Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Challenging the Mind

Yesterday my favorite Navy Guy called to tell me about his newest idea for a book but it's classifed so I can't tell you or... you know the drill.




I'd been revising FIMB trying to get the partial done to submit next week. I'd been searching my online thesaurus for just the right word when he called. So I asked NG about it.

He's always been a walking dictionary, even got into a discussion with a police officer about the word 'parking'. Got the guy so confused he didn't write the ticket.

So when I asked him for a positive word like ruthless, he said, "Okay, let me think."

Across the fiber optic lines I could hear his mental wheels. Then not only did he suggest a word but a better way to get the point across, "Let it come from their reactions to him," he said. I'm not surprised at his ability to come up with the appropriate phrase. He's a born writer who's only recently discovered that gift with a WIP on Kayak Fishing due out by Christmas.

When we got off the phone, he said, "Thanks for allowing me to challenge my mind." This from the ultimate self challenger. I thought, as if he needs additional challenges for his mind. But that's what he thrives on. It reminds me of the logo I used on my business card, "Challenge - as necessary as the air we breathe."

It's too bad it's becoming less and less common for people to want to 'think', to challenge themselves, to solve puzzles. As writers we must learn to explore our world at the deepest level so our stories will be rich and unique. So the work will prove itself in timeless popularity.

1 comment:

Leah Braemel said...

Sounds like NG has a really good grasp on the Show don't Tell rule. He sounds like an interesting person to get into a discussion with - I love that type of discussion too, as long as it's two way and not an argument.