Today started off a good day. I’ve gotten some fantastic news in the past few days (and I will hopefully share it sometime next week) and I even managed to get to work early this morning (which is a serious rarity for me). But there was an email waiting for me here that deflated my mood pretty quickly. The message was simple, but rude, high-handed, and petty. I can’t say the accusations made were entirely without case, but the person blew the whole situation so out of proportion it was completely unjustifiable.

But it eventually got me thinking.

So many writers are looking for these big dramatic moments to change the mood or set someone on a certain path that I think they overlook the small things. A smile from a stranger can give someone hope and a unexpectedly harsh email can ruin someone’s good day. That small shift in mood can lead to a shift in perspective and suddenly you have your rising tension or the solution to that scene that never quite worked before.

Don’t get me wrong, you still need the big moments too. All I’m saying is don’t underestimate the power of something small.