When spring came, the kids in my neighborhood trooped out to the five-and-dime and bought kite kits. Flimsy paper, balsa wood struts, no instructions, $0.15. We'd run home to put the kites together and hopefully swipe a ball of string from the junk drawer.
My dad would notice what I was doing and insist that I attach a tail to my kite. The only stuff available was torn strips of rags, knotted together. Ugly! I was the odd kid out, carrying my kite to the playground with the rag tail looped over my arm.
But when we started running to get our kites in the air, well, guess whose went up and up, while those of my pals rose a little, then spun out and crashed.
I marveled at my dad's genius. Moreover, the wonder I felt holding that taut string, watching the kite trade wisecracks with the wind all afternoon-what a thrill! Then I grew up and left kites behind.
You too? Why?
We're all busy with adult life. What a sorry excuse! Are we all jaded? Exhausted? Overfed with instant media and the shallow dopamine hits we get from it?
Yeah, maybe. But as writers, we can't afford that.
No matter what you're writing, getting in touch with Little You-that unpolluted brain, that frank curiosity!— can refresh your spirit and spark new ideas. You know it's true.
Rediscovering wonder is about being open, banishing cynicism and sarcasm. It's about allowing ourselves to be innocent again; it's about scraping off the armor we've accumulated without really knowing it.
The elements of wonder, as a kid might see it, are newness, beauty, courage, grace, dignity. What else might Little You add?
I might note that although childhoods filled with sunshine and candy can be great compost for a writer, so can unhappy ones. More so, perhaps, which is some cold comfort.
Let's take time now to slow down, go deep-and go back. Then let's write some new stuff.
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Denne historien er fra September - October 2024-utgaven av Writer’s Digest.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Writing for a Warming World - Imagining the overwhelming, the ubiquitous, the world-shattering.
Climate change is one of those topics that can throw novelists—and everyone else—into a fearful and cowering silence. When the earth is losing its familiar shapes and consolations, changing drastically and in unpredictable ways beneath our feet, how can we summon our creative resources to engage in the imaginative world-building required to write a novel that takes on these threats in compelling ways? And how to avoid writing fiction that addresses irreversible climate change without letting our prose get too preachy, overly prescriptive, saturated with despair?
Kids' Author Meg Medina Inspires Readers
WD chats with the National Ambassador of Young People’s Literature.
The Horrors of Grief
Whether hot off the presses or on the shelves for years, a good book is worth talking about.
The Mystery of Growing Up
New York Times-bestselling author Jasmine Warga tackles a new genre with her signature blend of empathy for her readers, agency for her characters, and the belief that art is the great connector.
Education
Even if it's not your thing, you're probably familiar with the term dark academia.
A Do-Over Romance
Karin Patton, the first-place winner of the 24th Annual Writer's Digest Short Short Story Awards, shares a funny story about secondchance love and a brief Q&A.
Everyday Wonder
How to mine awe from the mundane
From Ordinary to Extraordinary
Unveil the hidden beauty in the facts and transform your nonfiction with the power of wonder.
Childhood: Our Touchstone for Wonder
How to get in touch with Little You and create big new work for today.
Agent Roundup
22 agents share details, about what kind of writing will pique their interest and offer tips for querying writers...
