Letting Go To Story

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“A writer, at his or her best, writes from the inside out. It is, often, a welling up of energies and ideas and passions into story – fiction, nonfiction, even picture book. The subconscious is an important friend to the great writer, as “letting go” to story is key to discovering and writing the truly original, touching, important even magical tale.”

My Grandson, Cedar. 

This is from one of my favorite editors Patricia Lee Gauch. She says many, wonderful and incredibly insightful things about writing and story. But this one caught my eye because it is something I believe I am just learning to do. I think my newest release Cake was a huge step in the direction of, as Patty says, “letting go to story.”

I understand what she means by writing from the inside out but it can be dreadfully difficult to accomplish. It takes time, it takes a certain amount of luxuriating in idea, in description and detail and most importantly character.

It takes, in my opinion something else that Patty taught me at a conference many years ago. Letting go TO story means that the writer cannot flinch, that was her word, flinch. Wow, that was a real message to me when she said that. She looked at places in my novel, now Carrying Mason, and said, you need more. You flinched here. Stay with the story. She taught me not to run and hide from whatever was welling up inside of me at those moments and to write through to story.

Sometimes this means the writer needs to visit some painful places, memories, emotions and even some wonderful memories, and emotions. It means the writer must have a willingness to linger with the story moment a little longer. Don’t rush. Don’t flinch.