You know when you wrap up at the dentist and the hygienist
offers you a shot at the itty bitty vending-type machine, and you get a little
excited wondering what you’ll get? This process similar to what it’s like
coming up with story ideas for me.
Ideas bombard me at any given moment. I keep a notebook by
my bed, in my car, and on various counters of my house. Because they sneak
attack—ideas do. And every time I weigh the validity of a story idea it feels
like selecting something out of a toy vending machine. I’ve gotten better at
figuring out which are the best toys to get.
Some days I end up with . . .
A bouncy ball
You think this is a good one at first. Mildly entertaining.
Fun to zing up to the ceiling. It responds to your exertion. All good, right?
But there comes a day when the bouncy ball is quarantined under a sofa and gets
coated with so much dust it’s difficult to see what it ever was in the first
place.
Silly string
Yay. It’s fun. It’s entertaining. For about two seconds,
then it’s a mess.
A stuffed animal
This one is tricky because it likes to fool you. Look at me, I’m so cute. You can cuddle
me and love me. Until I end up in the back of your closet because my weird
eyebrows and overly stuffed stomach freak you out at night. Stuffed animals
seems like such an ideal grab at first, but they’re quickly neglected.
Especially the vending machine variety because they’re made cheap, prone to
ripping easily and destined to bore.
A plastic slinky
Another initial cheer when an idea like this strikes. I take
notes. I think I’ve got a good thing going, but have you ever tried a plastic
slinky? They have the power of Eeyore before a nap. And they readily twist up.
Not writer’s gold, the plastic slinky. Better to slink it back.
Fake teeth
I have a thing against chewed gum. And fake teeth. And
anything that has the potential to collect saliva. Fake teeth also seem
intriguing at first. Try ’em on. Have a laugh with them. Then what? They sit in
some drawer gathering germs, forgotten.
It’s not until Silly Putty falls into my hands that I know
I’ve got a real thing going.
Silly Putty
More like writer idea gold. When a concept like this sparks, I
trust it’s transferred from something that’s left a great impression on me,
such a lasting impression it leaves a stamp on me. (Think Silly Putty and a
newspaper.) Then, and here’s the coolest thing, with an idea like this, I know
I’m able to smash it up, bend it, and contort it into an entirely different
shape—that impression. And if you’re like my kids were when they were little,
you smack Silly Putty and leave it smashed onto your forehead for as long as
humanly possible. And I don’t think I know a writer alive who doesn’t want
people to have their stories smashed on their foreheads. Silly Putty is the
holy grail of toy vending machine grabs. It’s the idea maker and giver all in
one.
Authors, always root for the Silly Putty to fall into your
hands.
*Blogging break. Be back on April 9th.
