"The Power Drill" by Lynne E Williams

 – Zhirrrrrr! Shirrrrrr! Bzzrrrrrr!

Each buzzy, scratchy whir invokes a shortcoming.

Lynne E Williams is a native New Englander who still wakes up every day a bit surprised to find herself in North Carolina. Lynne currently lives in Charlotte with her two cats, two dogs, two sons and their Dad. She is an active member of Charlotte Writer’s Club and a 2022 finalist in the club’s non-fiction contest.

Author’s Talk

Lynne E Williams

I write, therefore I am. Or is it, I am, therefore I write? Both are equally true for me. I don’t remember a time when I didn’t love to write. Before I could hold a pencil, I wrote stories in my head. Some of them are still floating around in there, just waiting for their turn to flow out through my pen. (I gave up pencils somewhere around junior high.)    

Being a writer was a major part of my identity from kindergarten through college. Though I double-majored in music and theater instead of English, I was lauded for my writing skills. I was a Writing Fellow of the University and, as an upperclassman, facilitated writing workshops for first year students. A paper I wrote for my Ethnomusicology class was published in a city historical archive.  I was on my way!  

Then I graduated, and life happened.   

Student loans came due. There were jobs and moves, joys and sorrows, deaths and births. Writing was relegated to a side note for quite a while. It is a shame, but then again, not—I have so much material to work with now!    

If you, like me, are an avid reader, this will make sense to you: One of the joys of reading is coming across nuggets of truth, finding something you think or feel but haven’t found the words to explain, even to yourself.    

As a writer, I aspire to give my own readers those “Wow! Yes! That’s it!” moments that make us feel universal. More connected.  Less alone. When I share my stories, the reaction to them tells me I’m succeeding. 

My dream is to publish a book of stories from my life. I see my words flying out into the world, landing with readers who find nuggets of their own truth in my writing.  

I wrote The Power Drill because it makes me smile. At first, it was just a silly story to share about that oh-so-vulnerable younger version of myself. Then my critique group mentioned the layers. It resonated with them as more than just a silly story. They saw a depth that I had been unaware of.   

We expect to mature in measured stages. In reality the path is full of twists and turns. We leap ahead and stumble back.  

Sometimes a moment of discovery creates a subtle shift as its ripples carry us forward, even without us noticing.