Why write? Because it’s legalized daydreaming

I love to write because it’s legalized daydreaming.

Okay, that’s only one of the many reasons I love writing, but having daydreaming as your job ranks among the best-ever reasons to be a writer.

Since writing my “faith, fun and farm pranks” novels about the misadventures of Bash and Beamer, I’ve been invited to schools to talk to students about the joys of writing. It is so much fun to share my love of writing with young authors. I think we all understand the part about daydreaming.

Hundreds of years ago when I was a kid—this was when we all rode our pet dinosaurs to school and chiseled our homework on stone tablets—I’d get in trouble for not pay attention in class. Why? Because I was constantly telling myself stories in my head. I’d ask myself, “What if…”, and then my thoughts would begin to race. My imagination didn’t just run away with me; it rode a supercharged rocket and blasted to lands and adventures only I could see.

What if a bunch of heroes and villains showed up? What if it was at the zoo… or on a farm? What if I rode super bicycles or jet-powered skates? What if, what if, what if? I could taste the possibilities. The stories rolled through my brain, crashing and banging into each other in delicious mayhem. Oh, what marvelous thrills I had in my head!

In short, I was daydreaming.

While the teacher yammered on about science and social studies or something, I was The Batman, jumping a ramp in the Batmobile as I raced to the rescue. I was Spider-Man, scurrying up walls and swinging across the room just in time to snatch the teacher to safety before the Kingpin or the Lizard captured her.

The teacher never appreciated my heroics: “Burton! Are you paying attention? I asked you who went on the Lewis and Clark Expedition?” I blinked. Looked around the room. And took a guess.

“Superman?”

Daydreaming during school hours doesn’t help your grades very much.

Then I became an author. Now daydreaming is my job. How cool is that!

I thought I was a weirdo all those years because I was always telling stories in my head. It turns out I was actually in training. Now I don’t unleash my imagination for just myself. When I work out the story in my head, I write it down so other people can share my daydreams too.

I urge you to pay attention in school. It turns out Superman had nothing to do with Lewis and Clark. But when you can, daydream. Let your imagination run wild. Ask yourself “what if?” You will be well on your way to becoming an author.