2]
Text...
[Illustration note if needed]

...

Save as stories/XX-slug.md.

---

Mode 3: Test

Two regimes — checklist (before first reading) and iteration (after reading).

Regime A: Read-Aloud Checklist

Skill reads finished text and generates observation points specific to this story.

Per-spread checkpoints (examples):

• "Spread 3: tension moment — watch if she holds her breath or laughs"
• "Spread 7: onomatopoeia 'bác!' — say it loud, watch if she repeats it"
• "Spread 10: climax — watch if she leans closer"
• "Spread 12: refrain third time — watch if she finishes the sentence herself"

Overall metrics:

• Did she want it again? (ultimate test)
• Where did attention drop? (= text too long or abstract)
• Where did she interrupt? (= predictable OR so good she wants to continue)
• Where did she laugh? (= working)
• Did engagement hold to the end?
• Did she ask "what happens next?" (= series potential)

Output: stories/XX-slug-test-checklist.md — printable on one A4.

Regime B: Iterative Rewrite Loop

After reading to children, author provides free-form feedback.

Skill analyzes and proposes:

1. Diagnosis — why specific part doesn't work (too abstract, missing sound element, pacing)
2. Specific rewrite — 1-2 variants of problematic section
3. Preserve what works — explicitly mark "keep, children repeat it"

Iteration cycle: read → feedback → rewrite → next reading.

Status progression: draft → tested-v2 → tested-v3...

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Editorial Standards

Czech Market

| Parameter | Value | | ------------ | ---------------------------------------- | | Formats | A4, square (21×21, 24×24), board books | | Picture book | 32 pages, 200-800 words | | Publishers | Albatros, Baobab, Meander, Host, Paseka | | Age labeling | "od 3 let", "3-6 let" on cover | | Submission | Complete manuscript, direct to publisher | | Awards | Zlatá stuha (Czech IBBY) |

English Market

| Parameter | Value | | ------------ | ------------------------------------------- | | Picture book | 32 pages, under 500 words ideal | | Early reader | 32-64 pages, levels | | Manuscript | 12pt Times/Arial, double-spaced, 1" margins | | Submission | Query letter + complete manuscript | | Organization | SCBWI ($80/year) | | Awards | Caldecott (illustration), Newbery (text) |

Export

Write mode generates stories in internal format. Export to:

• CZ submission — clean text, illustration notes as separate attachment
• EN submission — 12pt double-spaced, page breaks marked, illustration notes inline

---

Integration

| Skill | Usage | | --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------ | | storytelling | Narrative arc (SB7, ABT) | | writing-clearly-and-concisely | Edit pass on drafts | | brand-voice | Load existing voice doc if available |

File Structure

project/
  story-blueprint.md
  voice-sample.md
  character-bible.md    # series only
  world-bible.md        # series only
  stories/
    01-slug.md
    01-slug-test-checklist.md
    02-slug.md
    ...
  export/
    01-slug-cz.md
    01-slug-en.md

Sources Encoded

Craft: Mem Fox (Reading Magic), Ann Whitford Paul (Writing Picture Books), Uri Shulevitz (Writing with Pictures), Molly Bang (Picture This), Jane Yolen (Take Joy)

Editorial: Ursula Nordstrom (inside-out not outside-in)

Verse: Renée LaTulippe (6 Rhyme Crimes), Philip Nel (Seuss analysis), Julia Donaldson (verse-chorus structure)

Rhythm: Margaret Wise Brown (sensory language), Bryant et al. 1989 (nursery rhymes → reading), Horst 2011 (contextual repetition), Goswami 2019 (neural entrainment)

Visual: Nikolajeva & Scott (word-image spectrum), Molly Bang (10 visual emotion principles)

Czech: Hrubín, Žáček, Svěrák, Čapek, Sekora, Říha. Večerníček. Říkadla. Zvukomalba. Czech trochaic prosody.

Narrative: Pixar (22 Rules, Story Spine), Applebee 1978 (narrative stages), Piaget/Erikson (emotional development)

Publishing: SCBWI, CzechLit, Zlatá stuha, Caldecott criteria

NotebookLM reference notebook: 3a99bf34-ed1d-4abf-a932-32789965ac7b (5 books + 4 articles + 3 research summaries)