open invitation no. 91: invite readers to linger

In the summer, the days were long, stretching into each other. Out of school, everything was on pause and yet happening at the same time, this collection of weeks when anything was possible.

[Sarah Dessen, Along for the Ride]

Sarah Dessen is one of my favorite young adult writers. She writes quiet stories that are mighty. She lets me linger and in this lingering I feel big emotions; I feel unexpected emotions.

One of the ways she does this is with long sentences. They don’t ramble, but they give space for me to feel. They invite me, as a reader, to slow down.

This week’s invitation is to craft some sentences like Sarah. Juxtapose conflicting ideas that are both true. Use more than one comma. Capture a few conjunctions.

Invite the reader to linger and feel unexpected emotions.

*Remember, you don’t have to accept this invitation…but I do hope you will accept the invitation to write. Sharing our stories is magical.

PS—There is a Facebook Group for the #sosmagic community. Join here.

invite others to join us

I’m joining an open community of writers over at Sharing Our Stories: Magic in a Blog. If you write (or want to write) just for the magic of it, consider this your invitation to join us. #sosmagic