I recently finished a new book by Jeff Zentner, In the Wild Light. A line caught my attention where a grandfather in the story said "stories told just become ordinary."
I believe in the power of story and the strength of the ordinary, so what exactly did he mean? As I read on, I realized he meant that some stories are meant to be untold for fear of becoming ordinary.
One of the characters in the book, Delaney, has a conversation with the main character's dying grandfather. Delaney tells Papaw what is on her heart and never reveals it to Sawyer (until the end!).
This story reminds me when we keep those untold stories tucked inside our hearts, they become extraordinary. Like...
- that first kiss
- when he asks you to marry him
- when you sit and watch her sleeping in your arms
- when he looks up at you and says, "It's a boy."
- when she looks at you with those distant eyes, and you know she remembers who you are
Maybe these stories are meant to be untold.
And maybe they aren't so ordinary after all.
I’m joining an open community of writers over at Sharing Our Stories: Magic in a Blog. If you write (or want to write) just for the magic of it, consider this your invitation to join us. #sosmagic
I love the idea of the untold story. It lays in your heart and mind and is savored. Those are special stories.
ReplyDeleteAs a writer who's trying to coax more stories out of the adult writers in our writing group, I was mystified by the untold story. I think some of those are just for us, but the telling often makes them richer and accessible to others.
ReplyDeleteJeff Zentner is such a fantastic author. He has some powerful lines and ideas that I keep returning to.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of an untold story intrigues me. It makes me want to dig into that idea a bit. I always wonder about which stories should be told and how.
Your words read like poetry - Thank you!
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