Yesterday my sons came down to my office and asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I immediately said, "Band-Aids."They frowned and asked why.
I turned around in my chair, taking a long look at my normally neat office. Every piece of furniture and every corner of the carpet is covered with chapter printouts. Every printout has something weighing it down in case my cats decide to have a wrestling match in the middle of the night. Every paper weight has a few post-it notes slapped underneath it. Every chapter needs...something. More dialogue here. Less description there. The need to crank up dramatic tension. The desire to ensure less is more in every scene.
If you're a writer, this never really ends, the quest for perfection in your story - no matter what draft you're working on. When you read your work, raising the bar as high as you can, you inevitably see the need for Band-Aids everywhere. It's just part of what we do, but when I tried to explain this to my boys, I got blank stares followed by polite nods.
This morning, though, I found two boxes on the kitchen table wrapped in tissue. One said These are strong. Use on bad days. The other said, These are xtra strong. Save for big riting problims. The first package was a box of cloth Band-Aids. The second was a package of neon orange SpongeBob Band-Aids.
A writer couldn't be better equipped.
A mom couldn't ask for two nicer birthday gifts.
P.S. The birthday card they bought for me said, In dog years, you'd be dead. Sensitive little guys, huh?
27 comments:
Happy Birthday Holly.
Happy birthday! So you, too, feel the pain of the Memorial Day birthday... where all your friends are always out of town!
What a sweet gift from your boys.
Great card!
Your kids have a cool sense of humor. Band-Aids.
Must go buy some.
Happy Birthday Holly!
I blogged aobut you today. It's completely a coinicdence, but I hope you like it anyway.
That's so sweet. You've got some great kids.
Happy Birthday, too. In dog years...hee hee.
Happy Birthday. An understanding, or at least cooperational family is as important to a writer as paper and ink.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HOLLY,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
Happy Birthday from everyone in Edson! (and Aunty Hilma).
That's a cute card, I think I got it one year too from my best friend.
Hope you have a GREAT birthday!
Cindy W.
Your boys sure get the whole birthday gift thing eh? Happy birthday to you! (My daughter turned 13 yesterday!)
I'm officially on draft #3 of my latest project and I'm afraid now that I could just go on farting around with it for another 3 revisions. I have to stay strong. Maybe I should get a box of spongebob bandaids to hold it all together??
Many happy returns!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
Nice to get another reminder of how lucky it is that you aren't a dog. :)
And Sponge Bob to rescue you if you get too tired to finish revisions. Wow!
Thanks for all of your kind thoughts, everyone!
Katie -- I live in Canada, so you guys down there in the US are enjoying Memorial Day and us Canadians are hard at work :(
Wordman -- I knew you'd enjoy their sense of humor :)
Seeley -- Oooh, you're such a sweetheart! Thanks so much for doing that. Power suit, huh? I just glanced down and burst out laughing. Picture Holly, in sweatshirt, sandals and leggings -- not much of a power suit today :)
Marva -- I'm wondering if I'd had girls if they would've given me that sort of card? I doubt it, huh?
Travis -- I echo your sentiments completely. My family DOES cooperate... when they're all fed and bathed and asleep *lol*
Heidi -- lucky you, you've got yourself a Gemini daughter. Who could ask for more?!!!
Mindy -- I hope the writing is going well at your end. See yah in Maui this summer!
Therese -- Thanks for the birthday shout out! Aren't you supposed to be taking today off? Memorial Day is huge in the U.S., isn't it?
Today is your birthday?!!!!
Mine is tomorrow. Way cool.
Us Geminis rock, don't we?
Maybe that's why I like visiting your blog so much. (That and I loved both of your books!!!)
Pardon my late arrival to your birthday party, Holly, but my cable connection was "down" most of the day.
Your little guys came through for you again...gee, wherever do they get their sense of humor? Sponge Bob, indeed! Yet if it works... LOL
Happy Birthday! Hope you got everything you wanted!
LOL, great post! Happy Birthday.
Let me know if the bandaids work. I've got some big "riting problims" of my own :/
What great gifts! You've got a couple sweeties there.
Happy Birthday! My son turns four tomorrow, but we celebrated yesterday. Fun fun!
Here's hoping the SpongeBob band-aids solve all your problems. How could they not?
Kyla-dale -- You're a Gemini, too!? Man, how many of us can this world stand?
Larramie -- My connection was down for two days last week. I couldn't believe how bitchy it made me. Amazing, huh?
Anti-wife -- Very nice to have you stop by. At this stage, I like seeing my birthday skitter past as fast as possible so I can have it behind me and face the music of the oncoming year. Sheesh, I'm feeling old these days!
Wendy -- how's the writing going at your end these days? I hope it's clipping along well :)
Anissa -- Mine are 8 and 10 now and when I see pictures of them when they were 2 and 4 and 6 I almost want to cry -- they're growing up waaaaay too fast! Enjoy your year of him being 'four and fabulous'.
Happy birthday, Hol.
Remember when you used to skip school every year on your birthday?
It was tradition.
Even your mom knew it.
Those were the days :-)
Happy b'day from Norway.
hey I wrote you a poem!
Cindy W -- I almost forgot to say thank you for the Happy Birthday sings-song *red faced*
Hello to your mom and everyone in Edson as well.
Orion, your poem lacks... something.
Better work on it, girl :)
Happy birthday, Holly. I don't know which is more inspiring, your darling boys or your approach to revising. Both show a tremendous investment on your part. I imagine it is, indeed, a very happy birthday.
Amy
Happy birthday, Holly! And I LOVE the band-aids. How cute is that?
Happy Birthday! I had some Harry Potter band-aids once. Those were awesome!
What great kids!
Oh, I can feel the love all the way in Colorado, Holly!
Happy Birthday! :0)
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