“The writer shakes up the familiar scene, and as if by magic, we see a new meaning in it.” Anaïs Nin
One of the great joys of being a writer is to look at the world from a fresh perspective; to take in an everyday scene and make it new.
Take a look around. Reflect on the moments in your day. What richness surrounds you! A story emerges from every corner. A woman orders coffee at her local java joint. A man opens his front door after a long day at work. Someone picks up the wrong package at the post office. A company lays off half its workforce. A family in your town wins the lottery.
You get to take these everyday moments and interactions, and with your words, reveal something astonishing or disturbing or hopeful. Something that moves your reader. Something that is true.
Keep your senses open as you go through your day, and take note as those familiar scenes unfold. Take one that catches your attention, but change it. Swap the characters. Shift the setting. Explode the ending. Make it new.
That’s when the magic happens.
Maria
Maria Hypponen 