Melissa Barker-Simpson

World Weavers #AtoZChallenge – Peculiar ‘Pen fellows’ – Quirks only a writer can understand

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peculiar penfellows

 

I’ve touched on this topic more than once during the challenge, but it’s worth expanding (don’t worry, I’ll keep it short!) 

WWorld Weavers

Today is about getting stuck in the worlds we create, and how this translates to both our work and home life. One of the things that can happen, when you’ve been deep in a creative cloud and you’re close to burn out, is facing a jarring shift back to reality. A story can take over every aspect of our lives, so when we emerge and our loved ones expect us to shift back to the present, it can take a second. 

These worlds are often complex, and it takes time to immerse ourselves completely. Once we do, once we’re in the thick of things and taking a journey that often has major highs and even greater lows, we’re bound to become invested. It’s not uncommon to feel emotionally drained after writing a scene, so it takes a lot of patience and understanding from those around us. 

When it comes to the work itself, we can also get stuck in a particular world and form an unhealthy reliance on the familiarity of it. We might then be reluctant to step out of our comfort zone or explore other stories that need to be told. 

I wrote a little free verse to end the post (my apologies to the poets among us!)  

Teetering on a precipice between two worlds, 

The line blurred but not broken; 

Until that final hurl, 

A freefall into the unknown 

Where danger, magic and mayhem, 

Blanket you in a cloud of creative euphoria 

Thanks for stopping by

Mel

8 responses to “World Weavers #AtoZChallenge – Peculiar ‘Pen fellows’ – Quirks only a writer can understand”

  1. Callum McLaughlin Avatar
    Callum McLaughlin

    ‘magic and mayhem’ indeed! Lovely post 😊

    Reply
    1. mbarkersimpson Avatar
      mbarkersimpson

      Thanks, Callum…it feels good to be on the home stretch! Only a few more to go 🙂

      Reply
  2. Jacqui Murray Avatar
    Jacqui Murray

    I do find myself expecting the real world to react as my fiction one does. I’ve called people by my characters’ names even!

    Reply
    1. mbarkersimpson Avatar
      mbarkersimpson

      I’ve done that, too! It’s hard if you ‘borrow’ the names of people you know…or base a character on a person you didn’t know you would meet again – I almost apologised once for ‘killing them off!’ 🙂

      Reply
  3. J.S. Pailly Avatar
    J.S. Pailly

    Yeah, I have a tough time dealing with real life when I’m deep in a story world. I also have a tough time sinking into one of my story worlds when too much is going on in real life. I guess it’s all part of being a writer, but I do wish there were a way to compartmentalize all these different “realities” better.

    Reply
    1. mbarkersimpson Avatar
      mbarkersimpson

      Me too. I’m not sure which is worse…getting stuck in a story world and finding it hard to readjust or being stuck in reality and unable to ‘let go’ – like you said, if only we could compartmentalise. Just flip a switch and in our head and roll with whatever ‘world’ we’re in!

      Reply
      1. J.S. Pailly Avatar
        J.S. Pailly

        Well… if I had to choose, I’d rather stay in the story world forever. But ignoring the real world completely has “consequences,” or so I’m told.

      2. mbarkersimpson Avatar
        mbarkersimpson

        Ha! I’ve heard that somewhere 😉

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Hello,

I’m Melissa

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