taletelling
Oct. 18th, 2006 02:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
falcongrrlstill sick, still parenting...and thus a Daniel story is born
Daniel tells me a nice, very conventional story about a knight who slays a dragon. "And then," he pronounces, "everyone lived happily ever after."
"Well, everyone except the dragon," I say.
He gives me a look.
I start revising the story in my head, automatically, wishing that I didn't, wishing that I could just leave it alone.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" he says.
"Like what?" I say. There's a pause. I go back into my storyworld.
"Like that," he says.
"Well, I was thinking of a story to tell you, but I'm not sure if you'll like it," I say.
"Well, just go ahead and tell me," he says.
"Okay, well what if there's this knight who becomes friends with a dragon. And he rides the dragon around, kind of like a horse. You know, like in Shrek. And then one day the villagepeople come to him, and they tell him he has to kill the dragon, that it's his job. He didn't know that, and now he's not sure what he should do."
"That's...kind of a story," Daniel says.
"Well, it's an incomplete story," I say. "It all depends on what happens next. Should the knight go to kill the dragon, even though the dragon is his friend? Should he pretend to kill the dragon, and let the dragon get away? Should the knight and the dragon fly away together? Should they both go on a rampage and scorch all of the villagepeople? I can't decide... Anyway, what do you think should happen?"
I pause, pleased with how I've led us into this creative exercise. I'm genuinely curious about which ending he'll pick, or if he'll choose an entirely different one. I'm pretty sure he'll pick killing all of the villagers, but one never knows...
"Look," he says to me, his tone sharp. I glance up, surprised.
"People are responsible for their own stories, okay? You can't just have someone else finish your story for you, like a friend or family member or something. I told you a story, so now it's your turn to tell me a story. You can do it. Just make it up."
But by then, I was too busy trying to engrave each of his words in my mind, so that I could run in here and blog the exchange, to figure out the ending.
Is it cheating if you decide?
Daniel tells me a nice, very conventional story about a knight who slays a dragon. "And then," he pronounces, "everyone lived happily ever after."
"Well, everyone except the dragon," I say.
He gives me a look.
I start revising the story in my head, automatically, wishing that I didn't, wishing that I could just leave it alone.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" he says.
"Like what?" I say. There's a pause. I go back into my storyworld.
"Like that," he says.
"Well, I was thinking of a story to tell you, but I'm not sure if you'll like it," I say.
"Well, just go ahead and tell me," he says.
"Okay, well what if there's this knight who becomes friends with a dragon. And he rides the dragon around, kind of like a horse. You know, like in Shrek. And then one day the villagepeople come to him, and they tell him he has to kill the dragon, that it's his job. He didn't know that, and now he's not sure what he should do."
"That's...kind of a story," Daniel says.
"Well, it's an incomplete story," I say. "It all depends on what happens next. Should the knight go to kill the dragon, even though the dragon is his friend? Should he pretend to kill the dragon, and let the dragon get away? Should the knight and the dragon fly away together? Should they both go on a rampage and scorch all of the villagepeople? I can't decide... Anyway, what do you think should happen?"
I pause, pleased with how I've led us into this creative exercise. I'm genuinely curious about which ending he'll pick, or if he'll choose an entirely different one. I'm pretty sure he'll pick killing all of the villagers, but one never knows...
"Look," he says to me, his tone sharp. I glance up, surprised.
"People are responsible for their own stories, okay? You can't just have someone else finish your story for you, like a friend or family member or something. I told you a story, so now it's your turn to tell me a story. You can do it. Just make it up."
But by then, I was too busy trying to engrave each of his words in my mind, so that I could run in here and blog the exchange, to figure out the ending.
Is it cheating if you decide?
