closure

When I started my first novel in 2008, I had strong feelings for a certain guy who shall remain nameless even though a) I’m sure he’ll never read this and b) he’s kind of a douchebag who deserves to be outted. I had dated this person for about eight months and while I was the one who ended things, it was only because I knew he didn’t share my feelings and nothing was ever going to change. I started Just Friends With Benefits a few months after we stopped dating and, while the book was 100% fiction, I based characters on both him and some of the people I’d met through him. By creating a fictional world around characters inspired by him and his friends, I was able to say/do things I never had the opportunity to do in real life and by the time I finished the book, I was completely over him. Closure. Shortly afterward, I had several experiences where the guy I was dating or thought was interested in me simply disappeared, sometimes permanently and sometimes only to pop back in a few weeks (months…) later as if nothing had happened. One time, I had a guy blow me off in the middle of an email exchange regarding who was cooler – Mr. Furley or Mr. Roper (from Three’s Company). Perhaps my preference for Mr. Furley offended him? These experiences thoroughly frustrated me and quite frankly pissed me off! By the time I finished my second novel (not yet published), about a 26 year old woman who dives head first into the NYC dating scene after a 9 year relationship with her first and only boyfriend only to find it infested with flakes who are interested today and gone tomorrow, I had learned that guys like that are just not worth the angst. Closure.

I didn’t write these novels hoping for or expecting closure but my emotional state at the time drove my creative juices and novels were born. I was pleasantly surprised that in addition to providing me with writer’s high (equally as amazing as runner’s high), writing these novels acted as my shrink!

I am now 90 pages into my third novel and, while I am not ready to go into details, I am wondering if, like the others, it will provide closure on some aspect of my life that requires it.

For other authors who might read this, have you ever obtained closure through the writing process?

11 Comments

  1. OpinionsToGo on February 23, 2012 at 7:16 pm

    Loved your post.You made me see the whole writing process in a very different light. And, congratulations are in order on your writing accomplishments

    • Meredith on February 23, 2012 at 8:31 pm

      I’m so glad you liked the post. Thank you!

  2. Tracie on February 24, 2012 at 8:25 am

    What an interesting and thought-provoking post, Meredith! I’ve always thought that writing was therapeutic in a lot of ways, even when you’re writing light-hearted stories. I wouldn’t say that I’ve ever gotten “closure” through any of my books, but I’ve definitely been able to work on some issues and express some things through characters. I believe that there is always some piece of an author in everything s/he writes.

    • Meredith on February 24, 2012 at 9:55 am

      Thanks, Tracie. I’ve always wondered whether other authors could relate to my experience. Glad you liked the post 🙂

  3. Wendy on February 24, 2012 at 9:33 am

    A great post! Writing (even fiction) is certainly a great emotional outlet. And romantic angst can certainly be good fodder for the imagination.

    • Meredith on February 24, 2012 at 9:58 am

      Thanks, Wendy. Romantic angst has definitely been a muse over the years. I guess that’s one good thing about an otherwise painful part of life.

  4. Kelly on February 24, 2012 at 11:11 am

    My book is about pregnancy and babies, and (most of it) is not fictional, yet it gives me a sense of peace about probably being *done* with pregnancy and babies. Kinda backwards, but I know what you mean. You wrote the feelings right out of yourself!
    (Keep me in mind when book 2 is ready for review!!)

    • Meredith on February 24, 2012 at 11:18 am

      Glad you “get it”, Kelly. And, yes, you are on my short list for reviews of my 2nd book. I loved your review of JFWB!

  5. Karen Tunnell on February 24, 2012 at 6:44 pm

    Yes.

  6. Natalie Aaron on February 25, 2012 at 12:47 pm

    First off – great post. I do need some details on the whole “Furley vs. Roper” breakup (I’m Team Furley for the record.)

    Our first draft had a lot more “closure” (it was kind of a burn book!) but we were afraid of getting sued so we toned it down. And even though those words were never published, we had a lot of satisfaction just putting them on paper!

    • Meredith on February 26, 2012 at 12:49 pm

      Natalie – I really want to read the unedited version of Unscripted now – to get the real dirt!!

      Not much to say on the Furley vs. Roper breakup. We went out a handful of times and we bonded over old television shows like Mr. Belvedere – I kind of liked him – and he just *poof* disappeared in the middle of an email exchange and I never heard from him again! I moved on to better though 🙂

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