Sometimes you write the book, sometimes the book writes you.

 

Action figures! Lake Superior! Photography! Welcome to WRECK.

Writing is a funny thing. You’d think you’d be in control of the process, but sometimes you’re not. Sometimes the characters do or say things you’re not expecting. Sometimes the book goes in a direction you don’t expect (the photo above is proof: action figures? in a YA novel?). Sometimes you expect a book to contain one kind of emotion, but you discover it’s full of totally different feelings.

It sounds very, very strange to say that Someone or Something Else (our subconscious, a Higher Power, the Collective Mind, etc.) can take charge of our writing. But it happens. Ask Stephen King if you don’t believe me. And when it does, it’s almost always positive.

In general, I wrote SKY and ORIGINAL FAKE. There were moments the book or the characters were doing surprising things, but I mostly knew where I was going. Not so for BEAUTIFUL MUSIC—I’m not sure Who wrote it, but Someone told Gabe, John, and Paige the story, and I just took dictation. With WRECK, I started the book, but then I consciously let go. I let Tobin, Steve, and Ike do what they were going to do. They surprised me in beautiful ways.

This book wrote me. This book took the grief I carry for my father, for his difficult life and our challenging relationship, and shaped it into something useful for my world (and for the larger world, I hope). This book took the father-daughter relationship I’d wished we’d had and brought it to life, so I could enjoy it. This book will help me know what to do if more of my relatives have degenerative illnesses–what Tobin did on the page is a good lesson for me.

Weird, right? Super weird. But I don’t know how else to describe it. This book knew what it needed to do.

Writing is a funny thing.

 

This entry was posted in books, emotions, gratitude, Stephen King, WRECK, writing life, yawp. Bookmark the permalink.

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