Two years ago tomorrow, my world changed. Not in the way I would have chosen, but in a way that would ultimately reach hundreds of children across the UK and beyond.

My son Gabriel and I found ourselves limited to one hour a week together. Sixty minutes on FaceTime. That was all we had.

I was determined to make every second count.

The Accidental Discovery

We started reading together. I'd read to him - Michael Morpurgo's "The Puffin Keeper" was first. Then Gabriel would read to me. We worked through an illustrated edition of Treasure Island, and Gabriel loved that the hero shared his granddad's name: Jim.

When we finished, I asked a question that would change everything: "Would you like to make up a story where you're the hero?"

The answer was immediate. Yes.

Gabriel began describing his vision with absolute clarity. A sea monster to defeat. A platypus sidekick called Platy. Adventures that spanned oceans and islands and impossible quests.

And I did something remarkably simple: I just scribed his exact words.

No corrections, just pure, unfiltered capture of his imagination.

About eight weeks later, we had six complete stories. They became "The Adventures of Gabriel" - our first book together.

The Methodology We Didn't Know We'd Created

Looking back now, I can see what was invisible to us then: that one-hour constraint was forcing the conditions for breakthrough storytelling.

Gabriel arrived prepared. His ideas couldn't wait for "later" or "when we have more time." I had to listen with complete attention. There was no space for correction or criticism,  only for capturing his voice before our time ran out.

We'd accidentally created a methodology. And two years later, we're still creating together on FaceTime every week.

Taking It Beyond Gabriel

I wondered: could this work with other children? Could what emerged from such specific, difficult circumstances become something replicable?

So I took it into classrooms. I recorded Gabriel on video, inviting other children to create their own stories where they're the hero, where anything is possible.

The results exceeded anything I'd imagined:

• 465 children across UK schools
• 100% engagement
• Children with SEND creating complex narratives
• EAL learners finding their voice in English
• Boys who'd refused to write for months producing stories they were proud of

Zero behavioural incidents. Not one.

The Clinical Listening That Made It Possible

My background isn't in education, it's in physiotherapy. For years, I developed listen in a specific way. Therapeutic listening isn't about fixing or correcting. It's about creating the conditions where people can access abilities they didn't know they had.

When I unknowingly brought that same approach to storytelling with Gabriel, something remarkable happened. When we gave him complete creative autonomy, no corrections just pure capture, he discovered he was a storyteller.

When we gave that same autonomy to 465 children, they discovered it too.

Gabriel's confidence has grown alongside the children in those classrooms. Our second book, "The Shadow of Zuff," isn't six short stories,  it's one complete novel. Still beautifully illustrated (why would you abandon pictures just because you're getting better at writing?), and it hit number one bestseller in October.

The December Story Celebration

Those FaceTime sessions are ongoing. Two years now, one hour a week. The limitation gave us the gift of constraint, proving this methodology works under any circumstances, even the hardest ones.

While Gabriel and I continue our weekly sessions, children across the UK are discovering what he discovered: that their voice matters, their stories deserve to be heard, and they're already the authors they need to be.

Tomorrow - December 1st - we begin celebrating this discovery in a way that honours every child's voice.

For 31 days, we're publishing one child's story every single day at my-storyquest.com. Real stories. Written by real children using the StoryQuest framework that began with Gabriel on those FaceTime calls.

Stories from seven-year-olds who'd never written before. From children who speak English as a second language. From boys who'd refused to pick up a pen. From quiet children who discovered they had voices worth hearing.

Thirty-one stories. Thirty-one young authors. Thirty-one proofs that when we stop correcting and start listening, children become the storytellers they were always meant to be.

What Constraints Teach Us

I won't pretend the constraint that created this methodology was welcome. It wasn't. Two years of FaceTime sessions when your child lives a mile away isn't ok.

But here's what I've learned: sometimes the limitations we face contain a breakthrough. Not because the limitation is good, but because it forces us to discover what's essential.

For Gabriel and me, it was storytelling. For the hundreds of children who've followed, it's been the discovery of their own voice.

The December Story Celebration starts tomorrow. Every day, a new story. Every story, a new proof.

Watch what happens when children's voices are truly heard.

Follow the celebration at my-storyquest.com