As writers, we’re told to become our characters in a sense. To fully embrace who they are so that we can more accurately write them. We live and breath this certain character until we finish that story, then we move onto the next character and the next story.
The cycle is never-ending, and at times it feels like you’re living more for your character then for yourself. This is how I feel sometimes. I spend so much time embracing my characters' lives that I forget to embrace my own.
Do you ever do this?
Coming out of edits, I’m currently in between projects and trying to decide what I want to work on next. It’s a place that I haven’t been in for a very long time. Well, for a year, I guess. While I’m enjoying being in this stage, it’s also a really weird feeling to not be in the middle of a project. It feels weird not to constantly be viewing life as my main character would.
But it’s also been refreshing and freeing at the same time because it’s reminded me that I need to see life for myself. I need to live my own life, not my character’s life. I need to do things that make me happy and not always things that would be aesthetically pleasing to my story.
I don’t know if anyone can relate to this or if I’m just speaking to myself here, but it’s a struggle that’s really been on my heart lately. How do I live life when I’m not living for a character?
I love fictional worlds and, I admit, most days I’d rather live in them instead of the real world. But, sadly, we don’t have a Peter Pan to whisk us away to Neverland. We have to face the same thing Wendy did: everyone must grow up. And part of that growing up means finding out who we are.
I am a writer. That’s who I am. I love writing and it’s my passion, I literally don’t know what I’d do with it. But I realized recently that if I did take it away… I’d be lost. Who am I outside of writing?
I really don’t know.
I have so many other hobbies and interests that are tucked away in a binder titled “To be explored one day”, but will that day ever come? When is that magical day anyway? Why have I pushed aside nearly all my other interests for the sake of furthering my author career?
This is a dangerous road to go down I think. Yes, you want to grow as a writer and in order to do this you have to gain a lot of experience by writing (imagine that). But you can’t spend so much time writing that you stop living your own life. You can’t push aside all your other interests for this one thing in your life. *looks at myself*
Be yourself! Be the wonderful being God made you to be! And explore all of your interests, not just the one right in front of you.
This is a large part of my summer goal. Being me. It makes me think of the song from The Greatest Showman soundtrack “This is Me”. I love that song for how real and raw it is but yet how confidently and proudly it’s shouted “this is me”. Sing that song at the top of your lungs and starting living your own life!
The other day I was walking and thinking (again) about all my projects I want to work on and trying to decide which one I want to devote myself to next. And, again, I couldn’t decide. I love them all and am enjoying brainstorming each of them, but I can’t for the life of me settle on a single project. I have no inspiration or motivation to.
It hit me then that I have no character to constantly be fleshing out and thinking about. There aren’t any voices in my head. It struck me right then and there that it was just… me.
This may sound crazy, but I think it was a revelation that I needed to have. That it’s okay to just be me. I don’t always have to be working on my next novel or currently be writing something. I can just be me, because that’s enough.
Maybe you’re in between projects or maybe in the heat of your current project. Either way, remember that first and foremost you have to live your own life, not your characters. Even if that means taking a step away from writing to remember this, that’s okay. It’s actually what I’ve decided to do. At least for now. Not permanently, of course! But I need some time to think and breath and just be.
I need to smell the roses, hear the birds, and gaze at stars. I need to pursue hobbies that I’ve pushed to the backburner for too long. I need to do things that make me happy and do them simply for the pleasure of it!
Because… this is me.
Do you embrace the lives of your characters? Are there things that you’ve pushed to the back burner for the sake of writing? What are some things you love doing but haven’t done in a while?
(Re-posted from Allyson Jamison's blog!)
Catch ya on the flip side!
_Mac 🤎