Touched by Books

If you’re a reader, particularly of fiction, you’ve been touched by books. I state that as a fact. I can because I know it’s impossible to be a reader and to not have been touched by books. If you haven’t been, you wouldn’t be a reader. It’s why readers read.

This week’s Djuna Shellam Podcast Episode 28 (published on 28 August, by the way) is about how books can affect people to the point they are “touched” in some way or many ways for as long as the rest of their lives, or for only a page; or, somewhere in between.

Packing My Books

While in the process of moving, yesterday I decided to pack my books. All at once. Get it done. Right? I don’t have as many as I used to, but still, there were a lot. Fourteen banker’s boxes later, after having wiped down and examined every single one, I was done. Wrung out. Exhausted. Why you may ask? Because each book, in particular my fiction books, evoked so many memories and emotions. The entire packing session I was on a crazy roller coaster ride of… everything. Every single book had touched me in some way. With each book I handled, I was hurled back in time. I remembered when I bought each book, and went back to a time in my life from long ago, reminding me of years long, long gone.

They also reminded me of the stories within their pages that managed to transport me to someplace else. Packing those books yesterday reminded me of one important reason I became a writer. I wanted to do what books had done for me for other people, for other readers.  I wanted to change their lives, if even for a minute.

 

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Sharing the Experience

I have so many stories in my head, in so many different stages. They entertain me, but at the end of the day, it’s a rather lonely experience. Not writing stories and books, but conjuring ideas in my head is a lot like going to the state fair by yourself. It’s enjoyable at the fair, and you get to see everything at your own pace. Maybe you’ll share your experience with your friends or family, maybe write a short story about it, but… when you and a friend or friends, or even strangers share that experience together, it’s different. Better. So much better; and, far more fulfilling. You’ve looked at the same things you looked at on your own, but now you have someone else along for the ride. And, it doesn’t matter whether you both have the exact same experience. No, you’re having your own experiences together.

Writing a book or a story is kind of like having other people come along the journey you’ve made with you. I think the absolute coolest thing about being a writer is having the potential to affect someone’s life, or year, day, or hour. It doesn’t matter how long the experience for the reader lasts, you the writer have made them feel or experience something they might never have before. How cool is that?

Personally, I think fiction writing is my superpower. I have the potential to make a reader laugh, cry, be afraid, get mad, sad, fall in love… Through my writing, I have the opportunity to plant a memory seed in my readers that will last a lifetime. I can introduce them to places they’ve never been, to people they’d never meet; to other realms, other countries, emotions they’ve lost, and so on. My effort and intent may not be successful, but then again… when it is, brilliant.

Super Power

It’s not just the stories within the books’ pages that touch reachers, but the books themselves. Yesterday’s experience reminded me, while I packed my books, of the tremendous energy physical books hold—physically and emotionally. Truly powerful.

If you’re in the process of writing your first or next book or want to start writing, keep in mind the power you hold. As you move forward to achieving your writing goals or dreams, remember that you and your words and stories have the potential to affect people. Whether for a page or a lifetime, the opportunity is there for you to take!

Asides…

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