When Fiction Becomes Real
Writing fiction permits me to examine the world around me in a different way; some writers have said in a more profound way because we are ever trying to understand behavior. And this understanding unfolds at a more “mindful, thoughtful” pace, and on a deeper level than we tend to do in real life. My heroine, Corrie Locke, has shown me a thing or two, about better understanding.
I never realized that fiction offers the opportunity to write more freely about personal challenges, including things that may require a resolution. When I wrote my fourth book, I discovered that Corrie’s resolutions or accomplishments sometimes mirror something I’ve experienced in real life. The more I delve into her responses and reactions, the more I learn more about myself. Who knew? Not me, that’s for sure. This is a gratifying bonus of fiction writing.
Writing fiction is sometimes like staring into a mirror that’s reflecting parts of my life right back to me. For instance, I didn’t know I felt a certain way about bossy people until Corrie showed me how she felt. When she takes action against this person, it’s liberating because, in a small way, I rid myself of pent-up emotions.
I’ve also learned more about relationships, thanks to Corrie. Take her relationship with her mom, Victoria. They start out in book one being at odds with each other, and that continues until book four when things soften a bit, but not enough. Victoria can be over protective, which makes Corrie shrug her off and take her for granted. I had to ask, do I do that? By book five, everything changes when Corrie enlists her mother to help with an investigation. Victoria plays a bigger role than anticipated, and suddenly they are bonding in an unlikely way. And guess who appears in book six, too? Investigating together brings them closer. Which made me seek out my mother to do things I ordinarily wouldn’t do with her for the same reason. Would I have thought to do those things without my fiction writing? Maybe. Maybe not.
The truths we reach sometimes, when writing fiction, are truths we didn’t even know we were seeking. In these ways, writing can be very transformative and insightful.
