I returned to writing today.
Well, technically, I did. I just didn't write chronologically (where I left my book at). I instead wanted to find out what fueled my main character to become who he was today.
What I discovered was that his personal flaws, fears, and insecurities are all rooted in a very sad childhood. One particular moment (the one I wrote) was the straw in the camels back, so to say. This moment broke my character's spirit. It was so emotionally disturbing that he was changed from then on, in some ways not for the better.
Midway through I realized that my main character, a creation of my mind that will be seen by what I hope to be millions of people one day, suffered the same type of life-changing trauma as I did as a child.
And that's when it became hard to finish the scene. Yes, it was hard putting my character through that scene because he is a part of me and his life, at least for me and my readers, is real in a way (only writers and good readers can understand that statement. It applies to many great novels, not just my own).
It was more difficult reliving the choices and emotions I once felt as a young girl. It was hard reading it on the page and understanding that this was not just a changing moment in my character's life but in my own life. Through words on paper, I was taken from a story and into my own memories and to a place where I could finally understand what I had gone through and accept it.
And that, my dear readers, is why I write.
I guess writers have a lot of themselves in their stories. If you don't have a well of experiences to draw on your book wouldn't be as interesting. Good luck with your character.
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting my blog and taking an interest in Norman. I'm not sure he's even still around but if he is it would be nice to know how he is faring. Putting him on Facebook is an option I don't have since I don't subscribe, thanks again.