Glimpse into an Author’s life

Writing nonfiction is like looking at a lump of clay. I can see the shape inside my head, but it’s not taken form yet. With words, I start to mold the piece, but it’s still lumpy, choppy, and ugly. It makes no sense yet, but I know there is something beautiful buried underneath. So I keep working, shaping, molding, stripping, until the lump of clay starts to resemble the vision I have in my head.

It is still ugly and rough, but it’s starting to make sense and take shape. So I dig deeper, choosing the right words to make it come to life. I cannot predict how long the process will take (usually longer than I hoped,) and if the piece has to be done by a certain time, there’s no guarantee it will be perfect. In fact, I know it will not. It never is.

But the joy and beauty comes when I’ve slaved over a piece for hours and hours and finally, finally it starts to flow and glow and stir. And finally, it comes to life and that’s when I can breathe. My job is done until it’s time to stare at another lump of clay waiting for me to release the story inside.

To read some of my nonfiction work, visit http://preview918.com and search Gina Conroy.

Image by https://pixabay.com/…/clay-hands-sculpting-art-forming-690…/