Writing for Mere Mortals

A few years ago, I survived NaNoWriMo. Though I barely dragged myself and my manuscript to the finish line, the process was the perfect balance of challenging and cathartic. Trying to meet a daily word count and competing with acquaintances on Twitter, I typed frantically and let the unexpected dance onto the page.

via GIPHY
I still have the manuscript, with all its gaps and typos from my speed-writing. The book tackled issues I had never written much about simply because I felt naive about them. While some say to write what you know because it will feel the most real and connect with your readers, others say to write what you don't know, to challenge yourself to learn more. If you only write about your own experiences, you've got a pretty narrow spread to choose from. I think I fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum-- I am definitely drawn to the unknown, eager to challenge myself and to learn constantly. However, in the back of my mind is a natural low-key worrier, triple-checking everything I write, and I think that keeps me from writing sometimes.

Almost two weeks ago, I was awoken by a terrifying phone call. My husband said his truck slipped on the ice and rolled on his way to work. His 4-wheel drive went out this summer and we hadn't yet had a chance to get it fixed, dealing with our house expenses instead, assuring ourselves that winter was still weeks away. Unfortunately, us mere mortals don't get to decide the weather, and a patch of nasty ice ripped his truck off the highway in the wee hours of the morning. In my shock, I asked, "Were you wearing your seat belt?"

In his always-casual tone, not concerned that his truck had just performed cartwheels over asphalt, he joked, "Of course. You wouldn't be talking to me now if I wasn't."

He calmly called the insurance and towing companies and arranged for a ride. Meanwhile, I imagined myself in a rolling car in various scenarios, glass shattering around me and the pitch-black ditch engulfing me. Sometimes having a vivid imagination is not very fun.

Even though my husband came home in one piece, his truck didn't, and the pictures made me cringe. Unexpected accidents like these trigger reminders of our mortality.  Nothing compares to an accident's ability to squash our fearless exteriors.

Beautiful writing can arise from our tragedies, though. I haven't been writing much since finishing my second book. Instead, I've been pushing my words aside to make time for my two teaching jobs, believing them to be more important. Of course, there is something beautiful, both tangible and intangible, about teaching. However, there is also an immeasurable power in the written word, and I could feel its absence.

It may be too late to jump into NaNoWriMo this year, but it's never too late to start writing something new. I will challenge myself to explore the unexplored in both my fiction and nonfiction. After all, I don't have forever to write about what I don't know.