Bruce's Hale's Lessons

• Grab readers from the get-go using things like humor or plunging midstream into the action. He read some undeniably great beginnings.
• Remind Readers of Beauty. This is something kids might not know they need. It's a writer's job to call attention to the beauty in the world. (He used The Wind in the Willows as an example.)
• Make your readers laugh. Kids love inappropriate humor. Jokes. Bring the humor. What do kids find funny? boogers, underwears, insults, puns. Also character-based humor (think about Jack Benny). Voicing the forbidden is funny.
• Hold up the mirror for your readers. Show readers themselves, but better. Offer a limited character to moves beyond. A character needs a strong desire, must be active, and must be flawed (think Meg from A Wrinkle in Time, Chet Gecko, Artemis Fowl.