Big Stories, Little Moments

When I think about stories to write, it is easy to think of the big stories. People with destinies. Even when I think of people on the verge of death I imagine them getting to do all the things they ever wanted to do. That isn’t how life works. In some ways that is easy to write. The hard things are people who aren’t superb and who don’t necessarily get to do amazing things. Part of me wants to write about people who are more like me, but that is hard to do in it’s own way. It’s a deeper vulnerability.

Even now that I’m older and I more recognize the interesting aspects of my life, it’s still hard to imagine writing a character that feels more like myself. The part I do think I’ve gotten better at though is the moments of my life. I don’t know what it is like to save the life of a king but I do not what it is like to live.

• The thrill when someone touches your hand and you didn’t know how much you wanted them to touch you until that moment.
• The heartache when you realize that someone you thought was your friend, isn’t now and maybe never was.
• The click of loving what you are doing with your time.
• Putting on the perfect dress and feeling like a new layer of your self has been revealed.

I hope that moments like these can make my writing have depth and maybe someday make a reader feel seen. I don’t really think the big stories work without the little moments.