 |
| View from a downtown Cincinnati street, October 2013 |
"A writer can never know about a character's feelings what is
not somewhere mirrored in her own." --Katherine Paterson
Been reflecting on this thought here of late...
Any writing subject in particular you've been pondering?
________________________________
I've been pondering grief lately. The anniversary of my brother-in-law's passing is this month, and one of my stories has a grieving element to it specifically because of him. I began writing it after spending extended time with my sister, who had just been put into the position of raising two girls alone. As the anniversary approaches, I've been thinking about how a child views their parent's grief in the event of a loved one passing. And I've been thinking about my sister a lot. Sorry to get a bit emotional~ your post just prompted me to think about feelings that I didn't realize were so much on my mind.
ReplyDeleteJess, I didn't realize a year has passed since your sister lost her husband. I remember when you commented that you'd be away for a while to stay with her, how sad the news was and how we were prompted to pray for her and the family. To pour out your feelings in a story from a child's viewpoint must have brought many tears as you wrote, being so real. Grief is such a heavy emotion to have to cope with. Thank you for sharing, and may your story help bring comfort and healing to those who read it. Take care--and keep writing :-)
DeleteThanks, Kenda. It's the 2-year anniversary this year, so it's not quite as raw, but still feels fresh in our minds and hearts.
DeleteBack to you, Jess, with continued thoughts and prayers for your sister and her little ones. Hope she's doing okay...
DeleteAmazing photo! I'm certain that what Katherine said is true. It's why, sometimes when we start a story that doesn't resonate with our personal issues strongly enough, we lack the motivation to complete them. We also we cannot write as authentically about them, as we don't experience them as deeply as others for whom that emotion plays a larger role in their lives. It's true that we have all experienced ALL emotions known to man (I would assume), but our personality types tend to filter our thoughts / emotions/reactions/issues into certain directions. For example, I seldom write about scary situations and visceral fear because it's not an issue for me. I suspect that being married to a pilot--and the various fear situations I have experienced while flying over the past 36 years-has made me tougher when it comes to experiencing fear. Even being married to someone whose occupation (farming) tends to be very dangerous, has caused me to learn not to stress too much, or I would be stressing out every time he stepped out the door.
ReplyDeleteYet I have a friend who will always write suspense, because her underlying, driving motivation involves fear. She's a more fearful person, and so writing about fearful situations could be cathartic for her.
Cathy, appreciate your take on this subject :-) Lots to think about here, especially in considering how our personality types play in to our writing. Hmmm, maybe we need to add psychology books to our shelves alongside our writing books?
DeleteYour experiences of being the wife of a pilot/high-intensity farmer are interesting as well. Although you have minimized the fear factor (good for you!) I bet there are still emotional aspects in it all that you draw from in your writing. There has to be lots of material there!