Davey got a brand new puppy.

Hello vast audience. I just finished putting my son Parker to sleep tonight. He is the three year old. Anyway, he requested his mandatory "Davey Story" before he would willingly drift off to sleep. What could I do? I love it when he asks me to give him a new story. Lately he has decided that he can tell a better tale and interrupts almost immediately to "tell it right."

So, tonight I told him that I had a new story with a surprise. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head. Then he pulled up the blankets around his little neck, snuggled deep into his pillow and turned his head toward me. With his little hands grasping the comforter under his chin he said, "OK, I'm ready dad." with a big grin. I would give almost anything to be able to have a picture of that perfect moment. The result was a rapt audience.

I began like I always do but painted a picture of a bored little boy with his robot. Then his mother hinted that dad might be bringing home a surprise.

"What is it?" Parker asked.

"I don't know I answered." with a smile. Then I told him about Davey's dad pulling into the driveway and getting out of the car with a box that had holes in it. As Davey ran out to his dad the box yipped.

"I think that it's a dog in the box" Parker whispered to me; anticipation wildly apparent on his face. He really couldn't wait to find out if there was a dog in the box.

OK, now before I finish, I realize that a dog in a box with holes in it is totally cliché. I get that. But, what is cliché to the rest of the world is always going to be new to a three year old. That is a very important lesson that I have learned this year. Cliché's only exist when your target audience is poorly chosen for your story. Now back to the story.

Davey's dad set the shaky box on the living room floor. Parker pulled in his chin as he prepared to experience Davey opening the box. Davey's dad then explained to Davey and Pickles that his surprise would need to be taken care of responsibly. Davey of course agreed (didn't we all tell our parents we would scoop the poop and walk the dog? Yeah, to their everlasting disappointment.) Then Davey opened the box. A perfect little dog jumped up into his arms and licked Davey's face.

Parker laughed, and squirmed, twisted himself up in his comforter as he giggled the words "The doggy licked his face... ha ha ha. He was completely overjoyed by that little tiny detail of the story. I saw first hand how writing can teach someone something. More importantly I saw that one can truly experience an enormous range of emotion throughout the course of the story line and that those are real emotions that the reader, who has emerged him/herself into the story, feels. When Parker experienced the payoff, or fulfilled promise, of the story he was thrilled.

I think that if I had finished with him just getting a puppy and playing outside with it he would have loved the story. But, giving that little extra fulfilled promise/detail about the licking of Davey's face the story was twice as good.

I didn't stop there. The puppy jumped over to pickles and licked his face too. Parker wriggled and giggled all over again. I asked Parker what Davey should name the puppy. He said "name him Fred Jellybeans dad." I, for convenience in story telling shortened the name to just Jellybeans.

Regardless, it was a really great Davey and Pickles (and now Jellybeans) story-night in our house tonight.

Anyway, on other fronts. I wrote 1,340 words last night. It was a pretty good night. but not near enough to be on par for NaNoWriMo. I am not sure that I will finish NaNoWriMo. I just have so many demands on my time right now. This is truly disappointing to me since this is something that I really want to do. Something that I really want to accomplish. I even have next years "novel" all planned out. I think that NaNoWriMo 2010 will be a collection of short stories that all take place in the same world; chronologically.

WOW, look at me. I haven't finished NaNoWriMo 2009 and I am already planning for 2010. I just have so many stories that I need to write. I guess that is the proof that there is truly a writer inside me somewhere.

Anyway, thanks for visiting.
Ammon