J is for Journey

J is for Journey. Writing is a journey. It may take you to places you never dreamed of going. Better still, it gives you the opportunity to take your readers to a world of your making. Will you make the journey dark and frightening? Will your world be happy and hopeful?  Will the reader be transported and become invested in your characters? This is every writer’s hope.

                I am currently working on the second installment of my fantasy series about Marabella. The first book was about her growing up. This book is about her journey or quest which takes her out of the world she knows. Writing an actual journey is both exciting and daunting. As an author I want to take my readers to places they’ve never been. I also want to be believable and fantastical.

                In order to be believable, I must adhere to the constructs of time and distance for travel. To convey the fantastical, I must show my readers something they’ve never seen. Herein dwells the difficulty. Real world, movies, television, and even modern books often lack originality. Have all the stories truly been told? Is every plot simply a rehash of something Shakespeare already wrote? This is the writer’s journey and struggle.

       A journey does not always involve travel. It may be a journey of self-discovery or perhaps a journey into the mind of a character. Whatever the journey, it is the task of the writer to take the readers along. It is both a burden and privilege to do all we can to ensure that the ride is enjoyable. J is for Journey. #atozchallenge