Boxed In

I smile every time I see this picture...

All too often, I feel like this girl, with my head trapped by various sizes of cardboard boxes. Oftentimes it's a tight squeeze. And I'm not really sure what to do. It seems an easy task to simply lift said box from said head. But I guess it just must be too dark and confusing in there to think such simple thoughts as that...

As a writer, it irritates me to see boxes anywhere in sight. Remember, us writers like to be in charge. In Writer's Digest, there is a column for a short story contest. They start you off with a prompt, and let your imagination do the rest. I've been fascinated with the creativity of these stories.

One prompt was "Parents look on in horror as a magician's trick goes horribly awry during a child's birthday party" At this point in the past, I would have crammed myself into an extra small UPS box, for mailing a single toilet paper roll.

But these writers didn't...It says "parents look on in horror". I would first think that the story MUST be told from the parents perspective then. But the winning writer thought outside of the safe cardboard, and created his story from the first-person perspective of the magician's rabbit in the hat!

I suppose, 'thinking outside the box' consists of not necessarily using the first bland idea you have...


Novel update: One more chapter to tidy up before my first draft is complete!! 172 days to go!