You have an opinion, and if you’re anything like me, you want somebody to listen to it.
The book is engrossing but the movie is just gross. That politician is crooked, but my guy tells it straight. That woman makes too much noise. This one should speak up more. This fellow needs to man up, but that one should tone down his toxic masculinity.
It’s enough to confuse a body. Yet somehow you make sense of things.
Ever ask yourself how?
We tell ourselves stories. Usually, they’re stories we want to hear. Stories we’ve heard before. From Mama. Or Grandpa. Or Preacher Man. Stories from the Bible. Stories from the Classics. Stories from romance novels. Maybe especially from romance novels. Did you know Romance is the hottest selling genre in the business?
We like to be told we are loved or brave or good or intellectual or sexy. We love a good story. And admit it. Every time you read a good story, you write yourself into the plot.
Don’t you?
That makes you a writer. Just like me. Just like Danielle Steele. Just like William Shakespeare. Well, maybe not quite like old Billy Shakes. That might take a little practice. But the point is we all have a story to tell. I hope one day you will write it down, at least for your family and friends. It’s never too late.
I know. I’m 68 years old, and I’m finally telling some of mine.