Hi Holly! Thanks for reading and noticing the delicate details. The atmosphere was definitely something I rewrote a lot, trying to do justice to someone's deeply transformative experience. There's so much more to the craft that I'm yet to practice!
I admire the atmosphere of this story - the rain, the flickering ceiling light, the daydream, the quiet scene at the end. The details feel lovingly chosen to convey the emotions so well.
Thanks Julie! Really appreciate your words. It was a precious prompt to be given the opportunity to write about and I tried to handle it with such soft hands as possible. I'm still learning so much!
Thanks Meg. Means a lot! It was an unfamiliar challenge on my part to envision a kid (albeit an imaginary one) and make the character feel the longing and the pain. I’m grateful that I tried and it struck a chord with you.
What a powerful love story. I appreciate the depths of pain you examined through the central character, and felt like I was both in the hospital room with the blinking light and the car during the monsoon when his world was falling apart. I loved how he discovered how deep his love was for his wife, how deeply she loved him, and how in the end there was one part of his dream that he was able to see come to life. Really beautiful writing.
Hello Troy! I'm beyond grateful for your appreciation of the writing. Thanks for saying these beautiful words. Yes, it was powerful, it shook to me the core trying to only imagine what this couple actually went through. I just couldn't not give the story a warm ending -- I sincerely hope they got to live some version of it in real life too!
I agree with Julie. The rain, the chamomile, the thoughtful Nella--there is a tenderness throughout this piece. And the last line works really well.
Hi Holly! Thanks for reading and noticing the delicate details. The atmosphere was definitely something I rewrote a lot, trying to do justice to someone's deeply transformative experience. There's so much more to the craft that I'm yet to practice!
I admire the atmosphere of this story - the rain, the flickering ceiling light, the daydream, the quiet scene at the end. The details feel lovingly chosen to convey the emotions so well.
Thanks Julie! Really appreciate your words. It was a precious prompt to be given the opportunity to write about and I tried to handle it with such soft hands as possible. I'm still learning so much!
The passage of his imagined son was so wonderful. You made him immeasurably real, for the narrator, and for us.
Thanks Meg. Means a lot! It was an unfamiliar challenge on my part to envision a kid (albeit an imaginary one) and make the character feel the longing and the pain. I’m grateful that I tried and it struck a chord with you.
I just remarked on that passage myself.
This is lovely particularly the italicized conjecture of what was-wasn’t.
Hey Adam. Thanks for noticing one of my beloved little details. It’s great encouragement coming from you!
What a powerful love story. I appreciate the depths of pain you examined through the central character, and felt like I was both in the hospital room with the blinking light and the car during the monsoon when his world was falling apart. I loved how he discovered how deep his love was for his wife, how deeply she loved him, and how in the end there was one part of his dream that he was able to see come to life. Really beautiful writing.
Hello Troy! I'm beyond grateful for your appreciation of the writing. Thanks for saying these beautiful words. Yes, it was powerful, it shook to me the core trying to only imagine what this couple actually went through. I just couldn't not give the story a warm ending -- I sincerely hope they got to live some version of it in real life too!