I'd Rather Wear Pajamas
Chelsea Walker Flagg is a writer in Boulder, Colorado and just self-published her first book. It's a funny memoir about finding her way through her 20s, trying her hardest to become a "strong" woman, and ultimately discovering that there's more than one right way to be a strong woman. We have conducted an interview with her.
Amongst so many different genres, why did you choose to write your first book as a funny memoir?
Writing a humor book was a no-brainer for me. For starters, I've always been drawn toward comedic writing—the challenge of hitting a phrase just right so it's funny instead of stupid, hearing people laugh out loud while reading my words...it's just fun for me.
The message laced throughout the book is a serious one: demonstrating that there is no right way to be a strong girl. A strong girl is born when she is true to herself. As the mother to three young daughters, it’s an important message to me. But, I didn’t want it to be a preachy book, so adding humor to the pages makes it much more light-hearted.
Finally, I just don’t take myself that seriously. So, by nature alone, writing a book about myself and my experiences couldn’t have been that serious.
Is the character crafted in this book mostly about you or your mother?
The book is about me adoring my mother. From early on, I wanted to follow in her footsteps in every way. But, as I grow and discover things about myself throughout the book, I learn that I am not my mom; we have completely different strengths. It takes a lot for a kid to separate herself from her parents, you know? Even if she doesn’t feel like it would be hard, it takes a lot of inward focus to truly discover what is you and what is your parents. That’s what our 20s are all about, right?
When did you learn you enjoy writing about funny things, funny moments?
There’s a part in my book where I move to Seattle and fall into a bit of a depression because of the rain and the lack of sunshine. Ironically, it was during that period that I discovered my knack for, and love of, comedic writing. While in Seattle, I started a blog to record the random things going on in and around my life. It was a therapeutic way to remind myself that things weren’t so bad, I guess.
How would you relate motherhood and randomness? Which do you love more?
Motherhood is the ultimate in randomness! Between spending a good chunk of time playing the role of “horse” while crawling around with any number of kids hanging off my back, to finding bits of half-eaten food (and sometimes bugs) shoved into every nook and cranny possible, to always finding “treasures” hidden in my shoes whenever I put them on. In normal life, you don’t constantly have tiny hands picking your nose or poking into your mouth; in motherhood, it’s just part of the drill. And don’t even get me started on the random phrases I say while constantly thinking in my head, “did I really just say that?” Parenting is the best because it is random in all of its crazy, nonsensical glory. I dig it.
Why did you name your book ''I'd Rather Wear Pajamas"? It was themed around pajamas, was there a particular story before you wrote it?
The name I’d Rather Wear Pajamas was actually the last piece of the book to come to me. I had gone through a handful of working titles, but I knew I hadn’t found “the one” yet. The revelation was literally one of those moments where I woke up at 3am with the line in my head and did everything in my power to not fall back asleep for fear that I might lose it. Luckily, I did remember it in the morning, so the sleep deprivation I felt the next day was not in vain.
There are a couple of stories in my book where I talk specifically about the joy of wearing pajamas versus dressing to impress, but it’s mostly meant to elicit an idea of doing what’s comfortable, and being confident in that. I think the title really matches the light-heartedness of the whole book and feels relatable. I mean, wouldn’t we all rather wear pajamas?
