*Note: I am aware that the picture isn’t exactly the Johnny Depp we see in the movie but I like this Mad Hatter version better*
This weekend, I took the kids to see Alice in Wonderland….okay, I actually took myself and they all tagged along. I was completely unprepared for the fact I would have an epiphany while watching this much anticipated movie. Alice isn’t the brave little girl the inhabitants of Wonderland remember and she continually says she can’t do what it is they say she is supposed to do. I won’t go into detail for those of you who haven’t seen the movie yet. The gist is the people of “Wonderland” think Alice is supposed to do something incredibly terrifying in order to save them. Although she bucks the system some in her proper world, Alice is still very proper compared to the little girl she once was and believes this is all a silly dream. She no longer believes in fairy tales and that the impossible can happen. The Mad Hatter looks at her and tells her that she has lost her muchness and he points at her heart. I sat there reeling at the depth of his words. We as adults lose our muchness. Somewhere along the way we forget how to make the impossible happen. As a writer, I realized I can never ever lose my muchness. If a writer loses their muchness, then it’s over. Writing is something that takes believing in the impossible if you ever intend to succeed. So writers and adults alike, don’t lose your muchness….keep believing. Alice said her father thought six impossible things before breakfast every morning. Writers need to think of those things we perceive as impossible and dwell on how we can make them possible. It’s all about the muchness 🙂