So, what’s your tale, Nightingales? Today I want to discuss the other side of the coin. As much as I find myself loathing the spoken word, that is how much I love the written word. The scope of its power and ability to move us in unexpected ways. From a young age, I have always loved to read. At any given time, I am usually reading several books at the same time. Needless to say the invention of the Kindle has cleared a great deal of space on my bedside table. One thing my family says about my reading habits is that I don’t have one specific genre that interests me. I love fiction, history, science, biographies, nature, and pretty much everything else. I’m a lifelong learner so I crave new information about different subjects. I love getting lost in a good story with characters whose fictitious lives become as real to me as my own. I still remember reading “Little Women” for the first time and weeping when Beth died. A good story shifts a reader’s world and makes them feel unbalanced about their place in it. That is what I want my writing to do, move people, make them feel ways about things that are unexpected and make them question the world. Maybe that is why I put so much pressure on myself to create perfect writing. But that’s a catch-22 in and of itself. There is no such thing as a perfect story to the author. I’m sure Mark Twain would still find things to change in his books and they are deemed classics. Reading for me is a pleasure and a joy whereas writing I find to be a challenge that is addicting. Always chasing the perfect word or phrase to describe something. Or perfecting a segment of dialogue that advances the story in an unforeseen way. When my brain makes the right connections or a spark of inspiration takes my writing in a wholly new direction it is a high like no other. It is why I keep pushing myself forward in my creative endeavors to make people feel something and so I can feel that rush of inspiration. There is simply nothing better in the world like it. Well, maybe one thing…. Until tomorrow, I hope you are all having a creative day where ever you are. <3