I am a writer. I consider myself to be a writer, and love the craft and art of creating lives and situations, and finding plot solutions that seem to come from the deep recesses of my imagination.
 
I’ve recently started working on another novel, after having published one already, Anticipation of the Penitent , and a book of poetry and stories, Salted With Fire . This new novel is different than my previous writings, in that it’s more of a character study and a mystery.
 
The most difficult part in writing this novel is creating the five characters. I can be a very private, shy person. It takes a lot of trust-building for me to really open up to people, so much so that making deep connections with others is a challenge for me. Thus, the question is how can I, someone who finds real life relations so difficult, create genuine connections between the five characters in my book? What does that mean, to have real connections? How will these characters interact and share in true fashion when I can’t even think of one person I can fully open up to?But then, that’s the magic of writing, isn’t it? We don’t have to be who we write to make wonderfully authentic stories and lives in fiction. I don’t have to be a serial killer to create a compelling sociopath. I don’t have to be married to write about the trials and joys of marriage. I don’t have to be white to have white folks as main characters in my book. To succeed in writing this new novel, I have to believe in myself, my skills and my love of creating true characters and situations. (Even with sci-fi and paranormal, reality has its place.) I’ll hold on to this, knowing what I’m capable of. Writing is magic to me, a true gift of God, of which I will continue to develop. For as I said, I am a writer and consider myself to be one, in love with the craft and art of writing. * This post is in response to Debdatta Dasgupta Sahay, avid reader and blogger. She is also the initiator of International Author's Day, which is yet to be recognized as a genuine day celebrating the uniqueness and creativity of writers. Thanks Debdatta for organizing this each year and for your push for a day specifically for us writers! a Rafflecopter giveaway ');