by Katherine Reay, @Katherine_Reay
Working on my latest manuscript seems to be an exercise in conquering fear — isn’t writing any manuscript an exercise in conquering fear? Or perhaps it’s not conquering the fear, but learning to write into it…
I don’t mean the fear that the blank screen will get filled with words, it will. I’m talking about a more subtle fear, the small voice that pulls you back from the edge and encourages you to write what is safe and what you know. It’s tempting, alluring and much more comfortable to have that explosive scene set off stage, to be in another’s POV when a character hits rock bottom, to not let a character fail, lose control, or emotionally implode. Safe writing gets word count up — but impact down.
Two things bring this to mind today. One I am finishing my last rounds of edits on a new novel before submission. If I want to WOW anyone with this new story, I have to take risks. And reading over this manuscript, I recognize I haven’t stretched far enough. I haven’t gone to those uncomfortable spaces and wallowed around in them so that the reader might glean a fraction of a moment’s light or dark impact.
Also, I just finished a novel that pulled its punches at every emotional moment. It was published by a traditional house, and it might do well. But the final climactic scene was short and off stage; the emotional conflict that drove one character’s entire journey was brushed aside, alluded to obliquely, and resolved neatly. At every point of discomfort, the lens pulled back and kept me safe from feeling much at all.
Some readers will love this. Don’t get me wrong. We all don’t want to be thrown into turbulent waters.
But, as writers, I contend we need to at least wade into them. Let your editors pull you back if you’ve gone too far. At the very least you will probably still be a little deeper into the complexity of the human heart than if you hadn’t ventured at all. So — make yourself uncomfortable. Make yourself down-right fidgety. I know that sounds strange and possibly counterintuitive if you’re seeking publication, but I’m learning that it’s in this place – on the edge of your seat or a hiccup away from a sob – the good writing lies.
Today, I challenge you to take us to a place you are uncomfortable to go. Let characters fail miserably so they can reach new heights. Write into that fear, and have fun!
Katherine Reay returns to the cozy and delightful town of Winsome where two people discover the grace of letting go and the joy found in unexpected change.
After fleeing her hometown three years earlier, Alyssa Harrison never planned to return. Then the Silicon Valley start-up she worked for collapsed and turned her world upside down. She is broke, under FBI investigation, and without a place to go. Having exhausted every option, she comes home to Winsome, Illinois, to regroup then move on as quickly as possible. Yet, as friends and family welcome her back, Alyssa begins to see a place for herself in this small Midwestern community.
Jeremy Mitchell moved from Seattle to Winsome to be near his daughter and to open the coffee shop he’s been dreaming of for years. Problem is, the business is bleeding money-and he’s not quite sure why. When he meets Alyssa, he senses an immediate connection, but what he needs most is someone to help him save his floundering business. After asking for her help, he wonders if something might grow between them-but forces beyond their control soon complicate their already complex lives, and the future they both hoped for is not at all what they anticipated.
With the help of Winsome’s small-town charm and quirky residents, Alyssa and Jeremy discover the beauty and romance of second chances.
Katherine Reay is a national bestselling and award-winning author of several novels, including Dear Mr. Knightley, The Printed Letter Bookshop and the upcoming Of Literature and Lattes. She has enjoyed a lifelong affair with books and brings that love to her contemporary stories. Katherine’s has also written one full-length nonfiction work, Awful Beautiful Life. She holds a BA and MS from Northwestern University and currently lives outside Chicago, IL with her husband and three children. Publishing credits also include Redbook, USAToday, Christianity Today and FamilyFiction. You can meet Katherine at www.katherinereay.com or on Facebook: KatherineReayBooks, Twitter: @katherine_reay and Instagram: @katherinereay.