This let’s pretend is all about close your eyes and dream.
Well… not closing your eyes and dozing off, but turning on the light to imagination, to hope, and perhaps even to happiness.
Children are the best at make- believe.
They use let’s pretend to dream about the future, about their growing-up lives.
They play this let’s pretend game to have fun.
They cling to this let’s pretend as a shield to avoid and escape punishment.
Writers make-believe too.
Their let’s pretend characters become full of life on the page.
Their let’s pretend thoughts turn into words a reader can hold.
And their let’s pretend world becomes real in imagination.
Pause…
This was how I began this post last night with this idea which I borrowed from a non-fiction book about creativity and IQ tests. By the way, do we really need all the fuss around them?
I don’t think so.
Now, back to the main idea.
Instead of going back to finish my post, I decided to complete Dostoevsky’s Poor People.
I did finish it, but that wasn’t a good idea.
Because I abandoned the post and slipped straight into reviewing the book.
But the idea of let’s pretend started nagging me, buzzing into my head, with a single plea;
Please let’s pretend you didn’t read the book.
Please finish the post.
I tried.
But, I couldn’t.
The book seemed to cut the flow of my post thoughts with its hopeless narrative.
It’s understandable how the story reflected the miserable and hard life the author experienced during the time he was writing it.
But still, I found myself wondering; why he didn’t play this let’s pretend game, just once, to make- believe some hope in the miserable story?
Honestly, I don’t know.
But at least I made it — and finished this post.
With let’s–pretend–happy thoughts,
Nahla
Pure and Simple 