Stories are Alive - Melanie Milburne

I have been on a journey in the world of writing. Many of you know I have just completed a Hollywood romantic comedy screenplay with Hollywood writer Paul Margolis. As I write this he is sending out our screenplay to six of the High End Producers in L.A. Very exciting but also nerve-wracking!

But how I came to writing the screenplay was because I wanted to understand more about the process of writing. Eighteen months ago I had got to the 3o book mark and I wanted to dig a little deeper so that the next 30 books would be stronger and even more memorable. A tough task but I was sure there must be a secret or a magic bullet somewhere!

Well, there is and there isn't. What I found was that writing is a journey within oneself. Christopher Vogler in The Writer's Journey says:

Stories are alive and conscious and respond to human emotions. I love that quote! He also says " stories have healing power in that they help us deal with difficult emotional situations perhaps similar in some way to the struggles we are going through at some stage of life, and which might inspire us to try a different strategy for living."

It's so true as so many times a book has personally resonated with me and helped me. But also, I have found that writing has been amazingly cathartic at times when I am dealing with a difficult situation personally. I just use those emotions and put them in a novel. It gives greater authenticity to your work when you can do that.

I am excited to think that the stories I write help others. I get emails from fans that confirm it but up until now I hadn't truly realised how important the writer's role is. I think I had fallen in the trap of thinking it's just category romance, not so important, just entertainment. Well, I was wrong. It's not just about entertainment and fantasy. These are real people with real issues and real and at times very raw emotions even though I have created them in my head.

My Presents trilogy is all about dealing with difficult emotional situations. I loved writing each brother's situation and the way they and their heroine faced it. They are all quite different and how they deal with life is different but isn't that true for all of us? We do it our way.

I have just finished my 41st book and using the theory and anatomy of story I have learned, I believe it is going to be an exciting journey ahead. I am going to learn more about my characters but also more about myself.

What book helped you? Have there been several or just one? I would love to hear your comments.

Happy reading!

Melanie