The Day I Finally Let People In
There are moments in life that feel surprisingly significant.
Today is one of them.
Today, I launched my author website.
It may only be a few pages, a handful of words and a work in process, but to me it represents something much bigger. It marks the moment I stopped quietly writing in the background and decided to invite other people into the journey.
If you have found your way here, welcome.
I’m currently writing my debut novel, Tuesday Evening Car Park. It isn’t finished yet. In fact, there are still chapters to write, scenes to re-write, and no doubt plenty of grammer mistakes to fix along the way. But that’s exactly what this website is about - not just the finished book, but everything that happens before it.
Characters Have a Habit of Borrowing Things
Today, my partner asked me a question that has left me wondering if many writers are asked at some point.
“Am I in your book?”
It’s such a difficult question to answer.
The truth is…yes
And no.
Characters are never one person.
They aren’t copied from real life, and they certainly aren’t based entirely on someone I know. Instead, they slowly grow by borrowing little pieces from lots of people.
A smile from one person.
A sense of humour from another.
A conversation overheard years ago.
A look.
A kindness.
Even the way someone drinks their coffee.
Somehow, all of those tiny pieces come together and become someone new.
So, when my partner eventually reads Tuesday Evening Car Park, he probably won’t recognise himself in Jakub at all. Which may leave him wondering if i’ve secretly developed a crush on someone else on my Tuesday evenings!
Thankfully, I don’t think I need to worry to much
Tuesday evening car parks have never really been his thing…
…and if I'm honest, i’m fairly certain he’ll put the book down after about three pages anyway.
I suppose that’s another thing about writing.
Sometimes the people closest to you aren’t your target audience.
And perhaps that’s one of the lovely things about stories-they don’t have to belong to the people closest to us to mean something. Sometimes they’re simply waiting for the readers they’re meant to find.
Until next Tuesday,
Much love
Melissa Su