How I Write Children's Books About Overcoming Adversity Through Adventure and Character Building

When my friend Jeff was battling brain cancer, I watched him face an impossible situation with unwavering determination. That experience became the foundation for creating children's books about overcoming adversity that help young readers develop resilience through adventure stories. What started as honoring a friend's legacy evolved into a mission to give kids the tools they need to face bullying, family problems, and life's toughest challenges.

The Real-Life Hero Behind My Adventure Stories

Jeff was everything you'd want in a friend – a big guy with an incredible sense of humor, deep compassion for others, and most importantly, a "do not quit" attitude that defined everything he did. When he was diagnosed with a disease that's universally fatal, something remarkable happened. He became an absolute rock throughout the entire journey.

Jeff didn't let anything about his diagnosis bother him. He just kept moving forward, trying every possible treatment, maintaining his spirit despite knowing the odds. That unwavering determination in the face of impossible circumstances became the template for every character I'd later create.

Creating the Bear: Translating Real Courage into Fiction

The character Jeff the Bear in my Johnster the Monster series carries all of Jeff's best qualities. He's physically imposing but leads with humor and compassion. Most crucially, he possesses that same unshakeable determination that characterized my friend.

In the stories, Jeff the Bear gets pulled into situations where he's told he's been prophesied to save the day through a magical scepter that only he can energize. His response? "Oh, what? I'm a high school kid." But over time, he discovers strengths inside himself that he never knew existed – just like real kids facing their own challenges.

Why Adventure Stories Work for Building Character

The Johnster the Monster adventures follow old-school adventure patterns deliberately. These aren't stories hampered by political or controversial aspects – they're pure adventures about kids getting into sticky situations with people and monsters who'd like to kill them. Through friendship, loyalty, and discovering inner strength, they work their way through impossible odds.

This approach serves a specific purpose. When kids are dealing with bullying, problems at home, or other difficulties, I tell them to read these stories and "take the day off" from that negativity. The adventures provide both escape and perspective, showing young readers that whatever they're facing, they can overcome it – it just takes time.

The Complete Adventure Series Structure

The Scepter: Learning to Accept Your Role

The first book focuses on how the characters rescue a magical scepter from the bad guys. The scepter represents leadership and responsibility – things that feel overwhelming when you're just a kid. Jeff the Bear's reluctance mirrors how young people often feel unprepared for the challenges life throws at them.

The Secret City: Using Your Power

The second book shows how the scepter and other tools the characters have gathered are actually utilized in battle. This represents the phase where kids stop feeling powerless and start actively using their strengths to fight back against whatever's threatening them.

The story culminates in an archetypal battle between good and evil – ultimate good on one side, ultimate bad on the other, with no guarantees that good will win. This mirrors real life, where there's never a promise that doing the right thing will lead to easy victories.

Elstrom Legacy: Helping Others Find Their Strength

The third book introduces us to Elstrom, a land within a giant cave containing several different civilizations on multiple levels. When Crystal the cat's family faces threats from other civilizations, she calls on Jeff and his friends (now known as "the searchers") for help.

This book represents the stage where kids who've learned to handle their own problems become resources for others facing similar challenges. It also ties up the loose ends from the previous books, completing the character development arc.

Writing Anti-Bullying Stories That Actually Help

My approach to creating anti-bullying stories differs from typical children's literature on the subject. Instead of directly addressing bullying scenarios, these books show kids discovering they're capable of far more than they imagined. They face monsters and impossible odds, learning that strength comes from character qualities like friendship, loyalty, and persistence.

The metaphor works because bullying often feels like facing monsters. Kids feel powerless against bigger, stronger, or more popular antagonists. But when they read about characters their age defeating actual monsters through inner strength and good character, it provides a template for their own lives.

Key Insight

Sometimes the most effective way to help kids overcome adversity isn't to address their specific problem directly, but to show them discovering strength they didn't know they had.

The Secretary Method: Letting Characters Lead the Story

Stephen King once said that a novelist should be a secretary, not God. That's exactly how I approach writing these adventure stories. I don't create outlines or plan what will happen. When I start writing, I honestly don't have the foggiest idea what's going to happen next.

A character will put himself or herself in some situation, and I'll think, "Oh, what do I do now?" Then amazingly, something always comes to me. The character tells me what to do next. It feels like Jeff is there with me spiritually during much of the writing process – I ask myself what Jeff would do in these situations.

This organic approach ensures the stories feel authentic rather than contrived. Kids can sense when character development feels forced versus when it emerges naturally from challenging circumstances.

Reaching Kids Who Need These Stories Most

I've discovered these books work particularly well for children facing serious challenges. When conversations reveal that someone's child, nephew, or family member is in the hospital with a severe illness, I make sure to send them a book. There's something powerful about adventure stories for kids who are fighting real battles.

My hope is to eventually work with hospitals on a larger scale, providing these books as resources for young patients. Kids dealing with illness, family problems, or bullying situations need stories that show them they're stronger than they realize.

Key Takeaways

Real-life heroes provide the best templates for fictional characters who inspire resilience
Adventure stories can address serious topics like bullying without being heavy-handed
Kids need to see characters discovering inner strength they didn't know they possessed
Sometimes the best way to help someone is to give them an escape that provides new perspective
Authentic character development happens when writers let stories evolve organically
Books about overcoming adversity work best when they focus on universal human strengths

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What makes adventure books effective anti-bullying stories for children?

A: Adventure stories work because they show kids facing impossible odds and discovering they're stronger than they imagined. Instead of preaching about bullying directly, these books provide metaphors where characters overcome monsters and villains through friendship, loyalty, and inner strength – the same qualities kids need when facing real-life challenges.

Q: How do you write character building literature that doesn't feel preachy?

A: The key is focusing on pure adventure while letting character development emerge naturally from challenging situations. When characters face life-or-death scenarios, their true qualities surface organically. Kids learn about courage and resilience by watching characters discover these traits in themselves, rather than being told about them directly.

Q: What age group benefits most from children's books about overcoming adversity?

A: While these adventure stories work for various ages, they're particularly effective for middle-grade readers who are beginning to face more complex social challenges like bullying, peer pressure, and increased responsibilities. This age group can relate to characters who feel unprepared for what they're facing but discover they're more capable than they realized.

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