Writing Stories That Are Popular With Both Children and Adults

I have had the pleasure and privilege to write a series of humorous stories that have found wide popularity with both children and adults. I am asked regularly how one writes books that appeal to young and old alike and that is a good question. You might guess that I think of a childlike story and then write with grownups in mind. Or you might guess that I write an adult story and then frame it in a manner that children will like. Those are both good guesses. Wrong, but good none-the-less.

In fact, for me, writing in a style that has cross-generational appeal does not involve writing with a specific age target in mind. It is more a matter of painting clear pictures of situations or events that I hope will have universal appeal. Truth be told, it may be easier to write stories with multi-generational appeal in the…