The writing world is.... an interesting place

I've always known that, but somehow I'm always surprised by the things that happen. Creative folk are an interesting bunch. Whether it's fiction or not, the ability to string words together into coherent images is something magical. I think that's what people forget. The stories you read, they are magic, spells from a proverbial pen in many cases, but still a very real kind of magic.

I think I grasp better than most the magic inherent in the words on paper. I've been telling stories for a long time. As odd as it sounds, I don't think I realized that being a writer was actually an option. When I was younger, it wasn't the option it is now. I never had faith in the words or their ability to capture the imagination. I didn't understand that all those notes on my short stories actually meant I was pretty darn good at capturing the attention of a reader, even if that reader was my English teacher.

Later, writing was a thing I did because the stories were in my head and they had to come out. They still have to come out. Now, though, I am beginning to realize so late in the game that while lots of people want to be writers, not everyone ever finishes a single story. And let's be honest, just because you finish a story doesn't mean it's good. I finally am willing to believe that those people who I've trusted with my words weren't just being kind, weren't just saying it was well written, or engaging, or "where is the rest, it can't end there" to be nice. I caught them, and if I can catch them, I can catch others.