Underwear, or no underwear - that is the question...

Some of you may be familiar with my little writing ordeal concerning James Preller - if not feel free to select James Preller's name from the side tool bar and the previous posts will populate for you.  You can read all about it!

In taking Mr. Preller's generous advice I have been working (perhaps not so diligently) on revising my story Hiccuping Hubert.  During this tedious exciting process I have taken the focus of the story from the actual hiccups (and cure thereof) to the cause of the hiccups (Hubert's stage fright) and the cure of that.  Without getting into too much detail one of my first thoughts were to have Hubert picturing the crowd in their underwear.

Funny, right?  Well I quickly shook the thought from my head...UNDERWEAR?!  That can't be in a picture book...why, that's inappropriate!  What publishing house would print that?  I quickly replaced the underwear with something far safer, far proper, far less SHOCKING...PAJAMAS!  Still funny - right?

 Well, according to my three daughters pajamas are not nearly as funny as underwear.  But I remained vigilant in my decision - underwear is not a good idea...then my darling daughters brought home a book...a picture book...a published picture book...the title - The Terrible Underpants by Kaz Cooke



 Who knew - you CAN have underwear in a picture book!  And it's pretty darn funny too!  I feel like this book has slapped me awake!  The small still voice that I've been stifling inside me is suddenly screaming aloud GO FOR IT!  Forget about appropriateness, forget about editors and publishers and what you think they will like and just GO FOR IT!  Let go - be free and let the creative juices flow in whatever natural direction they desire!  In the wonderful words of Mr. Keating - Carpe Diem!

Sometimes you've got to throw caution to the wind seize the moment (day) and Go For It - in writing and in life!

The Terrible Underpants will remain on my desk as a reminder of this to me as I write.  I have put the underwear back into my story!  Hubert feel free to picture us all in our undies!  GO FOR IT!