Inspired by That Always Happens Sometimes

Try this writing exercise

Once a month we study a picture book together with the hope that you will get inspired to experiment with new techniques in your own writing. This month we’re looking at That Always Happens Sometimes by Kiley Frank. I don’t see any explicit references to ADHD in the sales copy, but the narrator definitely feels like a neurospicy kid who has a lot of energy and a million great ideas but doesn’t quite fit in at school.

Written in first person, the story is filled with extremely specific “Have you ever…?” questions that will make you laugh, but it’s told with so much warmth and enthusiasm, that it’s clear the joke is about how weird life can be, not about the narrator being a “bad kid.” Eventually we see that the same qualities that make Max different make him a creative leader in the class. “Our unique qualities are our strengths” is a pretty traditional picture book theme, but this book presents the idea in a totally fresh way.

Part of what makes the book so fun to read is how hyper specific the questions are. For example “Have you ever abandoned your lunch because you were thinking about having an extra face under your hair like some Lego figures do?” 😂

Or “Have you ever been coloring so hard with a marker that the paper disappears in the middle like a melty hold and without knowing it, you’ve colored the table and you wipe it up with your palm and rub your nose and now you can stick your nose in the hole of your paper because they are both blue?” I know I have. I mean, at least kind of?🖌

Try This

Grab a notebook or start a new document where you can make a list of all the weird questions and idiosyncratic reactions that you have for a month. Anytime you wonder “Does anyone else feel this way?” write it down. If someone looks at like you might be a little crazy when you do something, write it down. When you realize not everyone does something the same way you do, write it down. You’ll definitely get a feel for what makes you special, and you might get an idea for a picture book. At the very least, I hope you’ll start taking the details you notice more seriously. They’re unique to your point of view and strengthening your point of view is an important part of developing your voice.

Want more personalized help? Book a coaching a session and we can walk through this exercise together!

---

If you enjoyed this post, please forward it to your writing friends. And if you’re a writer here on Substack, consider recommending Nebula Notebook, so your readers can join this warm community too.

PS—The fastest way to grow as a writer is to book a manuscript critique or a creative coaching session with an expert.

My clients get agents, sell books, and win awards. They also learn how to find ease and joy in the creative process, so they can keep going when life gets hard.