Gratitude journal

The Corner Bookshelf Is Where Your Next Adventure Begins

Thankful to the writers who place their stories out into the world

In the corner of the family room in my childhood home, we had a built-in bookshelf, enclosed with glass doors. It housed my universe of adventure that I escaped to each day as a young girl.

Where the Wild Things Are was the first book I remember looking through, before I could read. Maurice Sendak’s drawings of Max and the gang of wild things drew me in. I remember imagining my own story as I flipped through the pages. I knew what the book was supposed to be about, but I loved to place myself into the world of the wild things, taking the place of Max, and oh the adventures we would go on.

What are your earliest memories in relationship to stories?

When I became a parent to my two boys, I read to them all the time, hoping they would love books like me. My boys don’t read as much as I did at their age, but I see their creative spirit in both of them.

My 8th grader’s language arts teacher remarked at his last teacher-parent conference, he had a mastery of writing. I beamed.

My 9th grader gravitates to art. He’s taking a street art class where their creative freedom is allowed to soar, to do what speaks to them. My highlight of the day is when he comes home from school, eager to show me his latest project, showing me pictures on his cell phone.

I pray they always harvest that creative energy in their lives.

I can’t imagine a world without stories, the books, songs, movies, the words imagined by people escaping on their own adventures, brave enough to share with all of us. It’s not an easy task to open your imagination up to be critiqued and reviewed by any soul that consumes it.

As a writer, that is the scariest part of storytelling.

But remember, you share your stories to show people your world at that given moment. If someone doesn’t like it, that reflects their world, not yours.

Keep on writing. Keep on sharing. It matters.

“Inside all of us is Hope.

Inside all of us is Fear.

Inside all of us is Adventure.

Inside all of us is… A Wild Thing.”

- Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Each day in November (or as often as I can) I’m writing a thank you for this month of gratitude. Join me anytime this month!

Written by Ellie Jacobson, @2021 all rights reserved.

I’m a freelance writer and editor from Minnesota, writing my first novel, a psychological suspense novel. Are you a writer? Check out Sparks, my newsletter filled with writing prompts to spark your creativity.

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