The Thing About Stories...

I was in M&S this week buying a birthday card for my brother. 

As I went to pay for my purchase, I saw the length of the queue. There was that quick internal dialogue about whether or not to bother, but in the end queuing was preferable to wandering around town to find a card as good as the one I'd picked up.

However, one of the great things about a queue is the other people in it.

For a brief moment, you join a community all with the same goal and you can eavesdrop on some great conversations.

I think being part of these snapshots of stories is what us Brits enjoy so much about queuing.

In this particular queue, a couple of young professional guys were chatting about the origin of common phrases used in the English language.

It reminded me of a content butterfly I've seen fluttering around the inter-webs on phrases we owe to Shakespeare.

Here are some of my favorites:

One day,  I'd love for some of the phrases I've created in my stories to be part of popular culture...

In much the same way that popular stories and movies have a way of nestling into our collective consciousness - phases like:

May the force be with you

To boldly go where no-one has gone before

Here's a few from my books:

The Bronze Box

 

Solomon's Secrets

Gabriel's Game

 

The queue in  M&S moved quickly, with friendly and efficient staff at the till, and I had that strange sensation of being both relieved to escape the queue, but also disappointed to have to leave and miss the rest of the story being shared behind me.

The thing about stories... they are everywhere, all around us - they are part of the rich tapestry of life. We are constantly, often subconsciously, creating, sharing and enjoying stories - I love being part of that.