Digging Deeper
Oftentimes, when I’m writing, I cobble together things I’ve imagined, seen, or heard… And though my experience colors what I write, the majority of my manuscripts aren’t my experiences.
I did write a scene that was partially a direct experience, a memory from when I was a very young girl, of not going to the wedding taking place in the backyard of the two family home we rented.
I didn’t realize how much the memory, and the decision a young girl made, had affected my life, and didn’t realize how good it would feel to let go of it. I have Landmark to thank for that revelation.
Well, since I let go of it and moved on in my own life, I thought it would be easy then to incorporate that into this scene, a scene I had written about a year ago… When I read the scene the other day, it just didn’t sit right… and I thought it was a problem with my writing.
The problem was, it was still a little too close to home. I realized that today when talking to a friend and relaying the story to her… When I hung up, I knew the re-write I did today wasn’t necessary. I also knew that I needed to leave in that memory, even if it was still tender to the touch…
Remarkably, or maybe not so remarkably, I soon started doubting if the entire play was any good… I found myself wanting validation that I was doing the right thing, or that the scene (and play) were good. Then I came back to the same revelation: Go for it anyway!
So I did… I’ll let you know how it goes…
–Sue
Add comment May 19th, 2008
