Lumi StarliLumi Starli editorial feature · 1 November 2026
A gingerbread story usually gets going the moment the biscuit runs. Lauren Sophia was interested in the moment just before that. Who decided the gingerbread girl had to run in the first place?
Lauren was five when she and her mum, M. Dangi, co-authored The Gingerbread Girl Who Had Her Own Plan. Later, Lauren wrote about where the idea came from. “It all began one day when I was helping in the kitchen,” she recalled. She began to imagine a gingerbread girl who could stay where she was, think for herself and decide what to do next.
What happens before the chase?
Imagine two drawings. In the first, a biscuit is already halfway out of the door. You might wonder who is chasing her or how fast she can run. In the second, she has stopped at the doorstep. Now there is a different question to ask. Where does she actually want to go?
That little pause is what makes Lauren’s question interesting. A reader can wonder what the girl wants before guessing how the story ends. A young writer can do the same thing with a pencil and a sheet of paper.
Give a character a choice
Try it with a fairy tale you know. Draw the moment just before something familiar happens. Perhaps the three bears are about to open their front door. Pick one bear and finish this sentence aloud. “Before I go inside, I want to…” Draw what happens on the other side of the page.
Read both versions to someone. Listen to the question they ask about your second picture. That might be the beginning of your next page.
Lauren’s quoted words come from her account published on 15 October 2025. Lauren’s account on Medium ↗