Sunday, March 4, 2012

If You Were a Car...

Exhibit A

My fellow Inkling Brandi Barnett insists she isn't "craftsy." I beg to differ. As proof, I offer Exhibit A above. These are just two of the clever coasters she made to celebrate my book. I chose the ones which feature cars because if you've read my book--or WHEN you read my book--you'll know cars play a significant role in the plot.

When I taught sophomore English, I dubbed it "the year of the car." That didn't mean all students got their own car that year, but most of them did get their drivers license. And I don't need to explain to you that in the US acquiring that official document is a rite of passage. To mark the occasion and to get to know my students better, I'd sometimes assign an essay in which they were to explain that if they were a car, what kind they would be. With the exception of one student (a very left-brained male who complained, "That's just dumb. People aren't cars.), they all seemed to get into the spirit of the assignment. And most understood it for what it was--a metaphor for their personality, not a request for them to turn into a Ford.

Now I'm asking my readers to do the same. No, you don't have to write an essay, and I'm surely not going to grade it! Been there, done that. But briefly tell me what kind of car best suits your personality. Remember, I'm not asking you what kind of car you drive, unless, of course, you just happen to drive a Maserati and that's the way you see yourself. But many of us don't drive our "inner car." For example, after years of hard work and saving, Bill and I recently rewarded ourselves with a late-model car with all the bells and whistles. But no way do I see myself as that sleek and luxurious vehicle. I see myself more as the sturdy, practical, dependable Camry I used to drive.

So join in the fun. Tell me, are you a Mini Cooper or a mini-van?

8 comments:

  1. I drive a 1998 Toyota RAV4, and if I were a car, that's probably what I'd be: reliable, a little different, and completely in denial of how old I really am. A cross between something young and fun that you can load with camping gear and something reliable and roomy that can carry a carseat and a load of groceries. Both I and my little RAV4 are equally at home zipping around town, parked beside a lake, or killing time in the day care line.

    That being said, I really, really want to be a 1953 Corvette in Robin's Egg Blue.

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    1. Sorry to disagree,Nicci, but you're wrong about the RAV4. You are totally that Corvette!

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    2. Kinda feeling like a clown car today . . .

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  2. Although I had the idea, those coasters would have looked awful if my mother, our fellow Inkling, had not stepped in! She tried to make sure all the glue was going the same direction and sprayed that glossy finish on it. I thought that whole part was...icky.

    I'm more of a concept person, which must be why my husband answered this question the way he did. "You're a concept car. Not practical. Not road legal. But looks great in a magazine..." Awww! "...with a bikini model." Wait. What?!

    I think I'm more like the yellow convertible VW in your book. Not too flashy, but definitely a bit quirky. A nod to a simpler time with an enthusiastic, playful eye on the future.

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    1. I have to laugh at Garret's notion of you as a "concept car." But I think you'd look great in a magazine even without the bikini model.
      And I can go along with you on the VW convertible,although I sort of picture you as a Mini Cooper.

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    2. Before we had kids I was looking closely at red Mini Coopers!

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  3. I've had many different cars over the years, but I felt none of them ever really fit my personality. Now I drive a navy blue Nissan Altima and it is "me" - traditional, comfortable, dependable and a classic look. It just fits....me!

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    1. Nancy, I agree you are all those descriptions. But you also have that "party thing" going on. Maybe you're also a touch of that stretch limo we hired at Christmas!

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