Some call it writer’s block. Regardless of what it’s called, it’s a time when getting through the darkness is the challenge. We all deal with it, even if you aren’t a writer. It’s when you just can’t see a clear way out of the tangled list of to-dos and other chores, or, in my case, where is this story trying to go?
I thought I knew. I had a plan, charts, and notes. It seems my story had other goals. Everything has screeched to a halt. Characters I had sent off in one direction are starting to show up and talk about things I thought could wait. Now, I know, not so much. I missed something, which is ironic since Angelina has missed a turn in the trail and gotten herself and the group she’s supposed to be leading to safety, lost.
You see, often, I think I’m a writer – a creator. Really, what I do as a storyteller is document what the story wants readers to know. I get into trouble when I try to take too much control and force an outcome. I find giving up power over the path to be a very vulnerable place. If I focus, I can see the light at the end of the darkness, the unknown bits of the story. My challenge is to trust my gut and my characters and get through the obscurity by following that light.
I must not forget that this trust has never failed me. My first book, Jewels Of Kidron, is an award-winner with excellent reviews. Because of that success, however, I often succumb to the pressure to create another outstanding story. In truth, I need to follow the path of Angelina as she scrambles through the brambles and makes her way to her true self. That’s what this story is about, after all.
Doesn’t it make you wonder if novels aren’t more autobiographical than entirely made-up stories? Ponder that one for a minute!
Susan
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