Writing for me is simply hypnotizing. The whole world can be spinning, melting or in chaos and I would be happily spinning a tale of wonder, oblivious to it all.
With the A to Z Challenge happening amidst many other projects, H had to be for hypnotizing as life can be a whirlwind when I have the time to sit and listen. Like many other writers hesitantly admit, when I listen long enough I hear my characters tell me the story they need told. Even if I try to plot something out or stay on track, they can come in and shake things up to tell a completely different story than I would have ever expected. Like Blood Day the Short Story was.
Blood Day was written for a contest at the very last minute with a tot playing at my feet. While still being fully aware of my son’s actions my fingers went into a completely different world and scrambled to tell a story I barely recognized in the end. On top of this, the story won first place in the New Brunswick Writer’s Federation contest (and is now available for you to download for free simply by subscribing to my newsletter!).
If you love what you do and don’t put pressure on yourself, magical things can happen so, unlike on a stage with a hypnotist telling me to act certain ways, I, in a way, hypnotize myself and welcome the characters around me to encourage me to type a certain way.
How do you write? Do you hear voices pulling you in one direction or do you plot everything out and stick to it?
Thanks for reading,
Sarah Butland
author of Blood Day the Novella, Arm Farm, Life Imitated