Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth. -Albert Greenspan
(Fitting, isn’t it, that Yoda made it into this shot… anyway…)
This is why I write fiction…because I can be exposed, raw, bleeding, selfish, uninhibited, miserable, ecstatic, annoyed, murderous, thrilled, hate filled, wallowing in anguish, disturbed, …and free… I can tell the truth.
I don’t know about you, or if you have ever read anything I have written (you can visit my books page for more insights…), but some of the best advice I know of is… write what you know… and, so, I have (a little…)
I write what inspires me, what scares the living begeezus out of me, what I love, what I hate, what’s hurt me – mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically – what I’ve done to inflict hurt onto others, what I’m sorry for, what I’m grateful for, what I miss, what I could live without, what I’m passionate about, what I didn’t have the strength to do or say… I think you get the idea.
I’ve been through a lot in my short time on this earth and most of the scars aren’t visible to the naked eye – they run deep below the surface – and I’ve kept my trials fairly silent, until now.
Until the day I discovered the freedom writing offered me, my injuries remained silent. All that is left of some of my scars is the memory …no emotion, no pain, no pull in one direction or the other, just the memory …and the thought of how I would do it differently when (or if) the next opportunity presented itself (if I would change a thing at all that is).
(Honestly) I wouldn’t change a thing because no matter how traumatic they were, they lead me to “here” — and that is a place I would not replace for all the wishes and jewels and secrets and money in the world. I truly and honestly love my life and everything that has made it what it is today.
When I write — whether its an article for my blog or a segment in my novels — I draw from various occurrences, people, settings, emotions, locations, cultures, etc in my life — (and for my novels specifically) I then spin my imagination to exaggerate it, bend it, manipulate it because, in the end, its my story (and for the moment, all my novels are fiction).
BUT, what I’m saying is… You can do this too. You can release your demons (both inner and outer) and dispose of them however you like. — And you can do it without ever inflicting true, physical harm onto anyone else — and you can let it go!
Find your release — writing is mine.
Painting, drawing, pottery, designing, programming, cooking, baking, walking, lifting weights, yoga, meditation, biking, teaching others, service work… Just to give a few examples of ways in which to release trauma, pain, dis-ease within yourself. There are so many outlets for us to utilize nowadays, use them.
Within my fiction is where I tell the truth.
Now its time for you to stand your ground and release yours. Be True.