Writing: Illusionary Magic in the Mind's Eye

When I was a little guy, I always wanted a magic set. My parents brought me several over the years and I learned how to pull a fake rabbit out of a hat, how to make it seem like a ring jumped from one finger to another and, more importantly, how to make a stack of coins transport from my elbow to the palm of my hand. I loved the responses I got from these tricks and took hours, even days to master them. I loved having an audience.

Around the same time, I was experimenting with storytelling. I primarily spun yarns through the medium of self-made comic books, which I would sell to friends and family for a nickel. As the economy shifted and my drawings got better, I increased my prices from a dime to fifteen, all the way to a whopping twenty five cents. The magic was twofold: it allowed my customers to be whisked away into a world where I made the rules; I, in turn, began to believe I could make a profit from producing my own books. Both were pure concepts that still stand today.

Books are magical things. A reader can be so caught up in the illusion that, for a few moments in time, it becomes real. And that's a wonderful thing.

On the flip-side of that coin, there are things that work on the page that would never pan out in real life. I can write up a character who can ignore or bend the laws of gravity to walk on a ceiling without a second thought. Trying to do so in reality could get a person hurt.

In one of my stories, "The Electric Spanking Machine", I advocate passing on the chore of disciplining children to a rather laughable, titular contraption. The reality of such a device being invented and marketed and becoming a worldwide sensation is slim-to-none (though I'd love to make a profit from the sales if it ever did! LOL!), but it's a fun premise to imagine. Especially if, like in the story, you are the mother of twin boys. I penned the story with two sets of adopted twin nephews in mind. Boys are already a handful, but could you imagine something that would ease the pain of raising two?! HAHAHAHAHAHA! It's all about the suspension of disbelief. I took a real issue, turned it on it's head, added heaping helpings of humor and got great results. It was my first published piece and brought many laughs when I read it for audiences.

Life is hard and we could all use an occasional escape. Numbing the pain with drugs, alcohol, or gambling can have dire consequences. Reading books are just as addictive but don't yield such negative results. To provide an escape from bills, relationships, parenting or work, why not curl up with a good book? You'll appreciate it later. Plus, the sugar weasels will love you for it. What are sugar weasels? I don't know; I made them up! It's up to me as a writer to flesh them out enough for your mind to believe they really exist... LOL!