Today I sequestered myself like the cardinals in Conclave and wrote for an hour. I got a good bit done, but maybe less than I had hoped. Either way, I think this is a good strategy. I’m nearly done chapter 3 of 10 and I think I just need to accept that my book is going to take at least two months to write.
Like I was saying yesterday, I like writing flawed characters. If anything, I like my characters to be worse than real life, everyday people. Why do I do this? I ask myself that fairly often. I think part of the reason is optimism. If I can get inside the minds of these dreadful people and learn to sympathize with their flaws, it makes it easier to sympathize and empathize with the flaws of real life, everyday people. I think at the end of the day, encouraging empathy is one of my main goals as a writer. I don’t really believe in violence and force as a proper means of dealing with conflict. I think empathy and understanding are the ultimate answer to most things. So, why would I write characters who are easier to deal with than regular people?
Fiction is a projection of reality, a safe training ground for thought exercises. I want to use that illusion to make myself and my readers kinder.
Anyway, those are my Monday afternoon thoughts. Thanks for reading!
Go and be nice to someone today!
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