“Before the truth can set you free you need to recognize which lie is holding you hostage.”
Rachel Wolchin
Every Monday, I meet with a group of writers from across the globe for the purpose of honing our writing craft. We’ve just started a new book, Creating Character Arcs by K. M. Weiland. The first section is all about the Lie – the misconception the character must overcome in order to achieve the plot goal of the story.
Sounds simple, right? But when you start digging into what sort of things your character might be struggling with… you suddenly realize how many lies you’ve been telling yourself your whole life.
How many times have we accepted the belief that we’re not good enough, not strong enough, not smart enough. Or that we aren’t capable. That our stories don’t matter.
But here’s the thing – we don’t have to accept that. Our personal truth is what we decide it is. In Out of Options, Colt believes everything is her fault, and Hawk has to point out that it’s not – especially as she can’t control lightning. But it’s not until she relinquishes control for every little detail that things finally start going right for the two of them.
My personal Lie is listening to my brain tell me over and over that I can’t write a book. The thing is – I’ve already written a book. Three, in fact. So it’s time I kicked that lie out and believed in my ability to write and finish this next book.
