Most of us realize this, but have you also considered an extension of this idea. So within each piece of fiction our storyline adds a smattering of our personal story within it. The emotion would not be as true nor the need to tell the story. If we had not experienced that fear or longing, if we had never been in an accident, if we'd never loved a dog, if we'd never been abandoned by someone we loved, our story could be different. Our imagination takes these pieces of our lives and weaves them into a creative work so subtle sometimes we don't realize it, but think about it. News stories, disasters, and reflections from non-fiction reading can inch their way into the storyline. Questions about life, doubts, hurts, experiences or faith examples I've witnessed through family and friends become woven into plots.

Sometimes I see who I would like to be or who I'm glad I'm not.

Sometimes I see blatant examples of me in novels, not always flattering but a bit of who I am. Our writing voice, our characterization and development of plot, though very different from our personal lives, still echoes exaggerated experiences, a merging of characterization from people we know and from ourselves, and those heart things we value. Our attitudes, values and beliefs come from who we are, our past experiences, family, friends, lifestyle, education, and values. This doesn't mean a memoir or autobiography. We bring to the story a reflection of ourselves. We’ve been married twenty-eight years–the best years of my life.Īs authors, awareness comes each time we begin a novel. Without a sign, I adjusted, moved on, grew as a single woman, made new female friends and then one day, I met my soulmate and knew the Lord had provided the answer to my earlier prayer. I asked for a sign that I would be okay, that life would be bright and I would feel whole again. I sank into the doldrums of loneliness and shame, feeling duped and stupid not suspecting my husband’s affair. My promise to God “until death do us part” shattered.

I am a divorced woman who didn’t want to be one. In marriage we make an oath “for better or worse,” but sometimes the words crumble and we find ourselves alone. Deep grief is a part of life, reflecting the losses we’ve experience: the loss of a friend, a job, the death of a loved one, or a divorce.

Easter Blessings by Gail Gaymer Martin