"Bill" Stories
...or how a windowsill named Bill wooed -- and won -- a hunk of blue cheese.
When my daughters were little, we used to trade lines on an impromptu story as I put them to sleep. One character was always named Bill. Sometimes Bill was a doorknob, sometimes, a garbage can. Whatever his form, Bill was always madly in love… sometimes with a coffee pot, sometimes the Mona Lisa. Alas, a problem ensues with their relationship. (That’s the easy part) Then we writers have to come up with a satisfactory denouement! (Ahh yes, and $10 words -- sometimes springing from another language -- are always fun to throw into the mix.)
Bill stories are wildly popular exercises in creating a fascinating story out of… not much. I think my favorite may have been Bill the trampoline and his sweetheart – a tofu salad! But each story has been spectacularly clever in its own right.
The kids choose the characters, we brainstorm how they may have met, explore the problem and solution. Even the most reluctant writers are always drawn into the frenzy of creative collaboration that swirls around Bill’s latest adventure. By clicking above, you can listen to two Bill stories -- presented in the voices of the authors.
Click above to hear the tale of a valiant rubber band named Medusa who finally attracts the attention of a punching bag named Bill
Below you will hear how Bill the windowsill solicits the help of a thumbtack to rescue a hunk of blue cheese from being eaten alive.
