Wednesday, August 8, 2012

I Had a Crush on Gilligan


Yes, it’s true, back when I was seven or eight, when most girls swooned over one of The Monkees, I had a thing for Gilligan. It always bothered me that all their foiled attempts to get off the island were somehow Gilligan’s fault. I was naïve enough to believe that one day, they would be rescued and I always felt a tinge of disappointment at the end of every episode of Gilligan’s Island.

Thus began my fascination with stories of uncharted islands and survival. As a kid, I loved Swiss Family Robinson and any other story that centered around that theme. It wasn’t until Castaway (with Tom Hanks) hit the big screen that the seeds of Uncharted Story for a Shipwright germinated. If I could actually manage to wash ashore on an uninhabited island in the middle of nowhere and still be alive, would I be able to survive with nothing but natural resources? What inner resources could I draw on?

Realistically, I didn’t think I would do too well—I mean, with enough determination and time, I could probably start a fire and cook some crabs. I might even be able to remember some of the principles involved with water condensation and collection, but I didn’t think I’d last very long. Now, after having researched shipwrecks and survival, I might be slightly more competent, but not much….Unless…unless someone had been on the island before me! What if someone had left behind some useful things—and not only things, but a few instructions! Now I’m cookin’! Imagining myself under such aided circumstances seemed like cheating in my little fantasy, but…what if…what if I turned out to be pregnant! Holy granola! That would add a huge complication. Now my imagination had shot past a sprout and began to bloom.

So, now you know the soil upon which the seeds of  UNCHARTED sprouted. 

15 comments:

  1. So what you're saying is UNCHARTED is a story about how a pregnant Gilligan survives on a deserted island by using the helpful tags on items (e.g. "Drink Me") left by past survivors? Well, I'm sold!

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    1. DOH! I didn't think my plot would be THAT predictable! :)

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  2. Oh, my gosh I love your book. I want to read it again!!! And I love, love, love Castaway. I need to buy that movie.

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    1. You know how impressionable I am, Michelle--seeing Castaway on the big screen seared my brain!

      I can't wait for you to read it again. It's undergone quite a few changes since you read it.

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  3. Well, considering that nearly every other guy I knew had a crush on either Ginger or Mary Ann, I think it's okay for you to have had a crush on Mr. Denver.

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    1. Ha! It's like the Wilma vs Betty debate!

      Funny, in researching Gilligan's Island, I found out that Mary Ann got way more fan mail than Ginger!

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    2. That is interesting. When I was a kid, most everyone liked Ginger better, but, when I got to be a teenager and on, most everyone like Mary Ann better.

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  4. LOL, that's very cool. I never heard of anyone who had a crush on Gilligan. They always made him kind of a clueless doofus. But now that you mention it, he was rather cute!

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    1. Well, I thought he was cute--I mean, I was only seven, but I understood he was the underdog. Maybe I just thought I'd have a better shot at him than the Professor, lol.

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  5. Swiss Farmily Robinson was my favorite movie as a kid. You are the first person I know who ever had a crush on geeky little Gilligan. Personally...I liked the professor!

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    1. What can I say! I was a geeky little kid. Fact was, I related to Gilligan.

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  6. I'm with Yvonne. I always like the Professor.

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    1. I know, all the cool kids crushed on the Professor. I was such a nerd that I didn't dare admit I liked Gilligan better. Feels good to get it out in the open and own my geekly nerdiness!

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  7. Add me to the Yvonne and Anne list. That said, if I had to be stranded, I hope I will have packed liked the Howells did...for a three hour tour! Can't wait to read the final of Uncharted! Oh, and I finally ordered my picture frame today...had to do it just right for something so special to me. It should be hanging in about two weeks.

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  8. What I'd like to know is how the Howells fit all that stuff on the SS Minnow--what was she, 40 feet at best? (And what about Ginger's wardrobe!)

    ...anyway...

    It makes me really happy to imagine Peeling Paint & Collecting Water hanging on your wall! :)

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