My grandson is three years old. He is absolutely adorable, with a head of curls and big blue eyes. He’s also full of energy, attitude, and mischief. Like most three-year-olds, he moves comfortably between Little Darling and Tasmanian Devil.
He also has a great imagination. He’s currently obsessed with all things Spiderman and plays with his Spidey, Spin and Ghost Spider figures all the time. When I’m with him, so do I.
It’s fun. We create scenarios, launch the characters off the couch cushions, and hide them from villains. (Usually, Moe the Cat.)
I was watching him the other day when suddenly he crouched down, turned his hand over, and with his index and pinky fingers extended, made a “patooi” sound, and he was off. “I got you in my web, Bee Girl!” he shouted.
Bee Girl? What the heck is he talking about? Then it hit me. I was wearing my shirt from the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, and on the front was a drawing of a honeybee. Suddenly, we weren’t just playing Spiderman. Bee Girl was in the picture. It was a whole new game, inspired by a drawing on a t-shirt. My grandson’s imagination took flight with just a simple prompt.
Soon, I was chasing Spiderman with my giggle stinger. I was going to make him laugh so hard he gave up his true identity. We made up the game as we went along until my son-in-law finished work. Apparently, the laughing and squealing traveled right through the ceiling into my son-in-law’s home office. I would call that a good day.
The point of the story is to remind you that the best storytelling comes when we remember that it’s fun. That our job is about making things up, pretending, and playing. Don’t get so bogged down in minutiae that you forget why you started writing in the first place.
The time I spent with my grandson gave me a much-needed reminder to get out of my own head.
So, the next time you sit down to write, do your best to channel that inner three-year-old. Push limits, make it up as you go along, but most of all, have fun. Always have fun.
Happy Writing!
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