A few weeks ago, I was with my sister on the train. She is a writer too, and completely out of nowhere she asked me: Have you ever noticed that writers write the same story over and over again? They may change the characters, the circumstances, but the story, its core, stays the same.
I was baffled, to say the least. And kind of confused.
I took a minute to think about it and I came up with the conclusion that she is, indeed, right. She told me that in all her stories, the character wanted to achieve just one thing: to unmask the lies of society and gain freedom. Some do it through motherhood, others through teenage rebellion, but it would always happen.
Knowing my sister, this is perfectly in line with who she is. When writing a book, a novelist usually puts personal experiences onto the pages.
For example, Leigh Bardugo writes a lot about outcasts finding a way to belong, Charles Dickens wrote about underdogs making it in the end, Kiera Cass writes about putting love above everything.
When you, as a writer, decide to write your own story, you end up, most likely, always writing about the same thing.
It is not a matter of being unoriginal or repetitive.
We have wounds to care for, fears to deal with. And writers choose to do it through writing.
I looked at all my stories, the ones I am writing and the ones I am thinking about, the ones that are just an idea, and the ones that are just a character.
I asked myself: Who are my characters? What are they looking for? What do they reach in the end?
Well, the answer was right in front of me but I didn’t want to see it, because it hurts a bit.
They are all about lonely people looking for connection.
All my life, I struggled making friends.
All my life, I feared people’s rejection.
I don’t really know why, but that’s a topic to explore in therapy, and not on a blog post.
So, what is this all about?
Well, we cater to our souls, allowing the words to mend our wounds, heal our pain, and grow.
Writing becomes a way to ease the ache, to silence the noise.
I used to struggle answer the question “why do I write?”, but now I know: I need it, my soul needs it, it heals me and my heart, in the hope that one day it will heal and bring joy to someone else.
