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Monday, April 11, 2011

I is for Imagine that

As a writer, author, attempting to be imaginative person one of the exercises I sometimes use to get the cogs whirring is the what if game. You may have written a piece you are unhappy with but somehow it just isn't working, so what if the lead character swapped gender, what if instead of going to the supermarket they went into a betting shop - you get the idea. I find the kids play a version of this every day.

Imagine that you are so and so and I am this person and we are doing this, it is interesting to listen as they negotiate each trying to move higher up the perceived hierarchy. Indeed Lucy not protests heavily if she has to be a baby, because as she assets almost constantly; 'I'm a big girl now I'm three.'

It is great listening to them as they swap cahracters, some based on the TV, some from books and other generic characters from the world around them, it gives them the opportunity to explore different points of view and think about how other people live their lives, and sometimes I wish my life could be as easy as their game. When something isn't going right just change the rules, why can't the characters in my book behave like that, perhaps I am writing the wrong story.

4 comments:

mum in meltdown said...

I know, problem is the kids aren't worrying about what people think about their ideas so they can border on the ridiculous. However as an adult your always aware of what others think about what you say or do and that will reflect on your writing too x

M Pax said...

What a great idea. I'll have to play that with the ending of the last chapter I revised and am unhappy with.

diney said...

I've just read Room, and the narrator is a 4/6 year old boy who has been born into captivity with his Mum so he sees the world from a very stripped down child like perspective which is very refreshing to read (despite the sinister genre of the novel).

Mel said...

ooh that sounds interesting diney, that book is on my list of ones to read, I agree mum in meltdown the children mind less about what others think and M pax good luck with that final chapter.