As I delve further into the writing process of my novel, I am beginning to see intricate connections between the story I am writing and my own life. I am being bombarded with life lessons that I am learning vicariously through my main character, Kate. Also, just the process of writing has taught me that, like life, a story needs to unfurl at its own pace, not at the writer’s pace. The more I force it, the less powerful it becomes.
The connections that I have created have happened quite unexpectedly, as if from my subconscious. It is almost as if my inner voice has spoken to me though my own words. I never intended for Kate to be anything like me, she is very different from me as far as her mannerisms, her belief system, her self-esteem, how she thinks and her way of life as a whole. However, she and I share the same life lessons. Perhaps we all do. The more I tried to make Kate different from myself (better), the more she started to speak to me. Even though we all have a different lot in life, we are all learning lessons. We experience hardships, love, loss, happiness, desire – we are all merely humans trying to make the best of it. Most of all, Kate taught me that we have to accept our lot in life and not wait until it’s too late before we learn to see the love that is all around us.
Finally, the writing process has taught me that our life is like a flower that opens itself up and reveals its beauty in its own time. It can’t be rushed, and every moment should be enjoyed as much as possible. This story has been waiting to come out for two years and I found that the more I tried to rush it, the less effective my writing became. I had to stop and remind myself that agents and publishing houses would still be around when I am finished. I would venture to say that, in this case, art does imitate life. Although, I hope that the reverse may happen also, and that my book will touch someone else’s life the way it has mine.
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