Are those moments we anticipate to be life changing really so? Maybe. Do you write about life changing moments? Have you as a writer had life changing moments that shaped your work? Was publishing life changing? Did that shape your future work? I want 2018 to be a life-changing year. Happy new year, everyone.
I would say the biggest life-changing moment for me was when I learned that my daughter had autism, and it definitely shaped my work, as I put my spare-time pursuit of writing fiction on hold for several years in favor of writing advocacy pieces. And all of my experiences as a special-needs parent inform my view of people, thereby shaping my characters. So, when you say you "want 2018 to be a life-changing year", I'm reminded of the story of Zen Master in "Charlie Wilson's War" - a boy in a small village receives a horse as a gift one day, and everyone in the village says, "How wonderful!" And the Zen Master says, "We'll see." A while later, the boy falls off the horse and breaks his leg, and everyone in the village says, "How terrible!" And the Zen Master says, "We'll see." Then, a war breaks out and all the men and boys in the village have to go off and fight, except for the boy who fell off the horse, because his leg's messed up, and everyone in the village says, "How wonderful!" And the Zen Master says...
Do you write about life changing moments? Oh yes, it's my bread and butter! I write stories of random folks finding the love of their lives at a time and in a place least expected. Have you as a writer had life changing moments that shaped your work? Yeah, I think getting my own HEA with my guy so many years ago inspired me to believe that such a thing was possible and in fact, normal. Was publishing life changing? In the sense that for the first time I was able to connect my writing life and my non-writing life. Before being published it was a secret from everyone except my husband and daughter. Did that shape your future work? Yes, in the sense that I have a minimal but dedicating following beyond what I had in my unpublished days. I feel a greater need to make those readers happy.
I'd say yes by definition. Apotheosis is interesting. Status quo is boring as fuck. Makes for a lame query too: Nothing Happened is the story about Bob, whose life did not change in any way. The end.
If you write about someone's downward spiral (starting somewhere in the spiral), something is happening, but is it actually life changing for them?