Melody and the Sea of Wonders
Improvisational stories that might turn into something more
Sometimes I tell my kids stories. I mostly make them up as I go, and depending on my mood they can be silly, or scary, or sweet, or everything all at once. And if I'm honest, they're mostly forgettable. But something about Melody feels different.
Melody grew out of a cruise along the rocky New England coastline, where cranky kids and crowded restaurants collided and I started telling the story of a young girl who meets a talking crab in a tide pool who tells her to follow him into a world of adventure. She jumped in and we all found ourselves in a growing story where Melody joins the crew of the SS Cornflower, sailing on the Sea of Wonders, encountering rebellious dinosaurs, flower worlds, her evil mirror image, and other fantastic adventures.
Serialized Story Telling
I plan to take a shot at telling Melody's story in a classic serialized way. One chapter at a time, published here, as regularly as I can. Once it's written, no taking it back, no edits, no revisions. The story keeps moving forward, no matter what. Sort of like how it works with my kids, just with maybe slightly more polish
Optimism and Empathy
Melody's role on the ship is it's ambassador. That's why she was recruited, and that's what lives at the heart of every story and encounter. The crew finds itself encountering something strange, alien and terrifying, and it's up to Melody to build bridges and tear down walls.
Unfinished and That's Okay
Most of Melody's stories stories are unfinished—eventually our food arrives, or one of the kids gets bored. That's part of it. Things might be unfinished for a while here too, and that's okay
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