How I work #1

So how do I work?

In school we were always taught how to brainstorm, so that we ended up with the most thorough story. We were also taught how to keep the red line. Well, whilst everyone was brainstorming their short stories, I was already away in far off place full of knights in armours riding up on white horses. Or I was the heroine saving lost souls. When we first began writing this brainstorming was a problem for me, as I had so many ideas in my head I wanted to write down. When I was 13 I would write a 12 page hand written essay, and it had no red line or meaning to it, to my teachers dissapointment. Of course I didn't get good marks on it, but all though I now have no problem keeping my story tight, I still find it difficult writing a short story.

I have always been a daydreamer, but when I was 13 my daydream used to be the same: Every day I escaped to a place where no one knew who I was, and I was free. I used to be bullied at that time, but would defend myself through what I had seen on Xena (I was a huge fan!). In this particular fantasy I was always the heroine - fighting off evil doers and having my dreams come true! As I grew older and attended a new school, I no longer had use of the heroine and my fantasy changed: Thankfully the bullying had terminated, so therefor I had no expectations of being the best of the best. When I was 18 I had still the same fantasy with the red line, but the story had altered completely! I was now the helpless, sourrounded my famous people or handsome guys - rescuing me from the claws of darkness! Years passed and I became a mother, and here is where my daydreaming really changed: Previously I had no problem fantasising that I had speacial gift, or that my hair could be short and blond, or I had a dog instead of a cat... But as I grew older it was as if my daydreams had shackles tied to them. It is difficult to explain, but they became dull and were always the same. I still had my red thread, but everything in it could just as well have happened in real life, and I was no longer free.

When I began writing again I really struggled with removing these blocks. How was I to write, when all I could write was litterally my own story? So I began daydreaming again! 12 years ago I daydreamed myself away from reality, but three months ago I started daydreaming myself back to when I was 13. How was I when I was that age? What did I do? I started to go through my old diaries and picking out the good memories I had. Then I drove to the places that had given me good experiences and recaptured the moments. The result is fantastic and I am back in to daydreaming myself away from the family life and in to my book. I am there, and when I write I want you to be there with me. I therefor close my eyes and imagine what I see, touch and hear and try to convey them as best as I can. It feels liberating to write whatever I want, and I almost feel like when I was 13 again, but in a good way. And I don't need to brainstorm, as I know precisely what to write.

I really look forward to sharing my daydream with you. It has changed since the first little thoughts I had many years ago, but for the better and more realistic.

I am now so lucky to have a new reader to the book. A young boy who is the age target of who I am writing for, and the same age as when my story first began to take form. Hopefully his feedback will make the book just how I want it!