How Do I Find The Words. (Or, They Might Be Onto Something Here.)

Where do stories come from? Could it be possible that they were there all along and all we had to do was open our eyes and ears to them? In Paula Isabel Allende writes:

"... it is possible that stories are creatures with their own lives and that they exist in the shadows of some mysterious dimesnsion; in that case it will be either a question of opening so they may enter, sink into me, and grow until they are ready to emerge transfored into language."


Short story writer James Salter, interviewed by salon.com says:

'Short stories, sometimes you tear them out of the beak of life, so to speak. And sometimes they simply are lying there on the ground to pick up. You may have a certain idea for a story you have to tell, but the story didn't exist before because it wasn't lived by somebody else -- you constructed it yourself. Some stories come completely assembled and ready to go. Otherwise it may be like one of those nightmare Christmas toys where they say "everything is included but the battery and assembly required." You may spend hours and hours feverishly trying to make something of it.'


And he talks about one magical occasion when he just sat down to write and a complete short story simply poured out onto his page:


'There is one such story in this present book that was written in the morning. And that is "Bangkok." I had a start. I had two lines that someone had told me over the telephone -- "Weren't you going to call me back?" "Of course not." I began with those two lines and just knew the rest of it. I knew the people. I was able to write the story.'


Hank Williams, Sr. once said about writing words and music to his songs; "I pick up the pen and God moves it." I've felt that way about my writing occasionally....like something unseen is driving it; or like I've stumbled upon a story that was already there, and I'm just an observer-- although more often than not, God ignores me entirely, and I gotta move the pen/keyboard and get the words to come all by myself. For the record, when the inspiration is flowing, the work is better.

Maybe it's true. You don't have to "think up" anything. The stories are there waiting for you.