Thursday, September 6, 2012

Bedtime stories

I meant to do my final post on dark fiction today, but I’ve had even less time than I anticipated this week. I have a slight distraction:



This is my adorable three and a half year old niece who has come to visit me.  She and I (and her mom)have so far been to the zoo, the beach, and an aquarium. Tomorrow we’re going to Disneyland  (she's never been before). 

One night, I ended up on bedtime story detail. We didn't have any picture books, so I ended up making up stories to tell. Not a big deal, really, for someone who does this all the time, right? Except I've become used to plotting and planning and working things out way in advance. When I'm trying to write a coherent story, it's the most efficient way for me to work. But it's also a long way from where I started, and from when I would spontaneously come up with ideas on the fly.

So in telling these stories, which ended up being about a princess and people who didn't like giraffes, or another about a walrus who wanted friends. And even though I love my method for writing stories, it was still kind of nice to remember that I can come up with ideas on the fly, and that I can come up with a cohesive story completely off the top of my head that actually makes sense.

At least from a three year old's perspective. And this time, that was all I needed.

5 comments:

  1. Aw, she's so cute! And you make a very good point. Some of the greatest stories begin on the fly like that, and we should remember to practice that skill. :)

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  2. I think my best stories have come from bedtime stories, and standing in line at the grocery store stories, and could you please step away from the videogames stories.
    Have fun with your darling niece.

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  3. But don't forget your lonely collaborators... :)

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  4. Your niece sure is a cutie.

    I make up stories on the fly with my kids, but I make them help. It is more fun that way but doesn't lead to anything publishable. When I write my stuff, I'm more like you, plotting and planning in advance. I can't write a story unless I know where it is going.

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    1. Ditto, MaryAnn!

      Lately all our stories are about Batman or Cinderella, depending on which of my kids gets to start.

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