MCGELLIGOT'S POOL
I recently met an aspiring author and illustrator, seven year old Brayden. He asked me if I had any tips for writing or drawing on my website. I have certainly written blogs on the creative process for what I would call ‘adults who feel stuck’. But I haven’t written any for the ones who are beginning. Who have big dreams and are ready to try, and so here is my first.
If you want to write, if you want to draw, if you want to pursue ANY dream, you have to know about McGelligot’s Pool.
McGelligot’s Pool is the 5th book to be written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss, published in 1947. It’s about a boy named Marco who sits down to fish at a spot known as, McGelligot’s Pool. An older, seemingly wiser farmer walks up and laughs at him as he says,
“You’re sort of a fool!
You’ll never catch a fish
In McGelligot’s Pool!”
He begins to tell Marco how the pool is too small! People only throw junk and trash in there. He says,
“You might catch a boot
Or you might catch a can.
You might catch a bottle,
But listen, young man…
If you sat fifty years
With your worms and your wishes,
You’d grow a long beard
Long before you’d catch fishes!”
Marco ponders these words from this farmer as he responds,
“Hmmm…” answered Marco,
“It may be you’re right.
I’ve been here three hours
Without one single bite.
There might be no fish…
But again,
Well, there might!”
Marco goes on to dream of how this pool ‘might be bigger than you or I know!’.
He imagines the possibilities!
How this small pool could actually lead to an underground brook… that connects to the ocean!
Where fish swim in from all over the world! From the tropics, from the North Pole!
Fish of all shapes and sizes, and ones that we never even knew existed!
Like a fish who has fins like a snail!
Or a fish that crows like a rooster!
Or even a fish made of strawberry jelly!
Or,
“From a stranger place yet!
From the world’s highest river in far off Tibet!”
Or,
“A fish that’s so big, if you know what I mean,
That he makes a whale look like a tiny sardine!”
After telling the Farmer of all that could possibly be, Marco ends the conversation with this,
“Oh, the sea is so full of a number of fish,
If a fellow is patient, he might get his wish!
And that’s why I think
That I’m not such a fool
When I sit here and fish
In McGelligot’s Pool!”
No matter how old you are or what you are dreaming of doing, you have
a McGelligot’s Pool.
You’ll find it when you start something new.
You’ll have an idea! You’ll write a story! You’ll draw a picture!
And you’ll have so much fun!
And you’ll wonder deep inside, what could this become!?
And someone or something, or some movie, or magazine will tell you this,
“You’re sort of a fool!
You’ll never catch fish
In McGelligot’s Pool!”
Most people don’t mean to be unkind and you shouldn’t be discouraged if something seems impossible.
Have a mindset like Marco,
Don’t give up.
Imagine the possibilities.
Try.
Be patient as you learn to write stories, as you practice your drawing, as you discover new ideas!
Because, you’re not a fool when you sit and fish in McGelligot’s Pool.
You are creating new things, catching new fish we didn’t even know existed!
You are exploring the possibilities of what could be, even if you don’t see it yet!
The whole world needs more of McGelligot’s Pool.
Places, ideas, discoveries where people thought it was impossible, and someone else- you, decided to try. Decided to wait and see what could possibly be.
So, if you want to write- start writing. Write long stories! Write short stories! Write stories that are only ten words! Have fun!
If you want to draw- start drawing! Draw comics, paint silly things, paint simple things, get messy! Have FUN!
Whatever idea you have, just start.
You’ll discover and create wonderful things long before
‘You grow a long beard with your worms and your wishes’
This is my first piece of advice for anyone beginning anything:
Know that you will have a McGelligot’s pool.
An idea that someone or something says is impossible or silly.
And that’s okay, you can try anyways.
You can sit fifty years with your worms and your wishes and CATCH all the fishes!
(And please do! I want to know what your McGelligot’s Pool can do! What will appear? What will be written? What will be drawn? What will happen all because you chose to begin!?)