Life would be a lot simpler if not for that little word, why. As Paul Harvey was fond of saying, there’s always a story behind the story. There’s always a reason why things are as they are and that reason isn’t always what we think it is. That’s why writing is so much fun. It’s pretty neat to dig for the real thing, rather like a treasure hunter digging for gold.
People are puzzling and intricate entities. One person can see or hear something and accept it at face value. Another person looks at the same thing and is highly suspicious. Why?
My neighbor just drove past my window on the way to…where? To work? On a trip? The young lady who walks her dog is doing just that. Why? Does she enjoy the exercise? Does the dog need exercise? Does someone pay her to do this or does she do it for the reward of fresh air and seeing what’s going on in the neighborhood? Wouldn’t that be a great thing to build a mystery around–what did the dog walker see or hear?
Why do some people have an itch to fix things, make them right, set them straight and when that can’t happen, worry about them? Why are some persons perfectionists and some really couldn’t care less?
Writers are, to some extent, nosy. That’s all right if we are furtively nosy. We can be nosy and still not pry. It’s a learned art that sometimes involves a lot of imagination. If we can’t know the real reason why, there’s always imagining the why and fiction and weaving a completely fabricated reason into the pages of a book.
As a student at Northeastern State, I worked in the history department–that’s the answer to today’s mini mystery. My office was an oval cubicle with the offices of four history professors around it. I typed tests, checked answers with an answer key, ran a few errands within the building, and the professors were as professional and courteous as anyone I’ve ever met. Yet, I wondered why about several things. Why was one of them such a fuss-budget? Why was another quiet, reticent, and very thoughtful in conversations with others? Why were they friends with another professor in another field of study who was the most obnoxious person I had yet met? There must have been some charming bit of his personality which they saw but was oblivious to me.
Sometimes it’s better to accept things as they seem to be. They are what they are, plain and simple, no hidden motives or reasons. Sometimes, it’s better to question and ask that eternal question, why? The real talent lies in recognizing which is which.
Thanks to everyone for pre-ordering the second Ned McNeil book, By the Fright of the Silvery Moon.
You may pre-order the Kindle version from Amazon. or the print book from Pen-L.com
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