From the Editor's Desk
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Scars
Lots of books have a hot guy with a cool scar. Sometimes it bisects his eyebrow, other times it zigzags across his cheek. The scar always has a story, frequently one that takes the hero back to a bad childhood, or a traumatic accident, or the scar evidences a dangerous line of work. More now than ever in fiction, women too have scars that factor, again speaking to a difficult past and those scars can be painful reminders every time she looks in the mirror.
Scars are great devices and triggers, and the scars that aren’t visible create the best emotional tension. One of the ways to mine those feelings is to turn inward and look at your scars. Everyone has them. For many people their hearts and souls carry deep wounds that are often raw, or there’s a visible prompt tied to a bitter memory. Some “war wounds” are badges of honor, while others have funny stories attached to them. Regardless of how you use the scar(s), as long as the emotion connected to it is real, the reader will relate.
Write what you know has more to do with experiences than vocation. An author with a nursing background doesn’t have to write a story set in a hospital. Any story from which the experiences gained by treating patients and dealing with patients’ loved ones translates onto the page if the author is honest and digs deep to imbue characters with the feelings the nurse has dealt with and/or witnessed. Fantasy and paranormal authors create new worlds with new rules, yet their characters’ emotions, reactions, and behaviors are familiar. That familiarity comes from experiences with which the reader can identify, all of which lie within the author.
When it comes to writing an emotionally satisfying story, go ahead, pick at a scab. It’ll be worth it.
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