Note: This post contains spoilers.
Some of my favorite illustrations in The Can’t Monster show Will and his mother. She sees him off on the day of his adventure. She’s waiting for him on the porch as he slinks home, dejected. She embraces him once he’s safely inside their home. She’s at his bedside when he begins to realize that the monster he saw, “was no monster at all.”
Will’s father is equally important to the story. One of Will’s motives for undertaking his quest is to prove to his father, who is away at the time, that he can do it. When his father returns, he comforts Will by telling him of his own encounters with the Can’t Monster. With his father at his side, Will finds redemption.
Will’s mother and father are absolutely integral to the story. — so much so that it’s quite difficult to imagine the story without them. Yet, somehow, that’s how it was at first.
As initially written, the parents were present only for the interrogation scene that takes place after Will returns from his adventure. They do not show any obvious sympathy for their son. Instead, they pepper him with questions in an attempt to figure out what their son really saw out on that hillside, if anything.
One reason I decided to include the parents as separate, distinct, and sympathetic characters was to help me resolve a nagging question I had about my own story: Did Will just head out on his own, or did he get his parent’s permission? If the latter, then why did his parents agree to let him go?
This is where the military dad comes into play. His absence provides motivation for Will to undertake his quest, but it also explains why his mother allowed him to do it. She “knows the pride he will feel” if only he can tell his absent father about his adventure. This was as far as I got in the second draft.
Then, I realized that, if the father returned, he could help Will work through his emotions by demonstrating empathy. Originally, the lesson of the Can’t Monster was explained by the narrator. Instead, I thought, why not let the father do it?
Finally, in a moment of inspiration, I decided that, if the father really wanted to help his son overcome the Can’t Monster, then they needed to climb the hill. And climb it, they did.
Upon finishing my first draft, I’d thought I’d written a poignant story about a boy who learned to deal with failure. By the final draft, I felt like I had a far more robust and compelling story, due to the addition of the parents. Will still deals with failure, but he has a much better support system in place.
Buy your copy today via Amazon or Barnes & Noble. FYI: the paperback measures 6.5″ square, whereas the hardcover edition is 8″ square.
The Can't Monster 