One thing I've been unexpectedly grateful for over the course of my journey as an author is how REAL it's made writing for my kids. They write and illustrate books in their free time for fun (or, in my daughter's case, "It's not a book, Mom, it's a series!"), write under pen names (they use White, too!), and regularly check to see whether or not I know their favorite authors.
(Hey, Mo Willems? Wanna be my friend?)
It's wonderful that this wall between writers and books has been broken for them. Books aren't magical things that exist on their own--they come from somewhere. Someone has to write them. And they know that someone could be them, if that's what they want to do.
But sometimes I wonder if maybe they've seen a bit too much. Tonight they were upstairs playing at bedtime when I heard my eight-year-old tell my six-year-old, "Okay, pretend you're my editor. Tell me all the things you want me to change about my story! Also, find any mistakes I make and tell me to fix them."
Maybe books-as-magically-created-objects is more fun to believe in, after all...
13 comments:
Awww! That is soo adorable, Kiersten! It's pretty obvious that they look up to you ;)
That's funny Kiersten. At least they pay attention to the details of your job.
I just had this conversation about my kids YESTERDAY!!!! My guys do the same thing and I was saying how fabulous it was and how I wanted to make sure they had that same feeling about lots of things in life.
I have older kids, so I can tell you that by the time they are taking AP classes and prepping for their college boards, they will correcting YOUR spelling and grammar--sometimes at your request, and sometimes at the dinner table. Then there's the radio. Broadcasters are constantly using 'he and I' when they should use 'him and me'for example, and each gets an eye roll. As for the time the WSJ had an article about the 'yolk of communism--my teenager had a field day with that.
That's fantastic! I teach second grade and the editing process is so strange for them to grasp...they are like "i wrote it and I'm DONE!"...also Mo Willems is one of my favorites, too. A friend got my baby We Are In a Book and I think I love it as much as she does.
Does this mean you're upset that your kids called me the other day??
I'd only be upset if they were pretending to call other agents. I'm proud of them for having good taste.
Hey Kiersten, i just started to read Paranormalcy on the recommendation of a friend and absolutely loved it. You Rock!
Haha I just had an argument with my mom on how many elements are man-made, Google ended up declaring the winner.
When my first born was little and potty training, he noticed the toilet had a name on it and asked if it was the toilet's publisher!
Awww, that is an adorable story! I have to say both the pretend and the real ideas of how a book is published are interesting in their own ways. :)
That's awesome. I'm a writer too and my daughter does the same thing. It's so cute to see how they look up to their moms. I love it!
The best magic is always dispensed with a meticulously calibrated ladle.
Also — great weapon to be seen wielding when those around you get too smart.
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