My boy is a genius--Moms can always brag

Hello,

I just finished untangling a scene that Aidan imagined. Earlier, we spent almost an hour hashing out the details. He had a sense of what he wanted, but I didn’t see it. I was being too human.

It is very important to him that elves should not just be tall humans—or that dwarves are not simply short, powerful humans. The different races must each have their own idiosyncrasies and separate philosophies. They need to be culturally different as a result of their physical makeup and different lifespans. (There are words for that: embodied cognition.)

As we spoke, it became evident that there were more problems with the chapter than my shortsightedness. His characters were acting inconsistently—even taking into account the embodied cognition—and we can’t have that. Sometimes, he gets more interested in the action and overlooks the true reactions of the people.

Realizing the scene needed reconstruction, he pivoted and invented a whole new arc in moments. To witness that level of creativity is a gift. Especially when he is my son!

The exhilaration of creation is what keeps us going on this project. For Aidan, it’s the joy of shaping an action-driven story within a world of his own making. For me, it’s the thrill of turning a vision into something vivid and coherent—a story that invites readers to step inside and see what we see.

Aidan is always my first reader. I love taking his ideas and throwing them back at him in polished prose. He is an excellent audience.

Happy reading.

Warm regards,

Paula Baker and Aidan Davies