I am surrounded by amazingly talented writers. From the poet down the street who follows his muse with sidewalk chalk because "they are words that came on the wind, they'll wash away with the rain, as it was meant to be" to my amazingly talented friend who can make even the most mundane technical jargon easily understood by us poor, technologically challenged geeks.
I have friends that quote poetry, blog about poetry, write poetry, live poetically. Sometimes these poems have a happy ending, but often the ending is sad. Poets, it seems, have delicate constitutions and don't get along so well in our world of grief and chaos.
This week, I embark upon a new project. I have a friend that has started a writers group. I joined not really knowing what would come of this new adventure. Now, I've been assigned our first task - to write a story using a prompt.
A prompt? What about being able to be creative? You mean I have to start off my story with the same 4 words everyone else does? How will the dozen of us write anything of depth, anything intriguing, anything personal if given a writing assignment?
But then the words come. And the style. There is no requirement for tone or length, for genre, for any other qualifications whatsoever.
So last night, after a week of not sleeping well, I stayed up and wrote. And wrote and wrote. An unbelievable story came out, one that I know well (let's say it's semi-autobiographical) about a young girl whose reality is so painful that life becomes a constant battle to lose herself in daydreams. And yet this works for her because she discovers an unbelievable strength in these daydreams, uses them as her security blanket when she's frightened and as her shield when attacked by those that wish to do her harm.
And it works. She survives and even thrives, bringing a little magic into the lives whose sphere of influence she passes through.
I've always wanted to be someone's muse. I never knew how good it would feel to be my own.
Today, my writer friends, I wish you love, joy and peace, with a little magic thrown in for good measure.
Magic always helps. One of the authors I met at I-H2o was in a writing group and they had to write a story each week, with the prompt being one word.
ReplyDeleteCan you imagine if it was, say, potato?
How cool is that?? I would SO join your writers group if I lived in your area. And btw, that story you came up with...I could see it played out on the big screen (like the American version of Amélie...with a twist).
ReplyDeleteEventually, I'm sure you'll be a muse to more people than just yourself. It's already happening.
You go, girl!