The details that make a story truly personal

A story with your child's name in it is nice. A story where Grandad's star chart lies on the table, the dog is always just a little late and a favourite song is hummed softly in the background is something else. That story could only be about you.

The difference lies in the details. Here are the ones that matter most, and how to tell them to Mira, our digital storyteller.

Start with what makes your child happy

The first question Mira asks is a simple one: what makes your child happy? Horses, dinosaurs, building, drawing, space. Pick a few, not everything. Two or three things that really fit give a story more direction than a list of ten.

A tip: think of what your child has done most over the past few weeks, not what they loved last year. Children change quickly, and a story feels most current when it matches now.

Choose people, not roles

"Grandad" is a role. "Grandad Henk, who knows every star by name" is a person. The more you say about who someone is, the better Mira can give them a place of their own in the story.

You can include up to five characters, the main character included. They do not all need to be people: a pet, or a cuddly toy that goes everywhere, belongs just as much. With a photo, Mira draws them from life, so everyone is recognisable on every page.

Little things only you know

This is where a story really becomes yours. Think of:

• A place. The bench under the apple tree, the beach you visit every summer, the stair your child always sits on to wait.
• A habit. The tooth-brushing song, Saturday pancakes, the joke Dad makes every evening.
• A memory. The time Grandad nearly fell in the water, the first night in the tent, the moment the cat suddenly appeared on the roof.
• A word. The word your child made up when they were little that everyone at home still uses.

You don't need to be a writer. One sentence per detail is enough; Mira turns it into a story.

Something to pass on

Sometimes you want to give your child something to take away: that they are braver than they think, that it is fine to be different, that a new baby takes nothing away. You can tell Mira this separately. She weaves it into the story without turning it into a lecture.

What to leave out

Not everything makes a story stronger. Too many details at once make it busy, and things that make your child sad or frightened only belong in it if you choose them deliberately. Unsure about something? Leave it out at first. You always see Mira's idea and the first pages before anything is made, and you can still adjust.

Then: you approve it

Once Mira has written and illustrated the story, you read it yourself first. Something not quite right, or would you like Grandad to have a bigger part? You can ask for a change page by page. Only when you are happy is the book made.

Want to see how this turns out? The page on fantasy and adventure and the one on grandparents show examples of what ends up in a story.

A name opens the book. The details are what make your child keep reading.