It was absolutely heartbreaking.
I considered skipping ahead to New Year's Eve - which turns out to be a much better day for my cherished character - but I decided instead to slog my way through the misery, make an effort to get in touch with the feelings I was experiencing and use them in my work. In the end, I think that was the right thing to do; it was cathartic to really feel my feelings - as opposed to burying them, like I usually do - and there is no doubt that my writing is richer as a result.
Writers, to what extent do you funnel your real-life feelings and experiences into your work?
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8 comments:
Read your article about your dog on LIPP!! Karma is awesome!!
with warm regards
Another Author
Thanks, Abhishek! I would have missed out on a lot if I had stuck with my assertion that "I am a cat person." Sometimes it pays to be open to new possibilities. Thank you for stopping by!
I know what you mean, Pam. It can be something of a cathartic release when we dig into our darker emotions.
And yes, I do pour a great deal of my own emotion into situations I write about.
The main character of my current series, for example, is a brooding, melancholic sort of man who grew up feeling unloved, unwanted and completely isolated.
While I've never been at that extreme, I think everyone who has ever been a teenager (and, like me, suffers from depression) can relate.
It's funny how much of myself I do put into my books.
That's interesting, S.M. I think a lot of us writers have a dark, brooding side, regardless of the face we present to the world. But it's useful to dig into that as we create our characters, to help us make them multi-dimensional and real. Thank you for sharing your experience!
Yes, my fourth could have been a lot less lonely - HAD I KNOWN!
Dear Anonymous,
Since I don't know who you are, I don't exactly know what to say. Except here's hoping for a better fourth of July for both of us NEXT year!
Pam
You know I put a lot of things from my life in my characters' lives, good and bad. I sometimes play a little game, truth or fiction? And your scene was better than the one I wrote the other day, where I had to kill off a much beloved character. *sigh* That was rough.
You know, it's okay to spend some time alone, not only because it gives you fiction fodder, it gives you a chance to find you and get centered. And you weren't really alone, you had The Awesome Karma! Natasha often gets up right by my leg when I have the laptop going, then gives me the Elvis Snarl when I have to move my legs.
Enjoy this week!
Julee, it was actually kind of nice to be in the house alone - it's a relatively rare event for me. The thing that made it painful was that it was a holiday, and I wasn't alone by choice. But you are right - I wasn't REALLY alone, thanks to the indomitable Karma! I am crazy about my dog! :-)
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