After a year’s hiatus, I’m back to blogging again. Why, may you ask? I’ve also asked myself the same question, which is probably why my last entry was in January 2022! We're inundated with so much content, particularly images (which can be worth a thousand words) and buzzy soundbites. Working on the sequel to Sommaren på Nornö for most of last year also zapped my blogging energy. I was totally focused on expanding the perspectives of Zoë and Linn Holmgren and creating fresh, complex voices for the new characters.
With such lofty literary aspirations, I had to put my blog on the back burner but realized how much I missed it. Writing in this format trains my writing muscles differently, allowing me to express things on my mind in my own voice rather than my characters’. I missed that freedom.
However, above all, I love words. I love looking for the right phrase or nuance to express a thought, feeling, or observation. But there are limits to wordsmithing when writing a novel. As much as I’d love to twist a sentence, employ esoteric synonyms, or have my characters talk like they’re throwbacks from the Victorian Era, that doesn’t suit my storytelling! If editing a contemporary novel has taught me one thing, it’s paring down and being real. What is my character genuinely trying to express? What am I ultimately trying to convey? It’s about finding that balance of vivid imagery, strong emotions, tight prose, truth, and purpose. I think my writing has evolved into something tauter and less flowery, and I’m pleased with that evolution thus far. But I also want to stretch myself and would love to write more essays and articles. Blogging will be good practice for exploring different topics, structure, and language.
So, I’ll be posting again about once a month. I hope you will take a few minutes to read along as I think aloud and put words to paper!