A Little Winter Magic: The Foreword

If you have spent much time rummaging around in "Googie's Attic," you know or at least suspect that I prefer to write poetry and creative nonfiction rather than fiction.  If not for my hometown Senior Center (which, by the way, I barely qualify for on the basis of age), I probably would never have mustered the motivation to try my hand at fiction in any serious way.

However, as a result of becoming better acquainted with the Senior Center writers, who put their fingers to the keyboard under the amazing tutelage of a former creative writing student of mine, I have somehow amassed the courage needed to branch out into the unknown territory inhabited by the mysterious, elusive beast known as fiction.

Since I have spent so much time reading to the grandkids over the past five years, it stands to reason that some of my earliest efforts in this genre have been stories for children.  You may remember that I published the first of these, "Jacky Joe's Halloween Party," on the blog last October, along with some great original illustrations by Sooby.

This spring the Senior Center again sponsored a contest with a category for children's fiction.  This time it was to be a "fairy tale," 300 to 750 words, using the theme "The bears decided to stay awake all winter."

Knowing this, I drifted off to sleep several nights with my thoughts focused on a family of storybook bears.  I pondered why they might want to stay awake.  I considered what might happen if they did.  I wondered if the whole family would stay awake, or just the kids.

What resulted from these musings is a story titled "A Little Winter Magic."  This month, I will share the story in segments here on the blog, along with some commentary on the experience of writing it.  I hope you will want to read it, share some feedback with me, and--better yet--try it out on some imaginative preschoolers you know.

So next time in "Googie's Attic," watch for the answers to these thought-provoking questions:  If you were going to create a little boy bear and a little girl bear, what would you name them?  What kind of antics would you expect from a character named "Squirmy Squirrel"?  What does a mama bear do when her kids don't want to go to bed?

On the edge of your seat, are you?  Transitioning into the nail-biting stage?  Watch the blog for the first installment of "A Little Winter Magic" in a couple days.