I work in a bookstore surrounded by good books that tantalize and tease me from their positions on the shelves around me. I get actual cravings to read certain books. A romance or a who-done-it or a fantasy novel. My mood and recent readings influence the cravings though I can be happy reading just about any book.
Some days when I am working I start craving a reread of an old friend. A book I’ve read before and that evoked certain feelings in my heart and gut. Sometimes I know exactly which book it is I am thinking about. Other times I can’t remember the title.
Several times in the last year I’ve had that craving and the frustration that goes with it that I can’t remember which book it is I want to read. After much banging of my head against the fixtures, the answer comes to me. It is my story I want to read.
Wow! That is so cool. One problem. I haven’t finished my story. It has been living in my head; partial scenes, ghostly characters, candid snapshots of settings, and emotional beats.
This is what shows me so clearly that I need to write more. I can describe the physical parts of the story but to try to evoke the emotions I want to go with those images is a whole other level of skill.
So here’s to getting those stories out of my head and onto the page. Out of my head and into my heart and gut.
