A word about writing what you know …

cropped-new-website3.jpgI am utterly normal and probably the least exciting person I know. In fact, one day during my daily constitutional with my faithful dog-walking companion, we were discussing people who make their careers from their creativity and how there seems to be a direct correlation between these tortured souls and the passionate works they create. We were talking about my uneventful childhood, and my friend innocently stated, “Well, you’ll never be a Hemingway!” and she’s right. But the fact is, I’m okay with that.

I never wanted to be a Hemingway, in fact, never aspired to be healer cover final copy 2a writer. I still have trouble with the title and oftentimes feel
like a fraud. The only way I can see to maintain the charade is to craft a convincing story, and as I have mentioned before, to do that I must write what I know. I am an unremarkable person, so I write about ordinary characters. My protagonists are not gods and goddesses nor paragons of virtue, and my antagonists are not evil scheming demons without a shred of decency. They are all utterly human with human strengths and failings. I believe this is what makes them real and believable. And to keep my books from becoming too mundane, I can always call on the wealth of lunacy provided by my surroundings to inject a more colorful personality.

Although my home life is far too hectic to be conducive to any serious, Hemingway-scale attempt at writing, rich inspiration Scanabounds! In my family, I am the calm, cool, and collected Libra who keeps everyone else from murdering each other, but I am responsible for the welfare of a seriously entertaining lot. There are my temperamental, perpetually 9-year-old husband (No mid-life crisis here, folks!) whose feathers are in constant need of smoothing, and two technically grown ‘men’ (my sons) who delight in ruffling said feathers. My dog is a loveable clown and my cat is a stinker, and I wouldn’t trade a one of them for the world. They are loud, messy, maddening, and endearing, and have all found their way into my books … well, except for the cat. He may star in his own book down the road if I can ever find a quiet moment to do the illustrations. A girl can dream, right?

 

 

About Ginger Myrick

Winner of the Rosetta Literary Contest 2012 and independently published author of three highly-rated novels, Ginger Myrick was born and raised in Southern California. She is a self-described wife, mother, animal lover, and avid reader. Along with the promotion for WORK OF ART, THE WELSH HEALER, and EL REY, she is currently crafting novel #4. She is a Christian who writes meticulously researched historical fiction with a ‘clean’ love story at the core. She hopes to persevere with her newfound talent and show the reading community that a romance need not include graphic details to convey deep love and passion. Ginger is also a regular contributor at Unusual Historicals and a reviewer for the Romantic Historical Lovers Blog. If you have any questions or comments about any part of her writing, she would love to hear from you!
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2 Responses to A word about writing what you know …

  1. Stephanie says:
    March 6, 2013 at 9:54 pm

    Well my friend, for someone who has such an ordinary life, you’ve certainly managed to craft some extraordinary writing. I always enjoy reading anything you create from a tweet, blog, message or book. You always make me laugh and often send me shuffling off to dictionary.com as a result of your intelligent wit and colorful language. You already know I think you’re terrific and I’ve spoken with the cat who I’ll be representing in the discrimination lawsuit against you. :-)

    Reply
    • Ginger Myrick says:
      March 7, 2013 at 7:46 am

      Hi, Steph! You always cheer me up just when I need it most. I would say that you’re easily entertained, but I suppose it has taken my entire family to do it! And I’m really surprised by the cat. He WAS trying to get on my computer last night, but I had no idea he could be so duplicitous or that he could type intelligibly with those tiny, furry paws. I would have taken him more for a texter. Thanks for taking the time. Love ya! ;)

      Reply