Storytelling
Week 2, Day 1
Sometimes, knowing where one is going ruins all the fun. And there is fun to be had, almost all the time, though its presence can be obscured by the mundane. The tasks that need doing, the worries that need worrying — all that can and does put a damper on fun. BUT, and this is a big BUT — if one can put the worries and tasks and knowledge aside, well, I hope you can imagine what remains.
The young lady in our story is lacking tasks and worries. What a blissful idea, no? She is just young enough to be free of such bonds while also being old enough to fully appreciate life. How old is she, you ask? What age holds this moment of perfection? Well, dear reader, what you’re really asking is when did you miss out. You’re struggling to think back to a time when you were without worry. You’re reaching to find that week or month in your past where you were free of to do lists or external expectations. The young lady hasn’t even been described yet and you’re feeling jealous. You don’t know where she is or what is next for her in her story and, even so, you’re wishing you could be her. Everything you have, everything you’ve experienced, is up for swapping if you could exist in her place, even just for a moment. Think about that.
For her, this is all she knows. She doesn’t realize her life is something you’re coveting. She wakes up in the morning and goes to sleep in the evening without any awareness of you and your hunger. She eats her meals and takes her walks clueless to the idea that anything she has is deeply desirable, especially not to people she’s never thought about. She is, simply, living her life. Or, at least she was up until the story began.
Oh, now you’re feeling worry FOR her, this nameless bodiless lady you don’t yet know. You’re already crafting ways to save her from your personal plight, and yet you KNOW she needs to be faced with something or there wouldn’t be a story to tell. And you definitely want there to be a story. Yes, you’d prefer one with a happy ending. Just for her — that desire has nothing to do with you and all the other feelings you’re juggling in life. You want her to have a happy ending AND you want there to be a story between here and there. The only way out is through, and you’re ready to watch her struggle even if just for a few pages, or maybe chapters if the story is really compelling.
So, she is here, on page one. She is young, carefree, and standing at her front door about to step out into the world. You breathe a sigh of relief knowing that she has a home, somewhere safe to retreat to should the story call for that. You feel your shoulders relax and the tension leave your forehead.
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This is a story-start — if you’d like to see where the story goes “clap” for it. My “winning” start (based on number of readers who clap for it) will be developed further and might grow into a full short story!
