By Christine Thackeray
A friend of mine called the local newspaper about my new book and they asked me for an interview. It was an interesting experience. The reporter asked about my background and several general questions and then asked if I had always wanted to be a writer. I thought about it and then shook my head.
For me, I had a very traumatic personal experience that hurt my feelings. I couldn't stop thinking about it and finally decided to "rescript" the event with fictionalized characters to "fix it." I plowed through the initial draft and then threw away most of it, coming out with something far different. I do think, however, that stories sometimes haunt us until we write them. Something will strike us as interesting, unfinished or just wrong and we must "right" it by writing it.
In reaching for my next story, it has been interesting coming up with experiences with raising toddlers that were frustrating, satisfying, hair-raising or just wrong. Being able to take characters fashioned after women who never "got it" and having them come to the light is heady. I love writing fiction- it is satisfying on so many levels. But I suppose if I weren't writing, those stories would be constantly pricking at me until I finally took out the keyboard and began clicking away.
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4 comments:
Interesting idea--rewriting something that bothered you to make it right.
I didn't write based on an experience, but I'm not one that wanted to be a writer all my life either. I never even considered being a published author until a few days before I turned in my first manuscript. It's hard to look back on it and believe it's true, but we all start a different way. Fun post.
I never really wanted to be an author. I just felt I wanted to share the expereinces that had helped me turn my life around. It does seem unreal at times that someone actually published my book. I am so grateful. I hope to be able to write fiction one day. (Maybe we should talk.)
I got your new book in the mail yesterday. Thanks for sending it. I can't wait to read it. I'll review it on my blog when I'm done.
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