Everything I Ever Needed to Know About Writing I Learned from Spongebob—Robin

It’s great having a toddler because I get to spend endless hours watching Spongebob Squarepants. I figure it’s educational because it gives me lots of cute, funny stories to tell my four-year old when he’s done scrubbing the kitchen floors.

Excessive watching of Spongebob has taught me what I like to call the three P’s of writing…

1. Perseverance. Remember the time when Spongebob wasn’t able to pass his driver’s license test? (You love that one, too!?) Well, did Spongebob give up? No! He studied and studied until he realized he would have to have Patrick put a radio in his hat and tell him the answers. Well, for me, Eve and Jay are my Patrick. Only Patrick is a starfish and is very dumb. Which is why Spongebob never passed that driving test. But my Eve and Jay are no dumb starfish. Nope. They have taught me to never give up (usually after an “intervention” and usually at a Starbucks) and to persevere because it’s worth it. At this point, I don’t actually believe them, but they look so cute in their starfish costumes!
2. Passion. Okay, so Spongebob shows passion about a lot of things. His love of crabby patties, jelly fishing, blowing bubbles and studying for his driver’s test. But what’s the most important thing to him? Being the best fry cook he can be. The guy takes his job seriously. He would rather give Mr. Krabs his paycheck than to have to stop being a fry cook. And that’s how I feel about writing. I would be willing to pay some form of national writer’s organization something close to $60 a year, just so that I could be a writer!
3. Pfun. (silent p, but it’s still a p.) No one has pfun like Spongebob. Remember when he and Patrick bought a huge screen TV just so they could play in the box it was delivered in!? Then they explained to Squidward (using flimsy hand movements and a sparkly rainbow graphic…hmmm…) that all it takes to have fun inside a box is your “imagination!” That’s it, Spongebob! The key to successful writing: a box to sit yourself in (office) + your imagination (story writing) + gay innuendos (target audience) = PFUN!

Watching cartoons as a mother has helped my writing immensely. And my floors have never looked better!

--Robin