PLAY ON
In the final moments of Danny’s life everything comes into sharp focus. He won’t miss being a soldier, he won’t miss Afghanistan and he sure as heck won’t miss the war. As he closes his eyes he knows what really matters: his family, his home and his guitar. A few years later that guitar falls into the hands of a kid from New York named Dillon, and it is just about the only thing that feels right in his life. His parents are divorced, his school is a joke and his friends just don’t understand him anymore. The more he plays that old guitar, the better he feels until he starts to feel that someone is watching. His suspicion is confirmed when he hears a southern drawl teasing him about a truly poor G chord.
Channeling the ghost of the guitar’s former owner is weird enough, but now there are unsettling notes as well. Fragments about death and remembering and warnings. Dillon doesn’t know what to do or where to turn. Is Danny a friend or a threat and is he sending these notes? The only thing Dillon knows for sure is that the old guitar in his room is the key to everything. Dillon has no choice: he must play on.
I remember the night I wrote those words. Writing my first young adult novel has been a thrill and an adventure in bravery from the very start. I love writing for kids and I value their time and trust. I want to give them stories that are empowering and exciting. My favorite stories are the ones that center on ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. Characters that could be anyone of us, that face a seemingly insurmountable challenge and discover that they already have within everything they will need to meet that challenge. I love to see the growth from not believing they are enough, to discovering their inner reserve of strength, skill and courage. Stories about pulling together and beating the odds are my favorite to read and so that’s what I love to write.
I learned from an early age that life can be overwhelming and even scary sometimes. I also learned that the love and support of caring friends and family can help children grow through those times and even empower them to help others along. I think that is what changes a community, one child at a time. Knowing that you are loved, no matter what; knowing that life is not always about becoming, that there is great cause for celebration in simply being. That right now, at this moment, you are enough; that you have within you what you need to meet the challenge, whether that challenge is turning off the lights before you sleep, or facing a natural disaster.
I think that when a child can accept him or herself, they can be more accepting of others and that kind of growth can move a classroom and even a community forward. That’s the environment where creativity can flourish. Where the risks required to learn can be taken, with a big smile. Where kids can remember that mistakes are okay because that is where the growth occurs. Where all kids can learn that the world is longing to hear their music, so no matter what, we need them to play on.
Here’s to teaching our kids to face the sun and using great stories to do it.
Marilynn
Categories: General
