A Quiet Place

Some authors write best when they have a strong emotion to pull from.

If I was one of those writers, I’d be typing up a storm.

I’m not begging for sympathy. I’m not the one who needs it, but this week has been a bad one for my friends.

On Thursday morning, I got a phone call that a lifelong friend – someone I’d always joked was my older brother – passed away. It was unexpected. He left behind three beautiful children and a very distraught family. My heart aches for them.

Right now I’m waiting for a phone call. One of the first people I met when I moved to Virgina is supposed to be delivering a son today. The baby is not likely to live more than a few minutes. In fact, the doctors and specialists aren’t sure why he has lasted thirty-four weeks in the womb. I hope and pray that my friend will be able to hold her child for a little while before he leaves this world.

I wish I knew how to take what I’m feeling and put it into words that actually mean something. But I can’t. When I write, I have to be quiet, calm, focused. I’m not any of those things right now.

How do you work your emotions into your novels? How does it effect you when you re-read it?

4 Comments

  • sleeplessparent

    These emotions might not be something you can draw upon now because you are living them at the moment. Don’t be surprised if they surface in your writing down the road when you least expect it.

    As for myself, my emotions drives my writing – not that its biographic – but they provide the edge that’s for sure. After reading the first draft of my novel, a friend said “Wow, I didn’t realize you were full of such angst!” 🙂

  • jodeeluna

    Becky,

    I send you my empathy. What difficult circumstances you presently face. As far as writing, I went through years of recovery and learned to use writing as a tool for emotional processing. With that said, I find my best reflections come from trying to make sense out of life. However, I’m not a novelist. Thank you for your honesty.

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