How to Write Children in Danger in Fiction
As a writer, there’s a unique challenge that comes with crafting stories around children in precarious situations. It taps into some of the deepest fears we have as humans—those moments where we ask, “What if the worst thing imaginable happened?”
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But as thrilling and emotionally charged as these stories can be, they come with a delicate responsibility. In my latest book, The Day She Vanished, a little girl is kidnapped from an amusement park—a worst-case scenario that instantly creates tension and fear. It’s every parent’s nightmare, and I didn’t approach it lightly.
Here are a few things I’ve learned about handling these tough topics in a way that’s both compelling and sensitive.
1. Handle Tough Topics With Care
When writing about a child in danger, it’s important to consider the emotional impact on readers. Children symbolize innocence, and threatening that can trigger strong emotional reactions. However, it’s possible to craft these moments with sensitivity and depth, without resorting to shock value.
Here’s how:
Focus on emotional layers.
Rather than dwelling on the trauma itself, explore the characters’ emotional reactions—fear, love, desperation. In The Day She Vanished, the kidnapping is less about the crime and more about how it impacts the family.
Provide balance.
Tension is important, but balance it with moments of hope, resilience, or personal growth. In Emma Donoghue’s Room, the focus is on the mother’s fierce protection of her son, despite the terrifying situation.
Avoid exploitative content.
Ask yourself: Is this moment driving the story forward in a meaningful way? Does it offer insight into the characters? By focusing on the emotional truths rather than just the terror of the event, you can handle tough subjects with the care they deserve.
2. Beware of Alienating Readers
There’s a fine line between engaging your audience and pushing them away with too much intensity. When writing about children in peril, this line can be easily crossed if the material feels too graphic or manipulative.
To avoid alienating readers:
Check the purpose of your scene.
Every scene involving danger (or worse) should have a narrative or emotional purpose. In The Day She Vanished, the kidnapping is not just a plot device—it’s the catalyst for unraveling deeper family dynamics and hidden secrets.
Use restraint.
Show enough to create tension, but leave room for readers to imagine. Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones shows this balance—while the central crime is horrific, the novel focuses on healing and the family’s journey, rather than the crime itself.
Provide emotional relief.
In stories with high stakes, give readers emotional breaks. This could be moments of tenderness, resilience, or humor that remind readers there’s more to the story than just the trauma. That balance keeps the reader engaged without pushing them too far into despair.
Check out Jen Craven’s The Day She Vanished here:
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3. Tap Into Worst-Case Scenarios
Worst-case scenarios allow writers to explore deep, primal emotions—fear, guilt, desperation—but they must be handled carefully to avoid feeling over-the-top or unrealistic. The terror of losing a child is something many people can imagine, even if they’ve never experienced it. It’s what makes these stories so compelling and emotionally resonant.
Here’s how to tap into those intense moments without overwhelming your audience:
Make it relatable.
Even if readers haven’t experienced the specific situation, they should be able to connect emotionally. Losing a child, even temporarily, is a universal fear. This emotional accessibility is key in stories like The Deep End of the Ocean, where the missing child scenario pulls readers into a whirlwind of heartbreak and suspense.
Explore complex emotions.
Don’t just focus on fear—bring in remorse, anger, hope, and even moments of denial. These layered reactions create rich character development. In The Day She Vanished, the family’s reactions range from guilt to frantic action, which adds complexity to their relationships.
Highlight resilience.
Many story arcs are about how characters rise above the darkness. In My Sister’s Keeper, Jodi Picoult explores a family grappling with illness, but at the core is the family’s love and strength, even in the face of ethical dilemmas.
4. Write With Authenticity
Authenticity is key when handling sensitive subjects. This means not only understanding the pain but also its long-term effects on characters and their relationships.
Ways to ensure authenticity in your writing:
Research deeply.
Understand the psychological toll of the situation on both the child and the family. In The Day She Vanished, the trauma of the kidnapping ripples through the family, impacting how they trust and communicate long after the event. I spent countless hours reading first-hand accounts, memoirs, and news articles about missing children in order to make my story as realistic as possible.
Explore the aftermath.
Don’t just focus on the immediate crisis—consider how the characters are affected afterward. How do they rebuild trust? How do they move forward with that weight hanging over them? Ashley Audrain’s The Push is a great example of a couple moving forward after the death of their infant son.
Craft authentic reactions.
Not everyone will respond the same way to danger or trauma. Use varied responses to add depth to your characters. Some may fall into despair, while others might take action or become emotionally detached. As any writer knows, great stories are built on tension and conflict, and just as in real life, no two people feel the exact same way about a given thing.
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Key Takeaways
To summarize, writing children in danger with care involves more than just building tension and suspense. It’s about crafting an emotionally rich narrative that respects the subject matter while keeping readers engaged. Here’s a quick checklist to guide your writing process:
Balance tension with hope to keep readers emotionally invested.Focus on the emotional truth of your characters rather than the shock value of the event.Be aware of the line between intensity and alienation, offering readers emotional relief where needed.Research and understand trauma to ensure authenticity and depth in your storytelling.
In both writing and reading these stories, it’s about walking that fine line between fear and resilience, and discovering what it means to face the unthinkable—and survive it.