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Storytelling on Pause

Between What Has Already Been Written & What Awaits

By Lightning Bolt ⚡Published 4 months ago Updated 4 months ago 2 min read
Runner-Up in Somewhere Between Here and There Challenge
Is anybody in there?

⚡When no tale was itching to be told, a storyteller was in danger of becoming lost.

Words were the currency used to purchase their identity.

A storyteller with a blank mind possessed blank eyes,

weeping meaningless tears,

saying nothing.

What was the purpose of an imagination without fire?

How long could a writer go without tapping creative energy

before they forfeited their right to call themselves an author?

If they shrank small enough

could they penetrate the core of that mystery❓

Had their talent been taken—?

once owned, now stolen?

Were they cut off from it—?

a font now forbidden,

a ritual they could no longer perform?

Was it ever theirs to begin with—?

previously on loan and now permanently returned to its Source,

without a receipt?

Playing the detective was _exhausting!

That genre wasn't their forte.

Define "impetus".

Inspiration couldn't be forced;

they accepted that;

but they had always been able to coax it.

They listened for stories.

Their ears were specially tuned for gossip.

"Can you believe that so-&-so was doing this!"

"So-&-so got caught doing that!"

"Nobody's doing that to me!"

"I ain't got time for all that!"

It was fascinating what punched people's buttons,

what triggered them to jump when they should hold still.

In their opinion,

the perfect character arc was when the protagonist 🧨reacted,

💥REACTED 💥,

🎇💥💥Always Reacted 🎆💥💥💥💥

to the same small provocations,

until they finally

*✨~Evolved~✨*

by recognizing the real traumas that caused those reactions.

____________

In this moment,

sadly,

all the disturbances were still.

____________

The storyteller had nothing to build upon,

no door open to dialogue to hinge action upon

(or vice versa).

Sighing,

they abandoned their keyboard,

searching a long time to find the timeless tools.

Once discovered,

they relaxed.

.....

⚡Suddenly⚡

Impressions approached from Everywhere

>>>>>>> colliding<<<<<<<<<

burrowing into bones, blood, & brain:

Visions thundering from the West bringing tumbleweeds

earthquake rumbles

and Hollywood search lights,

Visions blaring from the East begetting innovations

tidal waves of immigrants

and Broadway tunes,

Visions blown out of the North—frosty

greedy

jingling,

Visions surging from the South—scalding,

sexy

syncopated,

And in the Heartland where the storyteller's heart beat

all the unfiltered phrases swirled like a swarm inside a tornado, twisting, convulsing, ROARING, quieting, expanding

...imploding...

A cleansing storm🌧gathered above the wordsmith⛈

preparing to wash their Ego away🌧 .

The images melted.

History coalesced.

Heredity congealed.

They comprehended they could be

He

She

Anyone

Everyone.

....~no one~....

Anywhere

Everywhere

...~nowhere~....

Motivation crawled out of the mire.

Instead of trying to lure it,

they stood back to watch.

____________

The author had felt unraveled,

but they sensed the threads could be gathered up

—knitted together—

not as before—

but into a unique raiment,

something $tR@nGE

trailblazing

fresh.

Their psyche was re-calibrating.

They had never been paralyzed

only marinating.

Seeds had been planted.

🌻

A new Storyteller picked up their pen.

Staring down at the blank page, they took a deep breath.

They consciously/willfully smiled.

They Awaited Emerging Ideas.

_______________Bolt

Like a bolt from the blue, it struck................ ⚡

inspirationalStream of ConsciousnessFree Verse

About the Creator

Lightning Bolt ⚡

Bolt aka Bill, a bizarre bisexual bipolar epileptic⚡🧠 Taco Bell Futurist 🌮🔔

Top 📚s inHumor = Memes & LSD & Hell🔥Creepy Crazy Fiction⚡🩸Thrash!!🩸🔪

Poetry ~ Challenge ~ Winners!

Demons & Phobias & Prophets, oh my!

WiERd but not from Oz. 🤷

Reader insights

Outstanding

Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!

Top insights

  1. Compelling and original writing

    Creative use of language & vocab

  2. Easy to read and follow

    Well-structured & engaging content

  3. Excellent storytelling

    Original narrative & well developed characters

  1. Expert insights and opinions

    Arguments were carefully researched and presented

  2. Eye opening

    Niche topic & fresh perspectives

  3. Heartfelt and relatable

    The story invoked strong personal emotions

  4. Masterful proofreading

    Zero grammar & spelling mistakes

  5. On-point and relevant

    Writing reflected the title & theme

Add your insights

Comments (29)

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  • Dharrsheena Raja Segarran4 months ago

    Wooohooooo congratulations on your win! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊

  • Well written. Congratulations on your win

  • Sam Spinelli4 months ago

    This feels like it’s charged with actual electricity, there’s a buzzing sort of tension between your words.

  • The Dani Writer4 months ago

    Incredibly unique expression from you Bill! Congrats on the top story!

  • Muhammed Ismail4 months ago

    Congratulations on the top winner

  • Wooohooooo congratulations on your Leaderboard placement! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊

  • Tiffany Gordon4 months ago

    Congrats on your leaderboard win, Sweet Bill! 🎉🎉🎉 Woot! Woot!

  • Brilliant work, thankyou for sharing and congratulations on Top Story xx

  • Marilyn Glover4 months ago

    Congratulations on your top story! So relatable, and I just love the format!

  • Mark Graham4 months ago

    Congrats on TS and what a way to describe a writer and writing.

  • Caroline Jane4 months ago

    Great poem Bill. I am stuck right now. Head is too full... I wish it was due to the amount of stories! Sadly not.

  • Boy, does this hit home! Loved so much about this, not to mention the format... congrats on your top story

  • Couldn't have had better timing for me to read. I am chock full of stories in that wee place in between sleep and dreaming every night. Morning comes and I got nothing. Congratulations on your Top Story!

  • Annie Kapur4 months ago

    Oh this is brilliant! Congrats on top story mate, very well deserved for such an intricate poem about the process of creating. I've definitely been thinking about this lately x

  • Lamar Wiggins4 months ago

    I felt the process as I read long. It's a great feeling when words return to the thinker and they can continue to do what they love, create! Excellent TS, Bill!

  • Marie381Uk 4 months ago

    Top class Bill 🏆🏆🏆

  • Nice work Bill-- you definitely hit on some real fears and offered hope

  • Julie Lacksonen4 months ago

    I can relate to this one. I suppose most writers do. I hope inspiration comes to me soon!

  • I ❤️ this poem

  • Rachel Robbins4 months ago

    The self doubt and the fizzing sparks of creativity. Recognised and resonated. ❤️

  • AS A WRITER I AGREE WITH THE AWSOME STORY! I wake up one day, open my PC, and I must pull out the cobwebs and refresh my brain with caffeine, and still feel blank. I settle in at 3pm and say, "Oh yeah, boom, open my PC. and create for 12 hours.

  • Tiffany Gordon4 months ago

    Very inspiring! Nicely-written Bill!🩷♥️🩷

  • Mother Combs4 months ago

    Just this little break from writing is driving me crazy!! I can't wait to get back to what I love. And no, I don't think I'll ever run out of things to write about 💖💖

  • This is deep, Bill. You did a great job with this. It kept me going all the way through the end. Fantastic writing!

  • Imola Tóth4 months ago

    One of my fears: if I solve all my problems and traumas, will I still have something to write about? I trust there's always inspiration for all of us.

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