He’d often thought about writing a short story. Same as a blog really, he’d thought about that too. Trouble was his thoughts felt jumbled. Confused. Chock full if too many ideas.
The desire to write was palpable in him. Did he need a theme? Should he write abstract thoughts or along a more cohesive narrative on something important to him?
The wrestling with the answers to these questions exhausted him and in doing so sapped his will to commit theoretical pen to theoretical paper. But this was new.
A vehicle to put down only 500 words. Surely he could commit to that?
He sat in silence, only the gentle pad-pad-pad of fingers on the screen of his iPad and the gentle snuffling of his breath as he inhaled and exhaled. His excitement was growing, a frisson was becoming a tumult. It’s only 500 words! But not for him, it felt like crossing the Rubicon!
Once he started the words flowed freely. His chosen subject was an easy pick and it came from his heart. It was daft really, he knew he was good with words but doubted deep down whether people would like to read him. He knew he was living contradiction – he described himself as shyly gregarious, even under his social media alter-ego he withheld opinions for fear of offending people he’d never meet! But in part this was because 140 characters was not enough to explain his thinking processes…
But a blog or a short story might give him the room to elucidate. Could he write 500 words and hold the readers interest? The self-doubt returned. Not ‘returned’, it bubbled up, like a Witches brew. Should he finish? Should he scrap it and start again?
He decided to plough on. He was going to finish what he’d started even if it was only the beginning of a journey. The idea of 500 words seemed doable, giving him an achievable target, something he’d like to do more than just once. He felt that the autobiographical meter suited him for now, although whether he’d continue on this path only time would tell.
So, he read back over his first attempt, smiled wryly, and contemplated once again the button. Should he? Should he? But what if it enlightened? He paused, summoned up his courage and threw caution to the wind.
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