“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” Ernest Hemingway
This is probably an unpopular opinion but I’m not a fan of Hemingway’s work. My husband loaned me “The Old Man and the Sea” and I could not stay awake reading it. BUT he does have some great quotes about writing and this is one of my favorites.
Probably because it’s true.
We leave a piece of us in our work. Whether it’s a trait we share with a character or pouring our heart out in a piece of poetry. I wrote a poem in a college English class about my grandmother after she passed and it was a very healing experience. I’ve taken up journaling again, mostly doing Morning Pages but I take it everywhere in case I need to write something. My journals are a kind of time capsule of my life- good, bad, and ugly.
My books are an escape from the mundane or a bad day. I lose myself in the scenarios and worlds I create and go on wild adventures where magic is real and anything can happen. It helps me forget when I’m having a pain flare or someone made me mad and it’s very therapeutic.
We can personify and exaggerate the best and worst sides of ourselves in our characters and the situations we put them in. How would someone react to a bad breakup or an unexpected death? Take a few days surrounded by family and friends to mourn? Or lose themselves in the anger and grief? Or do they become completely numb? Or do they blow at the slightest provocation?
We draw on our experiences, regardless of genre. Even in fantasy, characters make lasting friendships, deal with bullying, have a relationship, get married, raise children, fight with family, or battle chronic illness. These experiences, from our own lives and those closest to us, help create convincing, moving, relatable stories readers will love and connect with.
Maybe that poem you wrote about how all your friends are having children while you and your partner have been trying for months helps someone in a similar situation find comfort that they’re not alone in their struggle. The book you wrote about the overweight girl entering a beauty pageant helps a young woman find confidence and self love.
We may not realize we’re doing it but that piece we leave in our work can have a huge impact.