The Mouse in Our Canoe: Life and writing tips gleaned from time spent with the grandchildren by Molly MacRae

 

Lake Sara in Effingham, Illinois

We spent last week with our grandchildren (11, 9, and 3) at a lake. The week was full of sandcastles, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, reading, and playing games. Watching their amazing minds blossom as they soak up the world around them is a joy. It’s also a neat way to pick up tips for life in general and for writing. Here are a few I learned last week.  

Weigh the ramifications: When you and the 3-year-old find a mouse in your canoe, just as you’re about to get in it, you have choices. One is to agree with the three-year-old that Mousie is sooooo cute and wants a canoe ride, too. Another is to help Mousie out of the canoe (without Mousie running up your arm) so she can go home to her cute, cute family in the woods. 

Writers make choices affecting their characters’ lives every day. Choose wisely.

Reversals: When a child is clearing their place after a meal, happy and excited to get back outside, will the not-quite-empty milk cup in one hand stay upright or will it suddenly reverse, with the next three hops? 

Reversals are good for ramping up tension in a story. Reversals in real life are good for ramping up tension, too, but the issues they cause can sometimes be resolved with a paper towel and a yell of “oopsie daisies!”

Persevere: If you don't catch a fish the first day, don’t give up. The next day you and your brother might catch fifteen each! 

Success isn’t guaranteed for writers or for anyone attempting anything. If you give up, though, success will be a whole lot harder.

Be well-rounded: Realistic, memorable characters need to be as well-rounded as ballerina bulldozer drivers.

Don’t panic: Until this week I have never, ever had a tick. Seen them on others? Sure. Dealt with them calmly? Yep. But when I woke up Thursday morning and found one on the back of my upper left arm—gah! Ick, ick, ick. But it was okay. I knew what to do: Find the helper. In this case the helper was my husband. He knows all about ticks. 

If you’re going to be out there with ticks, someone is bound to get one. Just remember, there are people who can help you through fraught situations from ticks to computer viruses.

Twists: Do you know any little kids who like to play with stick-on flowers, jewels, bugs, and butterflies? I do. How on earth did one of the glittery stick-on jewels from the kids’ art kit end up stuck to the back of my upper left arm? 

A good twist ending is a jewel in a story and in life. Especially when it makes everyone laugh.  

Not a tick

My biggest take away from our time at the lake is this: If you slip, trip, or let go of the sandwich you’ve been waving like a flag and it sails off into the lake, dust yourself off, keep going, and yell “oopsie daisies!”

 

Molly MacRae writes the Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries, the Highland Bookshop Mysteries, and the award-winning, national bestselling Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries. Visit Molly on Facebook and Pinterest, connect with her on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky.