I’ve always been fascinated with teaching writing and have learned a lot over the years about my own writing, writing instruction, and recognizing what authors have done well in their work.

When I first learned got serious about writing instruction I liked the idea of circle story organization. If you haven’t heard the term before, a circle story is one in which the character begins and ends the story in the same place. It could be a literal or figurative place, but the story leaves readers feeling as though the story could endlessly repeat itself. Think of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Doesn’t it seem like that pesky mouse is going to keep up his repetitive shenanigans? You get the idea.

I think I may have invented a term for a similar type of book. Some books have conclusions in which the character is not in the same place, or facing the identical problem, but that the story may continue in a slightly new direction. I call these books “spiral stories”. (I just copyrighted that phrase!). The stories don’t quite come back full circle. One such story is Imogene’s Antlers. Imogene wakes up with a pair of antlers, awkwardness ensues, and the next day she wakes up in a similar dilemma.

I love stories like these! Kids get a kick out of them because they offer that satisfying twist we all love so much. They’re clever. They’re unique. They’re tricky to write. All things to admire in a literary work. Try using a spiral story next time you teach organization to your students. Let me know which books worked for you!