It was the summer of 1989 when I went to see the movie “Field of Dreams” at my local theater. I was 29, and began to realize that time was passing me by way too fast. Most of my friends were already married, found a career job, and had started a family, while I was still trying to figure out what to do with my life. I had dreams like everyone else, but I was getting started a bit late. Like Kevin Costner’s character in the movie, I also began to realize that unless I wanted to live a mediocre life filled with struggles, I had to find a purpose, and pathway to follow. Something magical happened in the theater that night. The story line struck a chord with me. It connected in a way that I never expected. I struggled to hold back emotional tears that were welling up in my eyes. Then I glanced at my date, and saw that she had tears streaming down her face. Then I looked to my left, and noticed that the people next to us were reacting the same way we were. The theater was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. The movie’s magic had captured us all.
It was that night that I decided to take control of my dream of being a writer. I wanted to write stories with unforgettable characters, and a plot that would capture people’s emotions in the same way that movie did mine. I wanted to create a style that would make my readers feel comfortable. I wanted them to feel as though they could step into each scene, and be a part of the conversation. I wanted them to linger in that scene for a while, and be able to see it, and experience it from all angles. In my own experiences, I found that if I couldn’t lose myself in the content of a book or movie, I quickly lost interest. I didn’t want to make that mistake with my audience. I wanted them to feel that same magic that myself and those around me felt that night while watching “Field of Dreams”.
All these years later, I’ve seen that movie at least 20 times, and still find myself reacting in the same way that I did when I first saw it. For all of you who have read my work, I can only hope that I’ve succeeded in creating a similar type of magic that connects on a special level, and offers you an unforgettable experience.
