In the story line, I created this great pair of life coaches who referred to BUSTING LOOSE FROM THE MONEY GAME a good number of times. (Click the link to ==> connect with Andries & Renae Cane.)
Well, I'm creating myself to only dimly remember one idea I played with as them & my Giovani character.
So, rather than try to piece it together, I as Giovani will just blurt things out from that perspective & see what I get!
I'm really enjoying creating me as a certain publisher who's really turned on about reaching kids with this amazing thing: books.
I'm creating this publisher to remember what it was like to first pick up a book and read it all the way through and to imagine how great it would be to create that feeling again and again for thousands and thousands of kids! :D
I just love books, I can hear myself (as that publisher) saying. However, I'm also creating myself as that publisher to have gotten a thought caught in her head. The idea of kids who are reading below their grade level, or something like that.
I can see this sort of nagging at her.
I can see her thinking of a certain age group--six, seven, eight--and feeling a little weird about that market. It's so huge! How's are a six year old's and an eight year old's reading levels even related? And what about the eight year old who's barely reading at the six year old's level?
And is it even realistic to expect to know what these levels are? I'm creating myself, as this publisher, to believe there's some kind of quandry there.
And, I'm creating this discomfort to be all over that publisher's publishing house. I'm creating myself, as this publishing house, to just puzzle over the matter in all sorts of ways. And, I'm creating myself, as that publisher, to just wish something magical and just plain perfect would just show up. In fact, I'm creating myself as that publisher to hunt through her brain and hunt through her contacts and to realize nothing really feels right.
I'm creating this publisher to think how everything she can think of sounds so babyish.
Not six year old, but like five year old--at best. And I'm creating her to really have an idea what she means by this, too. What I mean, as this publisher, is that--up to a certain point--you can be comfortable having someone else read to you, but eventually you want to read it all by yourself.
And I'm creating this publisher to be very wise in thinking that this goes beyond mere pride. There's a desire for a sort of privacy, here. What you read should, at least, be ABLE to be worthy of privacy!
Oh, I'm creating myself as the publisher to feel a little afraid of that thought. I mean, what's an eight year old gonna read that needs to be kept private, after all? Well...Well, what if it's something that doesn't follow the pre-ordained gender rules?
I'm creating myself as publisher to roll my eyes at that one. I mean, it's sound. But, if this is just another BRIAN HAD A DOLL story, or whatever, I will simply puke. I want more. More, danm it! I want something big as life!
Life.
I'm creating myself as that publisher to feel excited, then scared, then really really excited, again.
But how? Who? Who's gonna write that?
Suddenly, as the publisher, I receive this idea from myself: I'll bet whoever has, in fact, written this is thinking, "Who's gonna BUY this?" Who's gonna buy a real solid life-or-death story for readers at this delicate stage? Who'd have the guts? Who'd be crazy enough?
And, I'm creating myself as this publisher to swear silently to everything I-as-she secretly is: I'll publish it. Just please, please, please let that manuscript cross my desk. Just let me get wind of such an excellent story.
I even drop the idea of the sea and a cold current and a warm current and something Shakespearean into her thoughts. And I create myself as the publisher to almost be coming to tears at the thought. I'm creating myself as the publisher to wonder what she can do to attract this, to be ready for this, to invite this, to avoid missing the boat, to make sure her underlings bring it up to her if they catch wind of it, to make sure she doesn't try to force this thing into being--because it would be so easy to do this wrong....
Now, in the story line, I've created something called SLASH: The Great White Shark. And, I'm creating myself as Giovani to feel it's just wonderful for the six to eight year old crowd--especially eight year olds still scared of youth novels but who dread being seen near baby books. And I'm creating myself to be especially proud of how rich the story is--a real life-and-death struggle.
And, as Giovani, I'm proud of how I didn't attempt to make it all things to all people.
You've got to be a kid with a strong stomach for deep drama to go for this. But, I--as Giovani--feel so good about the beauty awaiting the kids lucky enough to look beyond Slash's deadly jaw! As Giovani, I just know there are kids and editors and publishers looking for exactly this kind of a magical story.
I've had so much fun creating it and rereading it and playing with it and appreciating it and sharing it with those who've already expressed curiosity and appreciation for the sheer idea.
I am having a ball with all this activity, obviously, as my Expanded Self. Wow! Now I, as Giovani, can see why! Hahaha! :D
Sunshine & Blessings,
Giovani
