The Reality Writer

 

                                                                            

Realism Is Everything - Right?

   I was sitting in front of my computer, facing a mental barrier as I worked on an escape scene near the end of my second book. In this specific scene the heroine was trying to escape - but had her arms tied behind her and her feet were bound around the ankles. 

     

    What I wanted to occur was an epic escape from the walls that confined her. I didn't want my female lead to appear supernatural and the last thing I desired was for the escape to look unrealistic. So, I did what any writer who wanted their work to appear realistic would do. 

     

    I tied myself up. 

 

    Taking some flimsy string I tightly bound my legs at the ankles and then - with great difficulty - fastened my hands behind my back. I learned a valuable lesson that day...I can walk three feet across my study room with my hands and feet tied together. Amazing what us writer's learn, isn't it? The only problem was...I tied the ropes a little too tightly. Yeah...I kind of found myself in a bit of a literal bind. 

    Obviously I wouldn't do anything that was physically harmful to myself, but sometimes it's funny to share these stories about how writers get ideas or facts. Have you ever done anything like I did? Hopefully not as extreme but maybe you took a rock climbing lesson, went canoeing in your swimming pool to figure out how to react when a boat tips over, take an archery class, all to try and make your writing as realistic as possible. 

   Sometimes all you need is to get into perspective to make the perfect escape.  If you have ever had an similar experience let me know in the comments, I would love to hear about it!

~ Lydia R. Sherren