The last couple of days I have been contemplating this strange fact:
The world is a different place now, than when I started writing my book.
In this sense writing is like telling the future. In the years it takes to write, rewrite, edit and publish a book, the world spins and the people change. Some are born and others leave us. When we are writing our stories we are not writing them for the people we know, but the people we will know in the years to come.
In my memoir my small daughters are seven and nine years old, playing with their dolls, jumping from the swings on the playground. Now they are teenagers, doing whatever teenagers do (hanging out with friends, snap-chatting, instagramming and homework).
Time moves on. I am thankful to be here, to take part in it all.
But in my book, I have saved those precious moments; the swings creaking, back and forth, my girls giggling and their hair fluttering golden against the blue sky.
My book is a time capsule, not with things in it, but moments; fragments of things we said, laughed about, cried about.
Moments that flow so natural, so free, as they happen, but looking back, they take on an almost cinematic quality and I look at them wide-eyed; did that really happen?
My story is starting to become a riddle, even to me, and I am thankful I decided, and got the support I needed, to write it down, before the moments faded.
Because this whole crazy thing called life, is stories really; thousands and thousands of stories, happening all around us, moving, changing, evolving, and catching one is like a balancing act in an old silent, black-and-white movie; the past in one hand, the present on our head and the future in our other hand. While we are on a unicycle, pedaling to keep our balance. And typing on our computer.
Cheers,
Lene
Yes! Love this…makes me feel like I’m weaving back and forth through time, both nostalgic and forward-looking. And it reminds me to savor and really live in the present. Good thoughts right before bed-time – maybe they’ll inspire some dreams I can use in my writing?? đ
Happy you liked it my friend ⊠Sweet dreams! đ
SÄ bra att du skrev innan minnena bleknade bort. Det Àr en underbar bild och du skriver sÄ fint och poetiskt. Tack, nu blev jag inspirerad att ta mig an min egen text.
Tack snĂ€lla Eva, vad glad jag blir att inspirationen infann sig, happy writing! đ
Gillade mycket hand – huvud – hand – meningen. Ofta pysslar man med det som varit eller med det som komma ska sĂ„ att det nĂ€rvarande försummas. Att leva i nuet krĂ€vs (konstigt nog) lite trĂ€ning.
Tack för dina reflektioner, de Àr sÄ sunda o givande o gör sÄ att jag tÀnker i nya banor.
Kramar
Roligt! Du hĂ€ngde med pĂ„ den vingliga (bokstavligen) liknelsen. đ Uppskattar mycket dina kommentarer, kram, kram.
TÀnk sÄ smÄ flickorna var under tiden sÄ mycket hÀnde med dig. Nu Àr de tonÄringar och kan lÀsa din bok och dÀrigenom kanske fÄ en större förstÄelse av allt som hÀnde i familjens liv. Lycka till med de sista (?) bokförberedelserna!
Tack Eva, jag har fĂ„tt se designen pĂ„ insidan av boken och det Ă€r sĂ„Ă„Ă„ roligt, de har gjort lite “specialgrejer” bara till min bok som jag Ă€lskar! Det Ă€r finare Ă€n jag kunde drömma om.
(Och hjĂ€lpes, ska tjejerna lĂ€sa boken?! Gulp. DĂ„ fĂ„r de nog vĂ€nta tills de Ă€r arton eller tjugo eller trettiofem. đ Kanske att de kan fĂ„ lĂ€sa valda kapitel innan dess.)
Boken blir verkligen fantastiskt för barnen, men det finns skrĂ€mmande scener som nog Ă€r barnförbjudna. 25+ tror jag blir bra. Lite chockvarning för vuxna ocksĂ„ tror jag nog. Men nĂ„gra hĂ€rliga scener de kan lĂ€sa redan nu finns det ju ocksĂ„. đ
Spoiler alert! đ đ
Wonderful picture of the girls!
It is, isn’t it? <3
Ja tĂ€nk vad tiden gĂ„r! Jag sĂ€ger till mina flickor att “sĂ„, nu har ni vĂ€xt fĂ€rdigt, nu fĂ„r ni inte bli större!” Men det struntar dem i (och skrattar myslurigt)! Men det Ă€r hĂ€rligt med minnen! đ
Kram
Anna
Myyysigt! <3 <3 <3
You know, I’ve never thought about it, but you’re most definitely right.
I don’t write memoires, so I don’t get that immedate sense of time passing by, but it does take years to write a novel, and sometimes you realised it. Sometimes, when you rewrite and revise, you remember, Oh, right, I was going through this when I wrote this page. Now I’m a different person.
Happened to me with my WIP đ
I will never stop to marvel at the beauty of the creative process.
The creative process is truly fascinating, as is life itself. Good luck with your WIP!