Writing - Be Mysterious

 In most pieces of writing, there is something unexplained. 

'Something' - A compound word made up of 'some' - a word of unquantified value; and 'thing' - an undescribed object. 

I raise this because 'something' can mean anything or nothing at all, but for us humans is an irresistible hook. 

When you consider human interactions, we are surrounded, and have been for millennia, by the unexplained. We have similarly been involved in creativity, evidenced by ancient cave paintings. Religions are common across all nations, purported to follow an indescribable greater being for the benefit of our souls. There are two unknowable 'somethings' in that sentence. The soul on its own generates a huge debate. No one has ever seen a soul, although we ascribe qualities of a good soul. We debate whether animals have a soul at all, and some religions try to raise us above animals by denying them a soul. However, if the function of a soul is to support life, then all living creatures have a soul. An oversimplification, I've no doubt.

When you switch focus to entertainment, the list is endless. We look for aliens from outer space, mystical creatures like the Yeti, Bigfoot, Loch Ness monster. We make films and have a worldwide cult of worshipping celebrity - people who spend their lives pretending to be things they are not. Within that genre, we are fascinated by vampires, werewolves, witches, wizards, and possession by demons. The list is not exhaustive. 

We are intrigued by the possibility of superhuman abilities ranging from telekinesis to x-ray vision. This is extended into the realm of superheroes like the Bionic Woman, Batman, and Ninja Turtles. The point being that we are totally fascinated by what we don't know but may suspect, and that opens a plethora of possibilities. So when we are creating, the shackles are loosened. After all, we delight in telling each other how little of the human brain we actually use, suggesting that there is much more that we as humans could be capable of. 

Writing stories opens all doors. If we include unknowns and possibilities, we attempt to engage the reader and stimulate that part of the brain that sends out signals to generate the pleasure hormones. 

So don't neglect the unknown. 

God Bless