Real Life 101
January 17th, 2007 by Marsha Moyer
Psychologists call it “convergence.”
In lay terms: Shit happens.
First, an unexpected expense claimed a large chunk of my bank balance. A friend was diagnosed with a serious illness. Later the same day, word came that another friend had lost a close family member. We’ve had two days of torrential rain and flash flooding here in central Texas, and an ice storm is on the way.
Add to this not only that I’ve been interviewing for part-time jobs, but that I’m about to wrap up the last chapter of the last book in a series I’ve been working on for the past eight years, and maybe you’ll understand why I’m a little jittery.
I thought I would feel relief as the end of the book approached, but instead I find I’ve been drawing it out, eking out a few hundred words here, a couple hundred more there. No matter how ready I think I am to move on to the next thing, it’s hard to let go.
Does real life intervene to distract us from fiction, or is fiction there to distract us from real life? Is it possible to separate the two?
I sit and listen to my friends, sharing their fears and sorrows, while shoring myself up for the return to a “real” job and stocking the pantry with extra food and paper products in advance of the coming storm.
I try to remind myself of my writer’s credo: It’s all material.
Meanwhile, my main character remains on “pause,” literally standing at a threshold, fearful of stepping across, into whatever happens next.
Art as metaphor for life? Or vice versa? I’m not sure it’s necessary, or even possible, to make the distinction.
For now, I shut off the computer, make a cup of tea, crank up the thermostat, and brace myself for the weather ahead.
For me, fiction is an escape from real life. When I have bad days, I can’t wait to dive into my manuscript. I long for it.
Stay warm and cozy!
the metaphor of birth rings forth in your essay this morn, esp. the ambivalance of being ready for the next step.
I don’t escape into my writing. Instead I tend to bring my life with me. I wish it were not so, but most of my characters are often some part of me, or of my thoughts, or even of my demons. It makes letting them go much easier.
I’m so sorry to hear about your friend’s illness, and I hope you have good luck finding a job that you love. But I also hope you keep writing! You know I’m looking forward to reading your next books.
As for your question: Writing fiction has been such a comfort to me in times of real-life trouble, but I do think I sometimes use real life dramas as an excuse not to write (especially when I’m writing something challenging to me emotionally). On the other hand, when I’m having trouble writing, real life can be a comfort and keep me from feeling down or entirely unproductive, even if it means cleaning (ugh).
Hang in there; I’m sure you’ll weather the storm.