Fiction writers have a problem with telling truths. Hear me out, we are not liars intrinsically. We just have a problem seeing reality without recreating it. In my opinion, fiction writers see the world for what it is (we are realist), but because we don’t like what we see, so we create new realities, new stories.
As a child, I grew up watching Roseanne. As a knowledgeable adult, I am not a fan of her or her content. But as a child with limited television options, my brother and I watched the Roseanne show, the predecessor to The Conners show currently on TV. One of the most interesting things to me as a young writer was the finale of the show in 1997. The writers of that episode, Jessica and Jennifer Pentland, Allan Stephan Blasband, and Roseanne created a lie within a lie. How amazing is that! Okay, yes I know the show portrayed many things that are not relatable to my community, and the front runner is a little nutty, even for a celebrity and to some considered a racist; but let’s focus on the creativity of the writing in that episode. The writers decided to make half the series truths and reality into a written fake story, within a fictional sitcom. I think most fiction writers take their own lives and life experiences and twist them into fantastic fictitious tales. That skill deserves a nod.
We (writers) also lie to ourselves. It is a rarity to admit it when we are blocked or uninspired. We are always #amwriting or #knockingchaptersout. We feel we are always like Tomi Adeyemi in her inspiring video short of the writing process. The video celebrating black voices and stories is pretty cool (Check It Out Here), but writing is truly not always like that. When we are vibing, yes, it is; but when we are not…it’s more like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. For writers like me, I do write every day, but writing content for others to see is different. My truth today…
It has been 2 months since I have worked diligently on Order of Prolumina a Blue Moon Novel.
The pandemic has definitely affected me in positive and negative ways. I have adjusted as much as possible, and I do have all the tools needed to complete the final review of my edited novel and publish it to the masses. However, the stressors of this new society have halted me from moving forward. If we are channeling creative honesty today, I will say I am sad that I feel this way, but not disappointed in myself. I worked extremely hard on this book. My editor Kristen Corrects Inc worked even harder. And since we are telling truths, confession time…
I have not looked at her editing recommendations.
It was delivered over 2 months ago in the midst of me completing mt Masters in Library Science Degree, being furloughed from the library, and my children being homeschooled. I am scared, nervous, and intimidated by my own work. THAT’S A WRITER’S TRUTH.
The positive effects of truth-telling are that once you acknowledge, inaction becomes your own crime. This is true in most things, not just writing. Remember understanding your faults and truths is one internal step that can be (not should be) masked with creative storytelling about the what, why, and how. But once you acknowledge it publicly, you become your own accountability.
I accept this confession aka blog post as my accountability statement.
Let’s Get Writing!
Coming Soon! Order of Prolumina a Blue Moon Novel