When I was in college I wrote a paper about the concept of pain. Pain is a personal experience for everyone; we all have pain in our lives, whether physical or emotional. What interested me was the process of communicating pain.
We've all been at a doctor's appointment with an unexplained ache or pain. Usually, the doctor will examine you, then as you to rate, on a scale of 1 - 10, how bad your pain is. This always struck me as problematic, because we experience the world - and pain - from our own unique perspective. What feels, to me, like the worst pain I've ever experienced may be a 3 or 4 to someone else. In an area as objective and scientifically rigorous as medicine, I wanted to examine why this subjectivity exists. Right now I'm a few days into my pre-order campaign for Summer Twilight which is incredibly exciting. I'm incredibly grateful for all the people who have supported me so far, and I'm really looking forward to having some wonderful conversations in the coming weeks with new fans. Since the pre-order process has started, I wanted to write a post about my writing journey - which isn't yet complete! But I think documenting it is really important, and I hope it helps you if you're interested in writing or publishing, or even just curious.
The past week has been a rollercoaster for me. There have been some really high peaks and some really low troughs, and I want to share it all with you. That's actually really weird for me to be saying - I'm a private person, and I don't generally like talking about things in my life. But I've also been talking to a lot of you, my friends, recently, and I value and appreciate your honesty.
I think right now - in times of COVID - it's particularly important to be honest and genuine with one another. That can be really hard and really scary, because naming the things happening in our lives has a lot of power, but it's critical. When I was teaching, my kids will tell you that I did my best to "keep it a hundred" with them - getting real about having a rough day, or facing a tough time. I've talked before about different ways to make time to write, but I also wanted to share exactly what I do and how it works (or doesn't) for me! I've spent many years perfecting how and when I write, and I still struggle with it from time to time. The most important part is finding a process that works for you.
One of my favorite things about reading a new book is losing myself in it. Some people have an amazing knack for writing a place in a way that makes it feel as though you're actually there, whether it's the rain-damp cobblestones of a narrow Victorian street, or rolling fields perfumed with every flower imaginable.
There's a tricky balance here: you don't want to be so overly descriptive and flowery with your language that your reader loses interest, but you need to give enough detail that your audience can build their own image. Writing is unique that way - the only way we as authors have to communicate with the reader is with the written word. It's a lot of pressure to get those words right. |
AuthorBridget is the author of Summer Twilight, available for purchase now! Categories
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