I’m not one of those authors who grew up dreaming of becoming a novelist. The urge to write came upon me much later in life during a time of great personal stress. We all deal with stress in different ways. Some people run marathons, others run to therapy, and still others run to the mall for retail therapy. None of these were options for me at the time.
After years of a mandatory daily mile run around the high school track during gym class—a task which had to be accomplished in under ten minutes—I’ll only run to escape a killer hot on my heels. Otherwise, forget it! As for therapy, retail or otherwise, one of the factors causing me stress at the time was financial. We were eating macaroni and cheese casseroles most nights to stretch the food budget. No way could I afford a new pair of socks, let alone a shrink.
So I began to write, and before I knew it, I’d written a 50,000-word romance. Losing myself in my characters enabled me to escape my own problems, if only for a little while. I probably could have accomplished this by journaling, but as a teenager, I had discovered my mother was reading my diary. Once your deepest personal thoughts have been violated in this manner, you become reluctant to risk repeat exposure.
The crisis that had caused me to first start writing eventually passed, but I discovered writing fiction was so cathartic that I’ve never stopped. Ten years, many rewrites, and an additional 50,000 words later, my first foray into fiction became the second book I sold, and I’ve continued to write. Twenty-four years after typing that first sentence, I’ve now published sixteen adult novels, with a seventeenth in the works, and four novellas in mystery, romance, romantic suspense, and women’s fiction. Every book has a little of me in at least one of the characters but which characters and what traits remain my secret—with one exception.
In my Anastasia Pollack Crafting mystery series, Anastasia’s communist mother-in-law Lucille is patterned after my own communist mother-in-law. Anastasia’s reactions to her often mirror my own thoughts and actions from back when my mother-in-law was alive. Although I have to admit, Anastasia often handles these situations far better than I did at the time. In my defense, though, I’m only human. Anastasia is my better angel, personifying the woman I wish I were. That’s the beauty of fiction. We can recreate ourselves through our characters.
USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston’s latest book is Drop Dead Ornaments. She also writes under the pen name Emma Carlyle. Check out her websites at www.loiswinston.com and
www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com. You can connect with her on Twitter and sign up for her newsletter here.
Thanks for featuring me on your blog today, Lev!
You’re welcome! I enjoyed your guest blog.
You’re very welcome!
I like your therapy, Lois! I had the urge to write when I read Dick Francis’ books; however, it took me 20 years to try. It’s a good challenge I like.
Thanks, Vicki! I think more people get the urge to write from reading than the way I started.
I think part of the therapy is getting to make really annoying people you know in real life the villains and sometimes even killing them off. A lot of anger is resolved in writing. Merrily
I totally agree. And it’s not just murder, when you write crime fiction you also get to hit social conditions you abhor. Sexual assault plays a role in my latest, State University of Murder, as well as the arrogance and cruelty of administrators.
So true, Merrily. It’s totally cathartic.
Loved this blog, Lois. A cheap form of therapy that led to a new career! I think all of our sleuths and protagonists are better, braver, stronger versions of ourselves.
I guess it depends on the book and the author. 🙂
I’d like to think so, Marilyn. At least for those of us who write cozy mysteries. Noir authors often write really dark, troubled sleuths.
right, Lev. I was thinking of cozy writers. For those of you writing noir, your protags are slyer, bolder and more capable of dark deeds.
I don’t write noir. I write academic mysteries. My sleuth fights the people doing dark deeds, never does them himself.
Good blog, Lois. I agree, writing is cheaper than therapy. More fun, too.
My health plan covered therapy 100%, so for me, writing was much more expensive, as well as being subject to the wild ups and downs of publishing. Therapy was never that dramatic. 🙂
Definitely more fun, Mary! Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
I enjoyed your blog post and learning about how you became a writer. I never gave writing as therapy a lot of thought, but you are so correct. I feel much better after I pour it all out on the laptop.