Fairy Characters
Fairies are useful characters because being tiny is a constraint, and constraints generate stories. A fairy cannot simply solve a problem by force; she has to be clever about it, which is a better model for a child than a character who cannot be stopped.
Making a fairy into a character
Give her a job
Fairies in the best stories maintain something — a garden, the dew, the sorting of lost buttons.
Magic with a small range
Magic that only works on things smaller than a teacup is more interesting than magic that works on everything.
The wings are a detail worth keeping
Children draw wings carefully. Whatever shape and pattern they chose is preserved.
Being small is the point
The stories work best when the size is the obstacle and the solution.
Questions to ask your child about their drawing
- What does your fairy look after?
- How big is she, really?
- What can her magic do — and what is too big for it?
- What do her wings look like?
- Where does she live?
Common questions
- Can my child’s fairy meet their other characters?
- Yes. Characters from the same account can appear together in a story.