Childhood Magic – WFMAD Day 4

 

 

It’s Saturday, the day when the best of intentions disintegrate under a heap of weekend plans. Stop right now and figure when you will write today and tomorrow. Set an alarm on your phone, or tell a friend who will annoy you ceaselessly until you fulfill this promise to yourself.

(If your best intentions to write every day this month went up in flames earlier in the week, fear not. Write TODAY. And then tack a few days on at the end of August to make up for what you missed. One year I think we still had people writing on August 46th.)

One of the reasons we let the “real world” interfere with the plans for our writing or art is that we have disconnected from the part of us that remembers what it was like to be a child. I’ve found that by staying in touch with my kid-self makes it easier to make time for writing.

Today’s Quote

“If you want to find a magical situation, magical things, you have to go deep inside yourself. So that is what I do. People say it’s magic realism — but in the depths of my soul, it’s just realism. Not magical. While I’m writing, it’s very natural, very logical, very realistic and reasonable.”

Haruki Murakami

Today’s Prompt: Quickly write a paragraph about what your days were like in second grade (around age 7).  Then choose a fairy tale from this list. Pull one of the elements from the fairy tale and write about who you would have reacted if it showed up in your life when you were in second grade. For example, what if your new babysitter had been Cinderella? Or the giant from Jack in the Beanstalk?

NOTE: You can only use the minutes you are actually writing towards your goal of fifteen minutes. Time spent reading or thinking doesn’t count.

ANOTHER NOTE: Loosen up! Have fun!

 YET ANOTHER NOTE: I’m taking a road trip to Montreal this weekend. I’ve already written and scheduled Sunday’s blog post. If it doesn’t post automatically during the morning, I should be home in the early evening (East Coast time) and will post it then.

 

 Scribble… scribble… scribble…

10 Replies to “Childhood Magic – WFMAD Day 4”

  1. Marvelous post today. The writing prompt helped me to break through to a story idea I didn’t know I had in me. MFMAD is helping me to write every day. I’m hoping I can keep to finishing the month strong, but glad to know I have until August 46th. That made me smile.

  2. I’m enjoying these prompts so much. Checking your blog is the highlight of my day. I’m only fifteen, but I look up to you so much. Your words are beautiful. Speak and Wintergirls and Catalyst; you’re a genius. Never stop doing what you’re doing. You’re the one who makes me want to write every day. I adore you, Laurie.

  3. Ooooh! I wish I had seen this prompt before I had done my writing for the day. I will have to save this one for another day. Got my writing done today using a good, old-fashioned pen and notebook while in the car on my way to a wedding. And no, I wasn’t the one driving.

  4. Sigh. I’m a day behind now. But I finally did this one.

    Thanks so much for holding this challenge! It’s really been fun so far, and a great way to get the creativity flowing. I’ve also been neglecting my personal blog (in favor of the YA blog) and so it’s been a great way to coax myself back into posting.

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