Simple Sentences

Writing can be an exhilarating ride, and it can all start with a small idea. Sunday night, the idea was as follows:

"The King had three sons. The oldest was the youngest, and the youngest was the oldest."

I am unsure of what generated this idea. Perhaps it was the fact that I was at a family gathering, and two of the families represented each had three sons.  Perhaps it was because I had just seen my nephew's Lego crown a few hours earlier. Perhaps it was because I am reading The Brother Karmazov, a story of, well, three brothers. Maybe all of these factors played a part. I don't know. That's one of the conditions of being a writer--your brain just kinda grabs instances from life like a buffet and puts them on a plate for you to sort into a meal.

So, "The King had three sons. The oldest was the youngest, and the youngest was the oldest."  That was the beginning. Two hours and 2700 words later, I had the prelude to another novel/story--perhaps the next one I'll complete or maybe one for later. Nonetheless I have it. The story of a king, his kingdom, his sons, and their lives...all because of one sentence.

This is joy for the writer. To have a concept come to one's mind and drive itself for any amount of time is pure ecstasy. It is rare. It is oftentimes poor in both content and construction. It is almost always the promise of a dozen coming re-writes. But it is also one of the best moments as a writer. It is the myth of writing finally realized--a picture of the inspired mind typing away, creating Shakespeare without even thinking. As all writers know once we return to reality, this experience is actually just the discovery of a seed, a seed that will need to be planted and watered and cultivated over time through much work and attention, a seed that may blossom into a tree or wilt in the garden of creative energies.

But as of now, it is planted, and its potential is endless. It's an exciting time, and it all began with a simple sentence. Although, if you want to get technical, in this instance it began with one simple sentence and one compound one, just sayin'.

Thanks for reading,
C