What My Daughter Thinks I’m Writing
Posted in Writerliness on 04/10/2013 12:57 pm by jess
Jumping on the bed was apparently so last-millenium. Now monkeys are doing something else entirely.
As some of you know, I have a daughter who will soon be two. We call her Mrs. McNoodle. She knows that her Mama (my partner) works at an office, and will even point out the office when we walk by it. Lately, we’ve been trying to round out the picture by telling her that Mommy (that’s me) writes stories.
One morning when I was asleep (ahh), my partner asked her, “What do you think Mommy is writing a book about?”
“Monkeys,” said Mrs. McNoodle. “Wiggle.”
So. There you have it. According to Mrs. McNoodle, I am writing about monkeys who wiggle. At the time we asked, I didn’t even know she knew the word ‘wiggle’! (Note: I do not write picture books. I pretty much always write about people. So far, not one has memorably wiggled.)
But this is no passing fancy. It’s stuck with her. Sometimes, I ask her what the monkeys should do in my book today. Recently, she said, “Haircut.”
“The monkeys should get a haircut?” I clarified.
“Yes.”
“Do you want to tell me anything else about the monkeys?”
She thought about it. “Tall.”
“So I’m writing about tall monkeys who wiggle?”
“Yes.”
In my one of my favorite episodes of Story Corps, Scott Simon interviews his 6-year-old daughter about the process of adopting her from China. He tells her,
SIMON: We wanted to get over there immediately. So we waited and waited and waited and we finally got to China….First we went to Beijing, and we–
DAUGHTER: First Chicago, then Beijing.
SIMON: Chicago, then Beijing, you’re right…(to the listener): She’s like an editor.
Me and Scott Simon, we’re getting that editorial advice right and left. If I radically change genres, you know who to thank.
04/18/2013 at 4:54 pm
“Monkeys who wiggle.” That’s so precious! Love these dialogues with kids. A friend has a three-year-old daughter who insists that every problem can be solved by a cup of her imaginary tea. (Love that.) So I hope your tall monkeys are wiggling!
04/25/2013 at 9:34 am
Well, when monkeys are wiggling, they don’t want hair flopping in their eyes. So, clearly, they need a haircut.
I love it, though, that she’s so creative and already thinking of her own stories. That’s awesome.
04/25/2013 at 10:49 am
Love Scott Simon and LOVE your little girl.I’m lucky my kids aren’t editing my writing. All I’d be able to write would be “Baba!Cah!Uh-oh!” You clearly have highly articulate offspring!
04/25/2013 at 2:47 pm
So glad you’ve found the logic in Mrs. McNoodle’s writing, Emily. And Tamar, given the popularity of the Teletubbies, I bet G&M’s ramblings would be really interesting to the under-2 set!
Linda – who is this 3-year-old? She has a future ahead of her as a talk-show host, at the very least!
04/30/2013 at 12:39 pm
I think Emie would make a great talk show host. Hmm. I sense a picture book here.