It's crazy to sit here and realize that I've been an author on Fictionpress for 10 years now. Those readers have been on this journey with me as I've been writing Echoes of Blue. Some of them even stuck around after a writing hiatus for a few years -- I thought for sure they'd have moved on by that point. Thank God for loyal followers!
My life went through a lot of upheaval during the course of Echoes of Blue. I saw the end of an engagement and the loss of both of my parents. Needless to say, I didn't quite feel like writing through all that heartache and loss. Writing was the last thing I wanted to do, because writing meant that I'd have to admit how I was feeling about those things. And there was no way I wanted to admit that stuff to myself.
It took some gentle guidance and a few pushes to get me to write again. How sad that I allowed years to go by without doing the one thing that was inherently me. I'm not my day job, I'm not a lot of things, but there is one thing I am 100% to my core and that is a writer and a poet. I used to say that my poems were my heart, my novels were my thoughts, and my music was my soul. Since I've returned to writing Echoes of Blue, I've found that theory blown to pieces. I can't help but bleed onto the page now. My heart, my thoughts, my soul -- it's all laid out there in these characters and their journeys. And I think my writing is the better for it.
I've processed my grief and loss through Kendra. And I've embraced love again through Kendra. And I've watched Kendra and Bree grow into their own; now when I look at those characters, all I see is them -- not one piece from this person, another piece from another person, etc. I love being a part of their journey and love that they're allowing me to come along for the ride. When Echoes of Blue comes to an end, it will be a sad day because these characters have seen me through the hardest and brightest points of my life. But I suppose that just means it will be time to begin a new journey and see what characters will speak to me then.
Either way, thank God for finding my way back to writing. Thank God for this outlet. Thank God for giving me something to dive into -- something beyond myself, something that can hopefully bring light to others like it's brought light to my life.
When you have something that you consider "inherently you", don't run away from it. It could be your salvation.
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