Mad Hatter Day

by Susan Berger

October 6th is listed in the Holiday Insight Calendar as Mad Hatter Day.

Why? In Alice in Wonderland, the original – the mad Hatter wore a hat that had a white slip that said 10/6. This referred to the price of the hat (Ten Shillings and sixpence) but someone thought it would make a good holiday.

I like it.

In honor of Mad Hatter Day here is some writing advice from Lewis Carol’s Characters. 

March Hare

Why don't you start at the beginning?

King of Hearts

Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.

The Gryphon

Adventures first...explanations take such a dreadful time.

Eaglet

Speak English! I don't know the meaning of half those long words, and I don't believe you do either!

Alice

What is the use of a book, without pictures or conversations?

Doorknob

Read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction.

The Duchess

Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it.

The White Queen

Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.

And then comes the critique….

The Red Queen

Sentence first -- verdict afterwards

Alice

I don't believe there's an atom of meaning in it.

Alice

I think I should understand that better, if I had it written down: but I can't quite follow it as you say it.

The Mock Turtle

What is the use of repeating all that stuff, if you don't explain it as you go on? It's by far the most confusing thing I ever heard!

Alice

It would be so nice if something made sense for a change.

How you feel after the critique?

Alice

I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is 'Who in the world am I?' Ah, that's the great puzzle!

___________________

On October 17th Kris Kahrs and I will be attending and SCBWI event called “Down the Rabbit Hole.” We will board a train at Union Station and journey to San Juan Capistrano.

Dawne Knobbe and Svett Moondog of Infuse the Muse http://infusethemuse.wordpress.com
will stir our creative juices and we will come home replete with great ideas.

Here is a Mad Hatter exercise:. Take a saying. i.e. “skeletons in the closet” “Glass houses” and write about is as if it was real. Here is a link to a list of proverbs http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/proverbs.html

Happy writing!