I write a great many things these days, but my favorite thing to capture is a Legend. My children ask for Legends to be told before they go to sleep at night, and I often oblige. The problem is that I regularly forget the tale before I get back to my computer. Oh, I can remember the major plot points, of course. But, there is no tale quite as pure as a Legend told in rhyme off the top of my head.
My talent, whatever I may have, is not what makes such a Legend pure. No, it is the whispers and giggles and yawns of the listeners that distills my words and made-up language into a delicious story warranting remembrance.
This Christmas, I was given a digital voice recorder, which I love! Now, I have an easy way to capture the off-the-cuff Legends complete with listener reaction. Now, I can pick out the best parts of our bedtime ritual and bring them together in a written form so that they may be remembered and retold.
I wonder if they’ll be better than the ones I sit down and write with purpose…we shall see.
Amanda Salisbury, writer, ShyJot Publications LLC