The 'Foot in the Cycle' Syndrome??

When I was a kid, I remember all the time I would let my imagination get the better of me. Oh boy, what a time it was! It takes one away. It does have the habit. It would wrap me up and pull me into my dreams. I had heard of the foot in the mouth syndrome, but I had problems with the foot in the cycle syndrome.

Once, I was headed for school. I was barely 5, and I had insisted that I sit at the back of the bicycle. In spite of the fact that a classy red seat was put in the front for me... 

The poor chap, who used to ride and put me down at school each day, was not too keen. But I insisted, and he let me ride at the back. 

And then imagination took over. I was gone. There I sat enjoying the bike ride, as we rode past my dad’s office, and I had slipped into my dream… And then, just outta the blue, I felt something poking at the back of my foot.

I looked down at it, and was just about to forget all about it, since my excellent imagination was taking me away, when I noticed that my foot had gone into the spokes of the bicycle tyre.

I burst out crying and then the guy who was riding the bike decided to stop it. I cried and cried enough to have everybody on the road surround the bike. The whole incident took about 2 minutes.

I thought that the confusion I created was enough to take me back home. But no, that was not the biker’s plan of action. He took me to my school. I was planning to read comics and probably even play a game… but no, that wasn’t the biker’s plan now, was it??

He had to take me to school, and I watched the teachers crowd around me and quickly bandage my foot. Rather well, I must say... So, there I was back in the crummy school, when I had planned an afternoon off. 

Anyway, there ends my story of my imagination, which did take me away… and kept doing it for many years to come. 

I cannot tell you the number of times I had planned my imagination, what I would think of, how it would take place, and what would be the end of it. All planned and ready, during all the boring times in class, at functions and during lectures. Imagination was my first love.

 

And that was how Nap Time Adventures came about. It is called Nap Time because that is exactly the time I had used for them… the time between 1pm and 3 pm. But I had never known that it would end up as a book. All those years of imagination... It’s hard work too, because this book definitely isn’t the end of my imagination...

Write soon but Edit sooner!!

Writing a children’s book turned out to be one of the most interesting things that I have ever done. But the editing, the never-ending editing is taking forever. Firstly, it never lets you have a nap in peace. That’s funny because that’s what my book is called. ‘The Nap Time Adventures’.

You are always thinking of how the story must end, can end or could end. If you notice my confusion, it could give you an idea, of how my story editing went. I loved the writing process. An idea came and I sat with it and the story flowed. Words and grammar etched in my mind, they were. It seemed so simple.

But then, my story writing was not the end. The editing seemed to take longer. It took forever. I noticed enough errors, to make me want to stop writing. Structural and grammatical were they!! A story built on certain ideas, especially when it is a child’s imagination that one has to write about. It is amazing the things I thought of, my imagination seemed to have no bounds, whatsoever then…

It seemed to make sense then, why was it not making the same sense now? As a child, I would walk across the paths barefoot, but now I cannot seem to take a step, afraid I am of the rough rocks and thorns.

As a child, I did not mind the wounds I came home with. But now, I seem to… I had no sense of time, or feeling or mood! I was liberated every single day. I would not feel cold or hot, then. Now, the summer heat never seems to stop and the air conditioner gets too chilly. 

But right now, I feel the need to have the same sense of feeling I did, then… Non-Feeling… Because I feel that kind of a non-feeling is necessary when I edit. No attachment, no fondness. Nothing but plain, cold non – feeling. 

Writing and editing are inseparable. If you write, perhaps it would make more sense if you could edit it within a day or two. Or you might just get stuck, thinking … some more… and more.

And sometimes that will not make any sense. Do I make any sense now?? :)

Next Time: Why Nap Time Adventures??

Why writing for those little ones is tougher than you think…

My first few stories were not for kids, actually they weren’t for anybody. I just about ended up writing a little and sent them off to a website, which was nice enough to like and appreciate them. And publish them!!

My writing spree stopped with me getting a job as a journalist, and so the writing went on and off for the next few years. I began again, writing up to forty stories. Not for kids or adults. I guess I thought they would do. Anyways, after receiving a few rejections, dejected I began reading about these authors who’ve had to deal with the rejection tag. And counting the same, I began guessing I would need a few more rejection letters before my book would actually get published, until…

I was lucky enough to receive a mail from a certain editor, where she actually read my stories and sent me some feedback, at least. I jumped up and down as if she had agreed to give me the Pulitzer… 

I was happy that she had read it, and had a little something to say. So, now I’ve begun again… my first book of short stories for kids is almost ready. We’ve got to see, how it goes this time…

Few tips:

Kids are the toughest creatures to write for.

They are neither simple minded nor silly.

They do not just like pink flowers nor tiny cricket balls.

They are people with an excellent imagination.

They probably can’t add as well as you do, but definitely know how to put two and two together.

They do not enjoy it when you talk down to them.

They would appreciate an illustration or two, so they can check if your childish fantasy matches their sense of imagination.

They have a better sense of humour than you do.

Just because they don’t laugh their shoes off, does not mean they don’t get your joke. It just means that it wasn’t a joke in the first place.

So, with these thoughts, I will close this page. And get back to ahem…writing…