Do you remember when you
were a kid and your best friend dared you to kiss a lizard, a frozen light pole,
or a boy named Johnny? With your honor on the line you stupidly agreed…and it
didn't turn out well. Johnny ran away screaming about girl cooties then gave
the other boys on the playground cootie shots. The lizard ran up your arm and
got caught in your frizzy hair. Your lips stuck to the pole and your “friend” laughed
and snapped a photo.
But can a dare be
useful? I never thought so, but I changed my mind after reading that challenges have been the
catalyst for an author to break out or begin a career.
Agatha Christie wrote her first book, The
Mysterious Affair at Styles, as the result of a challenge from her
sister, Madge, who dared her to write a detective story that kept the
reader guessing the killer’s identity until the end. Christie accepted the
challenge with gusto. Her book featured detective Hercule Poirot who would
appear in twenty five more novels. As an aside, Madge also enjoyed making up
stories and told tales about a fictional, mentally deranged sister.
Dr. Seuss enjoyed
a good challenge.
William Spaulding, director of Houghton Mifflin’s educational
division, dared him to “write a story that first-graders can’t put down.” He
wanted it to contain only 225 words selected from a first grader’s vocabulary
list.
Ultimately, Dr. Seuss used 236 unique words and it took him nine
months to write what became The Cat in the Hat.
The story was supposed to be about a king and queen cat but “queen” wasn’t on
the acceptable word list. “Hat” was, and it rhymed with cat, so he made a story
out of it.
Another
challenge was issued by his editor, Bennett Cerf. He bet one dollar per word that
Dr. Seuss couldn’t write a book using fifty unique words or fewer. Green Eggs and Ham resulted from that
wager. According to some sources Seuss won the bet, but Cerf never paid up.
Since the book was a best-seller he probably didn’t need the $50.
When
Stephen King first began writing,
his short stories were published in risqué centerfold magazines such as Cavalier. This earned him a reputation
as a writer just for men and criticism from readers. “You write all those macho
things,” one said. “But you can’t write about women. You’re scared of women.”
Why
were these dares successful? I’m not entirely sure, but they have a few things
in common:
-
A
highly regarded person (in King’s case a reader) issued the challenge/bet.
- The author was held accountable for the end product and might have been ridiculed if it was bad.
- The dare encompassed specific parameters or goals for what would be considered successful.
- Each author had a problem to solve. My guess is the subconscious mind was constantly working to find a solution.
- It wasn’t a competition. The writer didn’t compare her/himself with anyone else.
So, I
double dare you to write one sentence of that scene, book, or short story that
you have been procrastinating because it’s scary or overwhelming. Even though I
can’t pay you, success is its own reward.
Has
someone ever dared you to do something?
