Every hero needs a hurdle. Leo named his scout "Barnaby." Barnaby didn't just want a nap; he wanted to recover the Golden Yarn of Destiny, which had been snatched by the Great Winged Shadow (his neighbor’s very grumpy parrot).
Following the advice from his favorite guide, How to Write a Story , Leo decided to look for a "spark". He looked out the window. A stray cat was balancing on a fence. What if that cat wasn't just a cat? he wondered. What if it was a scout for a kingdom of backyard tigers?
Leo scrawled "The End" with a flourish. The desert of the page was gone, replaced by a world that hadn't existed ten minutes ago. He realized that a story isn't just words; it’s a place you build for someone else to visit. Write a Story Make it Yours: Burton, E.E. - Amazon.com
Leo sat at his desk, staring at a white rectangle that felt as vast and empty as a desert. He had his tools ready—a sharpened yellow pencil and a notebook with a blue spiral—but the "Great Idea" was hiding.