Fact or Fiction?

There's a certain comfort in writing through other people's points of view. We see the disclaimer at the beginning of movies and TV shows and books that "this work does not reflect the views or opinions" of whoever's producing the piece. I always wonder if that's true.

Someone had to write whatever media audiences consume. Someone feels the way the characters feel. But fiction provides a channel to express what you're feeling without being to blame.

Your characters can say what you can't.

My characters can be more ballsy than me or more soft-spoken or more forward or just plain cooler. But somewhere in them is a piece of what I'm feeling or a shadow of what I've felt or thought or hoped at some point in my life. Those "views and opinions" aren't pure fiction.

That being said, the first draft of my first novel is almost finished. And it's scary as shit. I've been obsessing over Ally and Matt for months now. I can't get their voices and their story out of my head. It's not groundbreaking - no one can expect that. But I hope it's genuine and authentic and real for someone out there.

For The First Time is monumental, though, for me personally. I've grown through my characters and learned from their experiences and lived through them. I have conversations with them in my head. I find myself at parties or watching movies and thinking "Ally would love this". It seems totally dorky but immersing myself into her head and into her life has left a lasting impact on me.

The connection I have with these fictional characters created in my own head is a little mind-boggling. They're the first things I think of when I wake up and the last things I think of when I fall asleep. People always say that's what happens when you're in love. So I guess I am completely and totally in love with my literary family.

I have two last scenes to finish before I take my enormous Scrivener document and download the PDF to my Kindle. It makes me antsy to think of reading something I wrote on my Kindle. My Kindle, that has been home to beautiful stories by Katja Millay, Colleen Hoover, Tammara Webber, Jamie McGuire, Steph Campbell, Liz Reinhardt, Jillian Dodd, Jessica Park, Tarryn Fisher, and so many more fantastic writers that I've grown to love.

These authors have inspired me to take the story in my head and write it down. Without the example of that kind of bravery, For The First Time would still just be an idea I had once.

This story is fiction but for me, these characters are real. And while I'm scared shitless to share them, it'll be the most satisfying thing I've ever had the opportunity to do. So if there's an idea in your head, whether it be for a book or a movie or a Facebook post, write it down. Share it. Chances are, someone will find a little piece of truth.