Why Can't I Leave Well Enough Alone?

Are you like me? Do you have to change everything? Why can’t I leave things the way they are?

I can’t buy a dress off the rack without wishing it had a different belt or collar. I have even purchased two outfits together because I liked part of one and a different part of the other. If I see a piece of jewelry I like, it always has the wrong color stone. When I buy a purse, I usually can’t help wishing that the handle was more like another purse – the one that I didn’t buy because the color was not quite right. When I’m looking for a new haircut, I always desire the front of one and the back of another. I wish our new van had been available with a different color interior. Choosing new carpeting for our house was made more difficult because I liked the colors from one company and the texture from a different one. This is the story of my life.

Eating out is one of my biggest challenges. I can’t seem to ever order from a menu without sounding exactly like Meg Ryan in the movie “When Harry Met Sally.” Yesterday my husband and I had lunch in a nice restaurant. A smiling waitress took my order, but she wasn’t smiling for long. I noticed that her expression was slowly changing into a fixed, teeth-gritting kind of look. I don’t think it was my imagination that she was looking at me as if I were speaking a strange language. Just because I ordered a sandwich with a different filling, different bread and different sauce than the one on the menu? I think it might have been after I asked to have the salad made with romaine lettuce instead of iceberg, feta cheese in place of the bleu cheese, the dressing on the side and no bacon or croutons, that she started looking like she was about to laugh (or maybe cry).

I turned to my husband (who is never surprised by anything I do) and asked him if he thinks I am a perfectionist. All he could do was smile.

Hmmm… Am I a perfectionist or simply a creative genius?

Bobbie http://bestfairybooks.com

Where do Ideas Come From? - An Exercise in Creativity for Young Writers

There’s nothing as pure and crystal clear as a child’s imagination. Children are great at daydreaming, imagining and creating. Unfortunately, all too often, as children grow and are taught the mechanics of writing, much of the clarity seems to diminish. Sadly, children tend to lose confidence in their ability to write, and many become “reluctant writers”. If you are a parent or a teacher, there are ways that you can get your children’s creative writing juices flowing. You can create excitement about the writing process. Through my experiences as a teacher and an author, I have developed some enjoyable exercises that accomplish this goal and spark the imagination. Choose one exercise for each lesson and take the time to discuss the children’s answers before setting them to the task of writing.

1. “What if?” - Have the children look around, carefully eyeing each object in the room. Ask them the questions, “What if that stuffed animal were to come to life at night?” Or, “What if the fish in that tank is really a creature from another planet?” Or, “What if those musical instruments started to play by themselves?” Or, “What if your school bus could fly?”

2. “Start with a title” – Tell the children the title for a book. This can be a real or a made up title. The children are asked to come up with a story to go with the title. Some of the titles that spark the most excitement and creative ideas are “A Lizard Ate My Broccoli”, “My Goldfish Can’t Swim”, and “A Mouse is Living in my Locker.”

3. “Create a Fantasy ” – Read a short story about fairies, elves, or any fantasy character. Talk about the mysteries in the world of make-believe. (I usually read one of my books, The Knot Fairy who tangles your hair while you sleep, or The Sock Fairy who is responsible for missing socks.) Ask the children to create their own fairy or other fantasy character – one that could be responsible for missing items or unexplained mysteries in their lives.

4. “Build a story” – This one works well with groups of children. One child is selected to start by creating the first line of a new story. Each child, in turn, adds a line to the story. This also builds good listening skills.

5. “Character sketches” – Show the students various pictures of possible story characters. These can be pictures from books, magazines or even old photographs. Have the children create a description of each character. Based on the character’s appearance (expression, clothing, etc.), have them describe the character’s personality, occupation, likes and dislikes.

I hope you will try these activities with your children. I know you will enjoy it as much as they do.

Letting Boys Believe in Fairies

It makes me sad that many parents discourage their little boys from believing in fairies. They let the boys believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, dragons and monsters, but when it comes to fairies, that’s where many draw the line. I visit many schools and libraries, reading The Knot Fairy and The Sock Fairy. I sell almost as many books to boys as girls, however I’ve met many parents who will not let their sons buy the books. I’ve had fathers say to me, “These are girls’ books, right?” Actually the Sock Fairy is a little boy fairy, proving, without a doubt, that fairies themselves can be boys or girls. When I ask the children to make up their own stories about fairies that they have created, the boys become as excited as the girls. Yes, there is a difference between the fairies that the boys create versus the ones created by the girls. The boys have come up with ideas such as the Lunchbox Fairy, the Thunder Fairy and the Broken Toy Fairy, while the girls have created the Earring Fairy, the T-Shirt Fairy and the Rainbow Fairy. So, what’s the harm in letting boys believe? They love to believe in dragons and elves. Please let them believe in fairies, too. Before long they will be older and their imaginations will be (unfortunately) stifled by the world around them. Let them hold onto their imaginations as long as they can. And, Dad, if it makes you feel any better, some fairies do very unpleasant things.