(What is Something?) What Do You Owe Your Audience?

Here's the link to one of my more creative essays as it appeared in Tiny Lights or you may read it at this blog.  Here's the link:   http://tiny-lights.com/searchlights.php?id=1435#1431 and here's the essay:

What is Something by Sara Etgen-Baker

In a city called Valinor, there once was a beautiful and gifted elfin scribe known as Linwë Anwarünya. Now it happened one day that Linwë ventured into the Scribal Hall of Gimlé where she and other future scribes often gathered to practice their writing craft and listen to advice from the elder scribes.

Linwë pushed her way through the crowd and noticed a great whispering noise filled the hall. But when Lord Felagund flung open the huge wooden doors, silence descended upon the room.

Lord Felagund stepped up to the podium and cast his eyes out upon the crowd. "You there, young scribe." He pointed his twisted, bony index finger directly at Linwë. "What's your name and what advice do you seek from me today?"

"My name's Linwë Anwarünya." She gathered her thoughts. "Lord Felagund, what does a scribe owe its audience?"

"Well, ummm," he cleared his throat. "The moment a scribe decides, ‘I want others to read this,' he owes those others something."

Linwë stared at him with a blank look. "Exactly what is something?"

"It's simple," he said. "You owe them a story with them in mind." Lord Felagund peered over his glasses.

"Knowing that others will be reading your story, you owe it to them to be entertaining. You owe it to them to make sure there are no plot holes." He raised one eyebrow and gave Linwë a glassy stare. "You know what plot holes are, right?"

She nodded her head and stared back at him.

"You must care about the characters. You must care about the setting and time." He slammed his fist on the podium with authority. "You owe them an authentic story that will keep them turning the pages long after the cave crickets begin chirping at night."

"But, sir…." Linwë fought back the tears. "What if they still don't like my story?"

"Take heart, young scribe, not every reader will like every story. That's how it should be. Don't be upset about that, for it maintains balance and order in the scribal universe."

With that, Lord Felagund removed his glasses, stepped away from the podium, and said to the cheering crowd, "Now go forth and scribe."

Sara Etgen-Baker recently met Lord Felagund’s modern-day counterpart at a writer’s workshop.

 an elfin scribe