The teeth of a story

William Everett Crocodile lived on the banks of the River Nile with his mama. One day, Mama said, "William Everett, now that you have nice crocodile teeth, we must go to Mr. Hippo's store and get you a toothbrush before you start school tomorrow." Bill and Pete, by Tomie de Paola. This books starts one place and really ends somewhere else. You wouldn't think you'd see the tooshie of a man running away, but you do. Where does our story start? This story starts with teeth, and in fact, ends with teeth. The mean guy running away from some teeth he's very scared of. To the reader/listener teeth are really important. Losing them, growing them, brushing them. Mr. de Paola has struck the chord. The child is instantly hooked, and then the toothbrush is a bird. Perfection.

borrowed costumes

Today is big. Really big. It's halloween. Pumpkins are carved. Costumes are organized (kind of). But this year is different. This year we didn't make them as in previous years. No skunks, no Yeti's, no moon or shooting star, no leaves. This year is more traditional. A ghost vampire and a witch. For so long I have leaned away from the borrowed costume. I like the original. But I can't do it every year, it's true. And more to the point my kids don't want it. But I had fun going to our friend's house and simply pulling stuff out of a dress up box. No needles or thread. No fun fur. The form is set. A witch is a witch, and a vampire ghost is merely a slight twist on the vampire, a long white nightgown is all that is needed (and we have one of those).

I'm just starting to write again, after what seems like a startlingly long time, it's actually only a month but there you go-to a writer it's a million years. Starting a new job, husband with a million deadlines, kids transitioning, time gets eaten up. I've had a bad time waking up early to write and a worse time staying up late, but really the truth is I felt zapped. I didn't have the energy to start something original (like a home made costume).

SO I've finally decided to go back to something already there. To the old reliable who still needs to be tweaked. Just like costumes, some writing is already there. The job needed is actually like borrowing a costume. Of course writing is inventing, but it's also borrowing and my job right now is to look in my dress-up box, and my friends dress-up boxes and find the outfits I know, and to take from them what can make the book better, to study the forms and traditions and like my daughter perhaps I too will have a book that is both traditional (the vampire) and original (a ghost- vampire).

Choosing the mode can be difficult...for a cat.

The mode could be cleaning, sleeping, disdaining, seeking attention, not seeking attention, wanting to be let outside, wanting to be let inside, wanting food, sharpening the nails on the furniture, sleeping on owner's neck, torturing the dog, or laying on top of the newspaper. There are so many modes to choose.