Writers should not have to do math. Ever. Today was a 12 hour work day of wrestling with numbers and the goofy computer program and everyone who is sure that whatever the problem is is really someone else’s fault. Tomorrow is more of the same. And the next. Because it is that horrible time in the corporate world called “end of the quarter.” Any time I had a chance to catch my breath today I tried to find a way to link something I was doing to writing. It was tough. I was dealing with money. Money to the writer-me meant it was still three months until my next royalty statement. I tried to think about the WIP but instead I had to calculate the extended prices of pogo blocks and wonder why three different reports gave me three different answers. I tried to come up with a name for a character in another WIP and all I managed was to confirm the name needed three syllables.

Aha! And I remembered the pattern of three. That basic core patten that goes back to the Three Little Pigs, The Three Bears, Three Blind Mice. I’m sure you can go on and name some more. Kids like the pattern of three. They like the feeling of knowing what is coming next or THAT something should come next. It makes them feel like they are reading even before they can read. The predictability is comforting to them.

As for me, I’ll take comfort that back at work tomorrow, 2+2 will still make four. I hope.