Swapping One Story for Another

I do it all the time and it’s never fair. I ask my colleagues, on the spot, for updates about students we’ve been working on together. Understandably, I {often} get a blank stare. Yesterday, a colleague asked me about a student they wanted me to see a month ago. I started the recall by repeating the name of the student and talking about what popped into my mind, like—"I think I sent you an update by email about this student". (This person didn’t remember the email.)

So, I kept talking. My colleague responded to my recollection with additional information which in turn triggered my memory and the story emerged. At one point, I stopped to think and then said, “I want to make sure I’m not confusing one student’s story with another.”

This reminded me that, while writing my A-Z stories for the April Challenge, I wrote two stories that began one way but later ended in a totally different way than I intended. In one of the stories, my main character did everything she could to hold on to her story, but the secondary characters came in and changed the ending. (Read it April 5, AKA the letter E.)

When all was writtien, I said with an attitude (and out loud), “What?”

Somebody (I won't mention names) swapped one story for another and I like it much better. Go figure.

Do your stories, paintings, or craft ever take a different turn than you intended?

Journaling Woman