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Welcome back to Romance Writer’s Weekly. This week’s topic is from Tracey Gee.
As we all know, authors put real people and situations into their books. Let’s look at the times we’ve pushed through the pain by putting bad experiences or relationships into our works whether for therapy, or just as a way to close the door.
When writing romance, I often resort to where I’ve been. The uncertainty of whether the person I love loves me, the fear of loss, and the joy of marrying my best friend provided me with plenty of feelings to harness for my writing. As a highly emotional person, some of these situations can take over and twist my stomach into a hundred pound knot. When I write a scene, the feelings come rushing back to me. If I didn’t feel miserable writing a break up or perhaps the death of a loved one, the scene probably lacks depth of emotion.
When writing thrillers, however, I often move into a world I want to be. So I need to step out of my shoes and place myself in the shoes of the person on the other end of a gun, or killing someone for the first time, or the hundredth time. Although years on a soccer field have made me immune to an elbow in the gut, or being pushed down by someone one hundred pounds bigger than me, I honestly couldn’t compare that experience to what soldiers and police enforcement experience in their jobs.
The emotions in these scenes are not something the average person experiences, and yet to be realistic, the reader should become a part of the action.
Which do I prefer? Both. Life is full of highs and lows for everyone. The ability to grasp a reader and bring them into the middle of the story and all the heartache, panic, and terror involved, makes the discomfort of writing the scenes worth it.
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Did you come from the amazing author Betty Bolte’s site? If not, here’s the link: www.bettybolte.com/blog.htm
Next on the tour is the wonderful Raine Balkera. http://rainebalkera.blogspot.com
Thanks so much for sharing. Hundred pound knot. Exactly!
You’re right! I definitely don’t want to be on the business end of a gun for any reason. My heartfelt thanks to all those men and women who are brave enough to be police and military personnel!
Thank you for sharing, and it’s nice to know we think alike on certain topics 😀
I know I’m quick to shed a tear or get scared when reading a book, but it’s so true what you wrote that if you don’t feel these things at certain points in your writing you know something is missing. Putting yourself in others’ shoes is very difficult, especially when it is someone that is not a good person and can commit horrible acts, such as murder. Thanks for the post.