Hoping My Creative Writing Skills Aren't Hopelessly Rusty

I think my mistake was in telling the boys that my favorite class in high school was creative writing. Or maybe it was in telling them that I was on the staff of our creative writing magazine as the Quality Control Editor and a writer. Anyway, one of those little tidbits of information led my middle child to request that I write a story about pirates for him. Pirates. Hmmmmm……I’m thinking……and thinking…….And all I’ve been getting by way of creative thought for the past long time is echoes of my writing teacher saying, “No schmaltz!” and “Show, don’t tell!” Obviously, she repeated those cardinal writing rules often, as I still remember them all these years later.

M actually made this request months ago, but blogging and laundry and life got in the way of my remembering to sit down and actually start the brainstorming process that could eventually lead to an entertaining piratical type story for his enjoyment. This morning, however, I was struck with some little bitty ideas that have begun germinating, with the possibility of a parrot as the main character. M loves parrots. In fact, he’s also requesting a parrot for Christmas. Not this year, my son…..you all know how I feel about birds, right? Beautiful, wonderful creations that they are, I would much rather enjoy them at the zoo or somewhere else other than my house. I told him that he’ll have to wait until he has his own house and can responsibly clean up his own bird’s mess, thank you very much. This mommy loves her children, but the line is drawn at a large tropical bird that could live as long as 75 years and eats fruit and poops a lot. Sorry, M, but the dog is almost more pet than I can handle some days. (Aside: my favorite, cough-cough, store in town has life-sized toy parrots that actually record what you say to them and talk back. You think M would like that instead? That’s what he’s getting from us, I think – I’m heading over to Wally World this morning when my inlaws get here to watch the kids.)

Anyway, I think I need to try my hand at starting to write M a pirate story. Who knows where this might lead? I still have my fairy tale shelved that I started back in high school and intend to finish one day, too, but that will have to wait a while longer. Wouldn’t it be great if I could surprise M with a whimsical and fun parroty piratey something by Christmas? Maybe I can get to the brainstorming start today, as time permits. Here's hoping I can get the creative thoughts flowing. They're a little rusty these days. Yo, ho, ho!