Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Pop a Wheelie Point of View

This past weekend I took Number One Son to field lacrosse provincial qualifiers in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area). As we were speeding down a major multi-lane highway I noticed two motorcycles on the on ramp. Because I was in the right lane, I was in the process of judging whether or not I'd need to adjust my speed when I realized exactly what the first motorcycle driver was doing: he'd popped a wheelie! Merging onto a major highway. Not 50 feet away from me.

Here are our two points of view:
Number One Son: Whoa that's EPIC! How does he do that?

Me: OMG is he crazy?! What if he wipes out and crashes in front of me?
And that's why I love writing for kids. Their reaction is so much more fun. 

(The motorcycle sustained the wheelie for about 5 seconds or more, returning to two wheels just as it merged onto the highway proper and sped away. Big relief for me. In spite of our differing points of view, it was definitely the most memorable moment of the weekend for both of us.)

2 comments:

Peni R. Griffin said...

I find I get dual vision when I see someone - especially a kid - pushing the limits that way. The kid part of me is admiring the skill, the adult part of me is assessing what could go wrong. I figure that, as a non-parent, I have the luxury of retaining the kid viewpoint - it's not me who's going to be taking the kid to the emergency room if something goes wrong! When writing for kids you have to turn off the protective impulses and let the characters do things you'd be obliged to stop if you were the responsible adult in the room.

"Better drowned than duffers; if not duffers, won't drown!"

Unknown said...

You're absolutely right about turning off those protective impulses when writing, Peni. That's what makes fiction so cathartic or something--it's a drag to always have to be a responsible adult. :>