SMOKE AND MIRRORS

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     One of the definitions the dictionary assigns to the word Medium is—an intervening substance through which something is transmitted or carried on. Another is—An Agency by which something is accomplished, conveyed or transferred. As writers we fit that description as we summon events from the past or gaze into the future, ask long-gone friends about their life in another sphere and transform their words, their history, their period into a happening that transports the reader into another time and place.

     Some Mediums claim to be taken over by spirits who use their voice. We listen to our characters who often change the way we first envisioned them. A hero may turn into a villain and the plot we’ve worked so hard on will be altered as the people that inhabit the pages of our short stories or novels choose a different path.

     Near the beginning of history attempts were made to communicate with spirits and mentioned in the Old Testament. In 19^th century England and America Mediums gave lectures and became authors. Some even wrote best-sellers. A Medium will do a reading for a particular client known as a “sitter.” We read our manuscripts aloud to ourselves and support groups who sit around a table waiting to offer suggestions that will help us to see if the manuscript is ready to be submitted to publishers.

     Then there is the Trance Medium where a spirit uses the Medium’s mind to communicate and said to center attention on the thoughts being conveyed. When we sit down at our computers or tablets or pick up a pad and pencil, we focus our attention on the words that we write. We do without trumpets, cabinets, levitation tables, darkened rooms and smoke but we do employ mirrors.

When you tell your story, do you ever think of yourself as a Medium?

Bests,

Elise