Bedtime Story Hacks for the Sleepy Parent

Once upon a time

it's the perfect springboard for any bedtime story. A simple sentence to bring a fabled touch to the most ordinary of tales, and every parents go-to tool that should see their little ones plummeting into the sheets and ready to embark on a new adventure.

When I was a child my favourite bedtime stories where the ones that Mum made-up. She crafted them on the spot; pulling threads of inspiration from thin-air, working through that invisible spool until it became a cohesive tapestry rich with character, plot, and intrigue.

My sister and I woke-up one morning to discover that she had written her own bedtime story in a notebook - each word was written in alternating metallic gel-pens. We followed the plight of Mischief and Maggot, two imps quested with usurping the evil fairy-king hell-bent on stealing noses. I remember the story in bits and pieces, but that's more than I can say for most of the stories she read us from books.

I admit, my heart still feels a warm-tug when I see Grug, Cuddle Pot and Snuggle Pie, or any character from Where the Wild Things Are merchandised in a shop window, and I wonder if it would be socially acceptable now to fashion my room the same way Max did

But nothing beats the mystery of having a story told just for you. It exists in the ether, stored differently in the imaginations of the teller and the listener, and it lingers long after it's told in all of it's possibilities and carefully fashioned re-writes.

I tried retelling Mum's story about Mischief and Maggot when I was twelve. I borrowed from the original, making reference to a bridge made from a giant claw the carries them across a canyon, and a grappling tree that whisks them away into it's branches when they needed a place to sleep. None of these recycled ideas fit quite right into my story, so I created obstacles of my own. The fairy-king no longer stole noses; instead, he stole a gem that was the source of the lands vibrancy and slept with it stuffed inside his nostril for safe-keeping.

Needless to say, it was a memorable story. So much so that I've written about it before, in my very first attempt at poetry for Vocal's true colours challenge;

My mother wasn't the only storyteller in the family; my eldest brother picked-up the talent, too. On our annual Halloween nights he would tell my sister and I spooky stories. On one occasion, he scared himself so thoroughly (with his own story, mind you) that he convinced us to stay awake all night to keep him company. His excuse? So that he could 'protect us'. Aside from his annual Halloween tales, his go-to main-characters were animals with basic human names, such as Jack the Jackal, Larry the Lizard, and the iconic, Bob the Evil Cow.

Bob the Evil Cow has made it into many of my stories since. It dawned on me at around the age of 16 that Bob the Evil Cow - contrary to what the name might suggest - was female (it might have made more sense to call him 'Bob the Evil Bull'). This didn't change the portrayal of Bob - Bob was always a 'he' to me, so I continued to brush off the queries and confusion from my readers each time a new part of Bob's saga was released.

My friends (and younger brothers) do occasionally enjoy a bedtime story from me. I have my Mum and eldest brother to thank for that, and thus, I do believe it is my duty to impart the knowledge they left me. Below you will find an easy structure for bedtime stories, along with a number of tips and tricks on how to make the most of your time by drawing upon easy sources of inspiration.

1. Chose a protagonist

Chose an animal, an object, a person, or a fantastical creature. Examples include: an anaconda, a tea-pot, an investment baker, or a dragon

2. Name the protagonist

Chose a name to suit the theme of your story. If you're going for comedy, chose something nonsensical, like giving an animal a human name. If you're going with fantasy, try a fantasy name generator on google. For example: Alfred the Anaconda, Tinkles the Tea-Pot, George the Investment Banker, and Draco the Dragon

3. What is the protagonists goal?

Decide what overarching theme will dictate your characters choices. Is it a goal, a quest, or a competition?

Alfred the Anaconda wishes he had legs; Tinkles the Tea-Pot gets cold during the winter; George the Investment Banker wants to be the most interesting man in town; and Draco the Dragon is embarrassed by his hoard of unmatched socks.

4. Choose an obstacle

This is where the story gets juicy. The obstacle can be anything from an epic journey involving a mystery, the characters own personal 'flaws', changing someone's mind, or a nemesis.

Alfred the Anaconda hears rumour of a plant that will help him grow legs; Tinkles the Tea-Pot leaves hints around the house for her owners to make her a tea-cosy; George the Investment Banker tries different methods to change peoples opinion that he is 'boring'; and Draco the Dragon is frequently humiliated by his nemesis Harold, who's hoard is much larger, and much cooler than his own.

5. End with a happy resolution

Help the character on their plight by providing them with an answer to their problem. This might take form as a riddle, an unexpected friend, an unexpected resolution, or a character who shares the protagonists enemy.

Alfred the Anaconda hears a riddle that helps him solve where to find the magic plant that will help him grow legs; Tinkles the Tea-Pot has been gifted a sweater from the sewing machine, who noticed her clues lying around the house; George starts giving crazy advice to his clients - no one thinks he's boring anymore... but at least he's happy; and Draco the Dragon join forces with a popular wood-elf, who brings socks back into fashion.

Now this may be controversial but you can always chose to leave out the happy ending. I would only recommend doing this if you wish to create a saga that you can continue over time. Perhaps your story ends on a cliff hanger; maybe George the investment banker is threatened with a court-case as a result of his whacky advice, or maybe the humans of the house are horrified to find Tinkles the Tea-Pot wearing a tea-cosy that is completed unaccounted for.

Use plot twists and cliff-hangers to your advantage to milk as much magic and mayhem out of every idea. You can also draw inspiration from other characters that appeared throughout your story; give them a saga of their own, and have your previous protagonist make a guest appearance. This will give you plenty of inspiration to play with so that your stories never grow stale and you constantly have new material.

If you're in need of more inspiration, don't be afraid to draw it from other sources of media. There's a treasure trove of ideas out there waiting to be plucked and used to their fullest potential, so see what you can find in the following;

• Songs: My brothers 'Bob the Evil Cow' story was inspired by Tenacious D's song 'Tribute'. His goal was to create a character that could challenge the shiny demon in the middle of the road. I suppose he succeeded.

• Pictures: It's possible that Mum was inspired to write her story about Mischief and Maggot due my obsession with fairy colouring books at the time. Maybe she saw both character's prototypes in the books, and took inspiration from the surrounding imagery.

• Movies or television: My brother called me once at 3am when he was very drunk. He told me the entire story of The Sword in the Stone. I listened patiently at what I thought was an original story. I didn't catch on until the very end because he had changed the names of all the characters - evil - but genius.

• Real life: Don't have time to come up with something new? Re-tell a story that happened to you or a colleague at work - just change the name and situation to something more captivating for a child.
• Your children PART 1: Create a character inspired by your child, and give them the same name. Describe the character before name-dropping. This gives the chance for your little one to become enthralled by your story first, and then pleasantly surprised when they realise it's about them; "once upon a time there was a sweet sea serpent who lived in a coral reef, and his name was...". If you get stuck at any point you can ask your child, "what do you think *name* would do in this situation?" Try to go with any of their recommendations, no matter how wild they may be.
• Your children PART 2: Ask your children for their input. If there's more than one little one listening to your story, let the children take it in turns. This is a better option than choosing one child's input over the other. You can do this by 'cause and effect'; "Sam the Sea-Serpent swam all the way down to the bottom of the ocean, when he did he found...". Let the little one fill in the blanks.

No matter how you chose to tell your story it is important to give it your own personal touch. This will help the stories not only come easier but will make them more memorable in years to come - and you will enjoy the process of telling them much more. Tell the stories for yourself; if you can make yourself laugh or mystified, it's likely your little ones will enjoy it too.

If you find yourself struggling, fear not! Story-telling is like any other skill; the more you practice, the easier it becomes. If you're completely at a loss, consider listening to an audiobook with the kids before bed (for five fairytale audiobook recommendations, click here), or go with the safer option of a favourite story-book. For the most part, these stories that you chose will soon be forgotten, but I can say with the up-most surety that the ones you create will not be.

Happy story telling!