As a writer, I find that my current novel is always present in my mind, no matter what I am doing; it lingers. The other day, as usual, I woke up at five in the morning, and as I was ready to prepare breakfast for me and my husband, the ending to my novel in progress just presented itself in my thoughts, just as if my mind was playing a movie. I knew that I had to grab pen and paper quickly and write. I wrote the entire abbreviated scene. My husband observed me and finally asked. I told him that I had the ending to my novel, but now I had to figure out how to get there from where I was.

This is wonderful because if I had any doubt about where this story was headed, I don’t have it anymore. After all, if there is an ending, there is a story behind it; I just have to uncover it. I have to admit that it feels as a mysterious quest, as if I am embarking on a journey of the mind and soul. Every story is (feels) different, but in every story, there is mind and soul. As writers, sometimes we feel the pressure to deliver “the ending” to our carefully crafted story. In a way, it takes a bit of that pressure off; it releases the pen.

I am thankful for those few minutes of clarity, and in a way, this moment has cemented my commitment to the story and strengthen the bond between us.