Monday, April 26, 2004
Writer's Insecurity
I had started a novel about a woman who's mother was dying, inspired in large part by scenes I've witnessed working with hospice patients at work. But I decided those characters need to simmer awhile before I continue on with it (characters really do have a life of their own). So in the meantime, I've started a second novel.
I feel like I want to write a summary in here so you know the gist of the new story I'm working on. After reading a novel, I find it so easy to explain to others what the novel was about. But with my own writing, any kind of summary seems to immediately lose the breadth of the story. For instance, the novel about the dying mother doesn't mention how her mother's death affects her relationship with her spouse, though that aspect of her life weighs just as heavy as her mother's death. There is always more to the story.
After I've read a novel, my enthusiasm or disdain speaks to the depth somehow. "Oh, you just have to read it!" says a lot. So I don't feel that I am doing the story an injustice in my brief description. But this story is too close for me to be subjective enough to offer an opinion.
Okay, so I will try to get over my hang ups enough to give you some sense of the story line. A thirteen-year old girl, in a very strict Catholic family, gets pregnant. The girl does not believe in abortion, but is faced with making a decision as to what to do about the pregnancy. That is the plot. But there is also a lot of time spent on messed up family and peer dynamics. Now you may see why I hesitated. The plot sounds like an after-school special, but really the story is so much more complicated than that.
Last night, I watched the movie "Thirteen" upon the suggestion of one of the women in my writing group. That movie is very powerful and definitely reminded me of what it was like to be thirteen. I would certainly not think of that movie as being like an afterschool special. So I guess I shouldn't feel so defensive about my subject matter.
As usual, I am enjoying the process of writing. And my writing group has provided incredibly valuable feedback.
I feel like I want to write a summary in here so you know the gist of the new story I'm working on. After reading a novel, I find it so easy to explain to others what the novel was about. But with my own writing, any kind of summary seems to immediately lose the breadth of the story. For instance, the novel about the dying mother doesn't mention how her mother's death affects her relationship with her spouse, though that aspect of her life weighs just as heavy as her mother's death. There is always more to the story.
After I've read a novel, my enthusiasm or disdain speaks to the depth somehow. "Oh, you just have to read it!" says a lot. So I don't feel that I am doing the story an injustice in my brief description. But this story is too close for me to be subjective enough to offer an opinion.
Okay, so I will try to get over my hang ups enough to give you some sense of the story line. A thirteen-year old girl, in a very strict Catholic family, gets pregnant. The girl does not believe in abortion, but is faced with making a decision as to what to do about the pregnancy. That is the plot. But there is also a lot of time spent on messed up family and peer dynamics. Now you may see why I hesitated. The plot sounds like an after-school special, but really the story is so much more complicated than that.
Last night, I watched the movie "Thirteen" upon the suggestion of one of the women in my writing group. That movie is very powerful and definitely reminded me of what it was like to be thirteen. I would certainly not think of that movie as being like an afterschool special. So I guess I shouldn't feel so defensive about my subject matter.
As usual, I am enjoying the process of writing. And my writing group has provided incredibly valuable feedback.
