TRACTOR, a rhyming series, by Chris Regier
For the longest time I avoided writing about farming. Writing has been my escape from farming for a long time, and I didn't want to ruin that escape. Then I started writing a series about a tractor who was a dragon. After playing with ideas, I began rhyming it. And adding other mythical creatures: a Minotaur/farm truck. A Sea Serpent/irrigation gun. A Gryphon/combine. I was having a blast and I was writing about farming! One of the things you hear about writing is "write what you know". Well, I do know farming.
Then, I took the Gryphon story to the SCBWI Oregon spring conference, 2015. The question I was asked that stuck with me was: Why are you making the farm implements into creatures? Kids think tractors are really cool, already.
I came home. Took a hard look at my stories. And realized I could make them better by leaving out the dragon twist. Having lived as a farmer most of my life, it's hard to remember how cool it looks to people from the outside. I'd forgotten how cool tractors are, having lived with them for so long. Writing about them for kids has brought that wonder back for me, again.
Then, I took the Gryphon story to the SCBWI Oregon spring conference, 2015. The question I was asked that stuck with me was: Why are you making the farm implements into creatures? Kids think tractors are really cool, already.
I came home. Took a hard look at my stories. And realized I could make them better by leaving out the dragon twist. Having lived as a farmer most of my life, it's hard to remember how cool it looks to people from the outside. I'd forgotten how cool tractors are, having lived with them for so long. Writing about them for kids has brought that wonder back for me, again.