Mary Had a...Bicycle?

Krista recently had a post about Writer’s Doubt. This is a different animal than Writer’s Block; same species, different phylum. Or vice/versa – I can’t remember which comes first.

I was watching Sesame Street the other day (I have two toddlers, that’s why). This particular episode had the little skit where Kermit the Frog was trying to help that piano guy compose a song, but the guy just couldn’t get it right. Remember him? He was trying to compose a song about a girl named Mary who had a…something. He couldn’t figure out what. Despite Kermit’s attempts to prompt him toward “a little lamb”, the poor guy got continually frustrated when he couldn’t think of rhyming words. At the height of his despair, he banged his head multiple times on the piano keyboard.

That’s exactly how it feels some days when I’m trying to write, but the sentences and paragraphs that end up being typed onto the computer screen refuse to cooperate.

“I’ll never get it!” Bang bang bang.

Fortunately, the Sesame Street guy had a happy ending – he came up with a song that, although not quite the original, still had a good flow and plot and a nice twist on the end. Kermit was a bit put off, but I’m sure he got over it in time.

The same is true for Writer’s Doubt. Take a little time off, let some other people read it and tell you how great it is (your mother or siblings are often good for that kind of thing), then re-read what you have so far. This usually gets me refocused and back on track. Unless I’m feeling lazy or would rather be playing BF2 or something. But that’s an animal of a completely different class.

Sometimes, this process leads to one of those rare flashes of inspiration. Reading through old material with fresh eyes can re-ignite the imagination and lead you to places you never would have thought of before; and sometimes, that means the story becomes better than it would have had you never had your moment of doubt.

So, then, let’s all sing along:

Mary had a bicycle

bicycle

bicycle

Mary had a bicycle

And it was red as fire.

And every time she wanted to ride

wanted to ride

wanted to ride

Every time she wanted to ride

The bicycle had a flat tire.

Mary, Mary; flat tire!