Lego & Writing

LEGO WRITING

My grandsons were working on building with Legos. “I’m not following the instructions,” Jay said. “I’m being creative.”

“I’m following the instructions,” replied his four-year-brother responded. “I’m building a tractor.”

That’s a switch. Usually, J is careful to follow the directions and Auggie takes the more creative route.

“The beauty of it, though,” I told them, “is that you can build it one way now and then take it apart and do something different later. Like when I write. Sometimes I put a story together one way and revise it later.”

It’s true. I think writers get stuck in forming a story or even a sentence one way. We need to be able to pull it apart and try it a different way.

I’ve done it.

I’m currently working on a children’s book. I have enjoyed the process, but I am so close to the story and what I know was in my head when I composed it, I’ve had a hard time pulling it apart and putting it back together in a new way.

It is a rhyming book. A good friend and fellow author by the name of Pamela Harrison read the story and gave me valuable feedback. She suggested I look at the “meter.” Hmmm….I had counted the syllables.

Back to the drawing board. I asked some people to read the story out loud. I listened for those places where the meter threw them off. Those awkward words.

Then I pulled the story apart and word-by-word –Lego-by-Lego –I put it back together again.

And that, my friend, is writing.


So now, I wish you a Merry Christmas…Have fun with your new toys this season.



Be sure to join me next week as I talk about creating a strong HOOK for your novel.