What were some magical, fantastical adventures you dreamed about experiencing when you were a kid?I do have an ulterior motive behind the question ... but I'll wait until I get the answers before revealing it. Not to be mean, but mostly because I don't want to influence anyone in one direction or another, or lead you to answer differently than you might on your own.
So, have at it in the comments!
Proper long answer time:
ReplyDeleteLike I said on twitter, I had elaborate magical fantasies, but they ALL involved making friends and connections through adventure. I was a terribly lonely child, so I had to imagine meeting some kindred spirit through some magical way that would DEMAND we become friends out of circumstance! This is still a recurring theme in my writing today (the grit of sand where the pearls come from, as I read in a lovely post somewhere this week which of course I now forget where it was). So my favorite fantasies were: (probably the biggest one) like-minded child falls through a time warp and finds themselves in my time with me, or vice versa, and we have to show each other the ropes; stepping through mirrors and hanging out with the mirror-self; bonding with poor lost alien beings (like ET, but able to speak English, because I'm lazy that way); and general running and hiding and escaping bad guys together; oh, and of course, book characters coming to life. I've actually been working on THAT book off and on for a couple years...
And yes, secret passages. Secret passages are a must for clandestine meetings.
If you've ever seen Barbara Lehman's picture books, she EXACTLY captures the feeling of my childhood daydreams. Making friends through a bit of magic. They are so lovely.
Def. flying. I think it still tops my list. :)
ReplyDeleteRockinlibrarian - oh, the book characters coming to life, oh yes. I have this theory that somewhere in Heaven is a place where all our most beloved book characters really do live, and that I will be able to hang out with them there - Lucy and Aravis and Jill and Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane and the Melendy children and Taran and Eilonwy and all the rest from Prydain ... because what would Heaven be without those old and dear friends? (I know, my theology in this area sucks, but whatever. My dream about being a perfect figure skater in Heaven ALSO isn't theologically sound, but you'll never catch me letting go of that one.)
ReplyDeleteLaura - I've been getting a lot of flying comments. Mostly, curiously enough, involving flying horses. I was more into just flying, no wings or carpets or anything. Just usually running so fast that eventually my feet would stop touching the ground, and then I'd be flying. Awesome.
I liked the idea of magic carpets as a kid. I used to slide around on towels on the floor a lot. I was also intrigued by elves, fairies, hobbits, friendly ghosts and everyday objects that have magical properties.
ReplyDeleteKirsten - I love the idea of using towels for a magic carpet! I also liked the everyday objects that are magical - a wardrobe that leads to a magical land, or a nickel that causes half magic, a carpet that contains a phoenix egg ... so many fun possibilities!
ReplyDeleteMy fantasies were mostly about horrid things that happened to me and I overcame them. Not nearly as much fun as magical creatures. I wish I'd had those instead.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I gave you the Liebster Blog award. You can pick it up by visiting my blog. http://connies-pen.blogspot.com/2011/08/liebster-blog.html
Connie, thank you so much for the award! I'll try to pick it up by the end of the week.
ReplyDeleteOvercoming horrid things is a good childhood fantasy, too. It certainly helps to build inner strength.