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Are you tired of thinking about plots, characters and dialog? Maybe you need a break from the longer, more tedious work of trying to put a short story together, and fillers offer you the perfect opportunity to do just that.

Fillers are short pieces that are either used to "fill" empty spots on a page or are scattered throughout a magazine as attention grabbers. Either way they offer everything from a snippet of information on any number of subjects, to a joke or puzzle to kill a little time.

Information:
These are short, tightly focused "mini articles" that are meant to inform. Sometimes they are directly related to an article and are called "side bars." Other times there are several on one page that cover everything from science facts to the newest toy craze.

Jokes:
Keep in mind that children's humor is a whole different world compared to a "grown-up's" humor. They love puns, plays on words and will repeat the same knock-knock joke over and over. Some examples of what is funny to children are:

Q. What school do you greet people in?
A. Hi school.

Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Isabel.
Isabel who?
Isabel necessary every 5 minutes!
Author unknown.

Puzzles:
Puzzles for children are usually crosswords and word finds, but come in several different shapes and sizes. I still enjoy the "code breaker" puzzles where a number or symbol stands for a letter and you put them together to spell out words. And, don't forget to vary their degree of difficulty according to the age of your intended audience. A crossword for a first grader is less complicated than one for older children.

Crafts:
If you like to make things with your hands, with things you find around the house, crafts may be the perfect way for you to get your name in print.

Kids love crafts. Simple things they can make and proudly display on the refrigerator or give as gifts on Mother's Day or other special occasions. And editors are always looking out for new and unusual ideas for crafts.

So pull out those paper plates, Styrofoam cups, or old egg cartons, put on your thinking cap and see what you can come up with. Just remember, the simpler the better, with nothing that could be dangerous in the instructions.

And don't forget to take a photograph of the finished project to send along with the directions!

Quizzes:
Kids love trivia questions. As long as they know at least half of the answers, they feel proud to discover how smart they are. But make these fun. No pop quizzes that look like they came straight from a text book at school. But, do challenge them with the questions. Too simple and they will toss it aside and brand it "baby stuff."

These are just a few examples of the fillers out there for kids, but they will get you started thinking "short." And before you know it, your idea notebook will be overflowing. Just don't forget to get back to your short story...eventually!

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copyright 1999 Debbie Stauffer
previously published in Hedgehopping Newsletter