A Story Is Born

 

Today's quote says "I'm always writing a story in my head." Are you nodding your head in agreement? Writers are either writing a story quietly in their minds or seeing one as they move through each day's chores and experiences. 

Years ago, I saw a story in the making. I noticed an old man and a pre-teen boy walking past our house, sometimes twice a day. The older of the two appeared to be somewhat handicapped as he walked very slowly, dragging one foot up to meet the other. A possible stroke victim. Was the boy helping his grandfather get some needed exercise therapy? I wondered day after day. I thought about the two a great deal. What a wonderful person that boy was and how fortunate the old man had him. 

Of course, what could I do but write a story based on what I saw? That story, "Where's My Gramps?" is published in the December issue of Cadet Quest, a magazine for boys 9-14. I received my author copy yesterday. It's a satisfying feeling to see the words you wrote in print in a publication. 

It was not a matter of merely observing the man and boy in my neighborhood, writing the story, submitting, and receiving an acceptance. If only things worked that quickly in our writing world! Instead, I thought about the situation for a long time, wrote parts of the story in my head. Then, much later, I actually wrote the story. Submitted to two or three places with no luck. I liked my story and wanted to keep trying. I did a small revision and tried again. And again. And finally,  Cadet Quest bought it. I believed in that story so I kept trying. The theme for the magazine for the December issue happened to be Grandparents, so my story fit perfectly. 

I knew I had to create a problem in the story, so I made the boy apprehensive about his beloved grandfather becoming a man he did not know, one he could not communicate with any longer. The story progresses as Josh finally learns that Gramps is the same man inside as he always was, even if the outside was a bit different. 

When you see something that might be a good base for a story, think about it, write pieces of it in your head, then sit down and write the story. If you believe in your story, submit it and keep submitting until you find a home for it. It might happen quickly, but that's not likely. If it takes a long time, keep working toward publication. Believe in your story and believe in yourself as a writer. 

When you're commuting to work on a bus or train or walking down the aisle of a grocery store, no one around you will realize you're busy writing a story in your head. But you'll know and hopefully, you'll keep working to make it a story that gets written, submitted, and published. From a simple observation, my story was born. Yours can be, too.