The time I phoned in a bedtime story.

I’m genuinely ashamed to admit this as a father and a storyteller.

I have a cautionary tale I’d rather sweep under the rug, but I feel it’s important to share.

It had been a tough week, I was exhausted, and we had come to the end of the day. It was bedtime, and the kids expected a story.

Honestly, I struggle with off-the-cuff bedtime stories. Give me time, an outline, and a weekend cabin getaway and I will gladly produce a well thought through narrative using story structure and a character who arcs and is transformed by the end.

But that’s not how bedtime stories work.

So, I opened my phone.

“Tell me what you would like in the story,” I said, readying ChatGPT with a prompt to deliver something based on their input.

The result was underwhelming. I was literally phoning in my time with them as I tried to outsource what should be one of the most precious connection points I have with my kids, when they’re still at an age where they want me to tell them a story.

“That wasn’t very good,” my oldest said, cautiously.

“I know.”

I felt gross. My kids said they wanted a story, but they were really asking for my time. They were asking for me to care and have energy reserved for them at the end of the day.

They weren’t looking for a three act structure with false victory midpoint and a rally-to-the-finish ending utilizing all of the b-story elements that have been developed, etc, etc… they want to giggle and have fun and be reminded that they are going to sleep in a safe place under the roof with someone who loves and cares for and prioritizes them.

I understand everyone’s situation is different. Work and life can be draining and stressful and sometimes the best idea is to pull a book off of the shelf and read something together instead. But I want my kids to remember that I cared enough to make up stories for them. I want them to join in and engage their own imaginations and contribute (which honestly makes my stories so much better when they have a bit of ownership themselves).

This is part of the reason I came up with the idea of Fictionsmith Family. Yes, we’ve written books together (and sales from that go to their college funds) but it’s the intentional walks together, the brainstorming, creating something from diving deeper and figuring out what is going on in both of our lives that makes it magic.

That’s what I want to offer here as a free resource this summer. I want to share the exercises and ideas that have worked for us to build a story together. From brainstorming, to outlining, to drafting, to refining, I want to be a guide to the parents who want to spend time with their story-hungry kids but either have very little left in the tank or could use some encouragement and relatively easy ideas on how to get the ball rolling.

If that interests you and you're looking for something for you and your kid to do together this summer, let me know by subscribing below.

I'll be working on my fourth book with my oldest kiddo this spring/summer, so we'd love some company.

All the best,
Ryan Dunlap (half of C.W. Task)