A Rich Inner Life

I’m at a cocktail party. Shiny marble floor, sparkly beige ceiling, light piano music playing. There’s one of those focal point staircases in the center of the room, with a carved wooden bannister and wide marble stairs. hand with their little food plates.

There are people of all ages in suits and office dresses, gathering in small groups on the lower floor, gathering on the stairs, and the balcony above. Many are snacking on mini crab cakes and those little sandwiches with the crusts cut off, expertly balancing champagne glasses in the same

To the right of the staircase on the lower level is a pair of twenty-somethings standing together. The young man is Andy. The woman is Amy. They’ve just met, and are discussing Andy’s bracelet. A kinship sparks, and they laugh with that giddy ease of newfound friends. A colleague of Andy’s approaches and introductions ensue…

And where am I in all this? In the corner, of course. I’m surveying the room, taking it all in with a small smile on my face. I have no need to be the center of attention, pretty much ever, and especially not in this room. In general, being in a corner is much better for observing random details that could one day end up in a story.

Many people have rich inner lives, and writers especially. We’re constantly pulling in life’s moments, fragments of conversations overheard, sights and sounds, and using them to build worlds.

These inner worlds also come in handy as a mental escape when we’ve got time on our hands. You might ask: Who’s got time? We’re all so incredibly busy. But the time is there; you just have to look. I’m referring to time spent in line at the grocery store or the bank, or waiting for a takeout order to be ready. Or those times when your husband puts a lousy song on the car radio--sure, you could change the station, or stare at social media, but there’s really no need when you can go to your mental happy place. For me, that means diving into the stories in my head. This is where I house my characters and their backstories, and I can hang out here anytime I like and feel fully entertained.

So here I am, in the present, in reality, working on some writing and waiting for the oven timer to go off. Aaaand… Cue the inner life: I’m back at the cocktail party in my head, back in my corner, watching two characters from my first book Upside Down Kingdom as they interact with each other…