Reinventing the Wheel

My youngest daughter detests sameness.

Let me show you a few examples of what I mean. On her first Friday at a new school, several years ago, she came home and immediately changed out of her spirit wear. “I do not wear the same as other people,” she firmly stated. “I am going to make my own.” We did and it was much more fun than buying one.
When she practiced writing numbers and wrote the number 22, she always wrote the first two backwards. I am a teacher and was completely confused at how she could write the same thing twice in a row and do it incorrectly. I kept trying to show her the “right” way. One day, she said, “Mom, that’s how everyone else writes it. This way it looks like a butterfly.” I could not argue with either statement.
And when she was three, I was flabbergasted that she was still refusing to learn the alphabet. “Everyone knows those,” she said. “I want to make my own letters.” And she did. She made a fun system of pictures and symbols that no else could understand.
The common thread with my little creator, is that every time she learns something new, she wants to reinvent it. Sometimes it feels like she is reinventing the wheel and even though that isn’t her goal, she is constantly paving her own path with her own unique viewpoint.

In writing, this can be the ultimate idea source.
One of my favorite forms of reinvention is fan fiction. Creating a believable, interesting story with a complete beginning, middle, and end that includes authentic characters interacting in a setting you can picture…AAAHHH! STOP! It is a lot to think about. Fan fiction sets you free by letting you take established characters and settings and write a new story plot for them. You can write a new episode for your favorite show, a sequel to your favorite series, or you can rewrite an ending to go the way you wish it had.  There are a lot of sites that let you post or read stories that people have written where they use familiar characters and settings and then write an original story for them. You can’t sell these in the real world, but it is a great place to practice writing. Kid Fan Fiction is a great site to read examples.  (Note: I do not recommend googling fan fiction.  There is way to much out there for a blanket search and I found the most success when I included the word “elementary” with my key words of “kid fan fiction.”)

Another form of reinvention comes from rewriting stories that happen in your life.  Really, who knows those characters and settings better than you?  When I was in elementary school, most of the girls were not nice.  At all.  So each day, when I got home, my dad would ask me about my day and we would talk about everything.  We were always like that.  At the end of the conversations I usually felt much better, but I felt absolutely fabulous after I rewrote the scenes the ways I wish they had gone.  I almost always stuck to strict dialogue and now that I am a writer I am glad I did because it gave me lots of practice.  Try taking a scene from your life that could have or should have gone differently and rewrite it.  Hindsight is always twenty twenty and it can make for some very creative and powerful stories.

The last form of reinvention that I like is filled with instruments.  Since both my girls were young, we have made a game out of taking familiar tunes and changing the words.  The rhythm gives you a predictable and even pace and can help take away the temptation to ramble on.  Songs are relatively short so there is not much time to do anything except get to the point.  Nursery rhymes are the easiest to start with but after a bit of practice, your mind will start changing the words to some of your favorite songs.  Here is one I wrote for fun to the tune of the song I Want Candy by The Strangeloves.

Pirate Flier

There’s a tree in my backyard.
Gonna build a for, it can’t be hard.
A pirate ship to sail the wind.
A pirate quest, that never ends.

I want higher…
Pirate flier…

Make the mast 100 feet high.
The sails will stretch up to the sky.
Got a hammer, wood, and nails.
I can feel the wind in my sails.

I want higher…
Pirate flier…

Shape the hull and carve the wheel.
Fill the gaps and test the seals.
Search the map for buried loot.
Find the X and mark the route.

I want higher…
Pirate flier…

Hoist the anchor, raise the flag.
Tie them tight, so they won’t lag.
Set to fly, we need a pilot.
Does anybody know a pirate?

I want higher…
Pirate flier…

Songs are a fun way to get the creative juices flowing, but trying any of the three story reinventions can get you into a strong habit of writing. A little bit of familiarity combined with a fresh idea can be a springboard for stories that can be much stronger than their originals.

I use to joke with my youngest about the fact that she seemed to always be reinventing the wheel. That is until the day I realized that if no one had ever reinvented the wheel, we would be riding in cars with wheels made of wood. So start reinventing some of your favorite things and let me know what things worked for you!