Many know this already, but it was my husband who built the sandcastle that inspired WHEN A DRAGON MOVES IN.
Of course, it wasn’t his first. He’d been creating these lovely castles since he was a child, like so many of us. As a dad, he was a part (literally!) of our sons’ artistic sand sculptures.
But it wasn’t until the boys went to college that Larry began studying the craft. He learned how important the clay content of the sand is with respect to holding its shape. He learned how to use tools to create shadows and depth. He learned how to build arches and bridges. And he loves to teach others too.
I use pictures of him and his castles when I visit schools, showing students how building a story is just like building a sandcastle – from the strong foundation (idea) to the sculpting of doorways and arches (revision.)
Yesterday, as I watched him create, I realized that he uses one hand – one outstretched hand – to build his bridges.
A perfect analogy for life, yes?
Imagine the bridges we can build if we all just extend our hands.
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