My eight-year-old son is marking down the days on a little calendar he made himself. He has, I believe, nine days left of school. Of course I want him to value education, to be even a little reluctant to leave his classroom and teacher behind--but who am I kidding? I did the same thing. Summer is the siren that sings annually to promise children an eternal freedom, an endless fun, an escape from drudgery.
I was trying to plan some book events for the summer, and one of them involved choosing between one-day attendance and an overnight stay. My son's opinion was quick and honest. "Go for the one day," he said, holding up a wise finger. His desire to be with me squashes some of my ambition, and our plans for the summer are basically these: lie around; have fun; go to some movies; have family time.
Amidst that lazy, sultry few weeks, I need to get myself in gear. Madeline Mann comes out on August 1st, and I have yet to contact everyone in the world. Based on what I see of my sons and the way that they're gearing up for laziness, almost as if they're about to hibernate, I don't think I can count on much help from that quarter.
But that's okay. As Longfellow so aptly wrote: "A boy's will is the wind's will, and the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts."
4 comments:
Julia - Thanks for posting a peace globe. They are showing up everywhere. Bloggers should be proud. I can't wait until June 6th!
Congrats on your writing accomplishments. This is an awesome blog. So glad I found it.
Mimi Lenox
John Lennon would be proud, too. :)
Aha! Now I know when to look for Madeline. I was hoping it would be June, but as you know, I'm a willow;I can bend. But not for too long. Btw, do you ever come up with plots that you hate and, if so, what do you do with them? I have a plot in my head and it won't go away. I don't want to write the book, but I'd like to get it out of my head. I write light funny stuff, for the most part, but this is a dark, depressing mystery. If it was on the evening news, I'd turn it off.
Lill
Hmmmm. I don't know if I HATE any plots, but I have a whole bunch of unfinished manuscripts. But if you can't get it out of your head, I have a feeling you'll be writing it down. In my case, if I ever start hearing dialogue, I'm a goner. I must start writing. I will literally lose sleep at night wondering what these characters would say to each other.
Do I sense a book in the offing?
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