Thought that

(written yesterday at around 4:00 p.m. but I was having trouble posting it)

I have this dream that I come up with this original idea, concept, point of view or quotation. Somebody hears or reads about it and tells me I’m ingenious. This person would tell 10 other people who in turn tell 10 more people and before you know it I’m being interviewed by Larry King (top of my head, he’s the first person I thought of). There were a couple of times that I’ve gone through the first 2 steps of this dream, actually saying or writing something original and having someone amazed by it. But beyond the first 2 steps, I don’t think I’ve gone through that.

This dream stemmed from reading Erma Bombeck, Robert Fulghum and lately, Nora Ephron. Just a few minutes ago, I was looking at this website of famous quotations. I found myself saying (like when I read Erma), “I could have said that”. I know I have a lot of original ideas and stories in my head. Believe me when I say that they sound great inside my head. So, how can I go beyond the first 2 steps of my dream? I guess I need 2 things. I need time to write and the prowess to write. The first one is solvable. I know there are times I seize the moment and write, mostly on this blog. And there are times I regret that I don’t let my ideas come out. Time. I can find time. The second one is a bit difficult. I have always had difficulty in putting my ideas in words. I really would want to learn how to write well. Not eloquently, but well. I would want my ideas to be the highlight of my writing not my words. The simpler the words, the better. I have always admired writers who use simple words and yet after reading their work you find yourself nodding. That for me is writing well.

Will I ever write well? Erma Bombeck started writing professionally at the age of 37. I am 37 years old. Erma’s writings are mostly about her life as a mother, wife and woman. I am not yet a mother or a wife. I can write a whole lot about being a woman. Maybe, Erma had difficulty when she started writing. Who knows, maybe if she’s still alive now and read this post of mine, she would’ve said, “I could have written that”.