Gosh!

I spent my Christmas vacation awash in some of my favorite books from my childhood - the Beverly Cleary books. They were interesting particularly because I just read her autobiography, and a lot of the stories are recastings of her own childhood experiences. Henry Huggins, the first one she ever wrote, is still the best.

I love the wholesomeness of the kids on Klickitat Street. They're always saying things like "Golly!" "Doggone it!" and "Well how do you like that!" and they're always doing projects together, like tinkering with their bicycles, or building a clubhouse. They look forward to growing up with interest, not fear. The boys have paper routes and wear beanies; the girls practice twirling batons or sew costumes for the spring parade. There is no excess in their world - money's always tight, and there's always just a single thing that they want and are saving up for, like a down sleeping bag or a sled. I like that kind of simplicity. I have more possessions than I ever have time to appreciate, which makes me feel obscurely guilty.

It's setting my sights ridiculously high to say I'd like to write books that would be as well-loved as hers. (Although I would.) Realistically, I'd like to write just one book that would be enjoyed and appreciated by a few people. Some of the things I'd like to be in it:

likable, funny characters
a crusader mission to right an injustice
having a crush on someone
exploring familiar surroundings at night/being someplace forbidden
very tactile and vivid descriptions of things - ice crunching underfoot, the taste of cantaloupe, kissing
the awkward and delicious experience of hooking up for the first time
emotional turmoil
the terrific pressure young people are under (from themselves or others)
dialogue that if I were reading it, would make me laugh
how it feels to be depressed for no particular reason
no snappy resolution, but rather a kind of understanding

I made a start on this years ago, but haven't worked on it at all recently. It's totally different from Beverly Cleary's type of writing - but still, maybe her stuff will inspire me to start work on it again.