- Joined
- May 14, 2019
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So I finished my novel.
I would like to think it is good, and it needs polishing (but let me assume it is good).
Do I spend the time polishing it, with the following awareness...
A few weeks ago, I had a revelation.
You see, the novel is sort of like a memoir turned into fiction, but it begins with a brutal war scene.
The rest of the story are events from my life -- so I clearly see the autobiographical undertones.
But I was never in a war - never a soldier. So, where does that scene come from?
The fact is that I suffered greatly as a child from a trauma -- I never hid from this event. I have always been aware of this trauma, and have worked with it over the years (sexual assault, BTW, when I was ten).
But I actually see that the war/terrorism scene that sets the story in motion is a veiled reference to that trauma - I was so blind to it when writing the story (despite the fact that so much else of the story WAS a sort of memoir)
And now I must face some issues.
Do I rewrite the story to more fully explore the underlying issues (and set it up that while the main character did suffer in war, he also realizes there were other issues)
Do I toss the whole thing completely (71,000 words)
Do I just ignore the fact that while readers (if it gets that far, haha) may not know this, I will, but I will ignore that.
I just do not know yet. I must set it aside and think.
So my questions...
Has anyone ever written a story and then LATER realized that the painful scene for the character was a reflection of an event from his or her own life?
And how did you deal with it, when the realization was sudden and like a gestalt switch -- when you abruptly said to yourself "Holy Shit, I did not serve war, but I KNOW this event."
I would like to think it is good, and it needs polishing (but let me assume it is good).
Do I spend the time polishing it, with the following awareness...
A few weeks ago, I had a revelation.
You see, the novel is sort of like a memoir turned into fiction, but it begins with a brutal war scene.
The rest of the story are events from my life -- so I clearly see the autobiographical undertones.
But I was never in a war - never a soldier. So, where does that scene come from?
The fact is that I suffered greatly as a child from a trauma -- I never hid from this event. I have always been aware of this trauma, and have worked with it over the years (sexual assault, BTW, when I was ten).
But I actually see that the war/terrorism scene that sets the story in motion is a veiled reference to that trauma - I was so blind to it when writing the story (despite the fact that so much else of the story WAS a sort of memoir)
And now I must face some issues.
Do I rewrite the story to more fully explore the underlying issues (and set it up that while the main character did suffer in war, he also realizes there were other issues)
Do I toss the whole thing completely (71,000 words)
Do I just ignore the fact that while readers (if it gets that far, haha) may not know this, I will, but I will ignore that.
I just do not know yet. I must set it aside and think.
So my questions...
Has anyone ever written a story and then LATER realized that the painful scene for the character was a reflection of an event from his or her own life?
And how did you deal with it, when the realization was sudden and like a gestalt switch -- when you abruptly said to yourself "Holy Shit, I did not serve war, but I KNOW this event."