Some
time last fall I went to the movie with my daughter. I watched the previews and goose bumps formed
when I heard about the story of a young girl called the Book Thief. I presumed she stole/saved books during the
reign of Hitler and his Nazi regime. I
noted the release date to put the movie on my to do list. Alas, the movie didn’t come to our small
community. When I learned the story
started out as book, “The Book Thief” went to the top of my reading list. After the New Year, I began reading.
Of all
the books she stole, only one was saved from a book burning. The author went beyond that typical
assumption. The first book she stole was
due to carelessness on the owner’s part.
The book thief didn’t even know how to read at the time of the
theft. The story was truly amazing and I
highly recommend it. I wanted to share a
couple of quotes.
As all
people know, war causes innumerable damage to the psyche of all involved. Really, life in general causes damage. As a writer, I delve into the suffering of
characters. Each time, a piece of me is
left behind. The other day, while
working on a scene, I cried and cried. I
felt the pain of my character. This
quote resonated. “’Don’t punish
yourself,’ she heard her say again, but there would be punishment and pain, and
there would be happiness, too. That was
writing” Zusak, Markus, “The Book Thief,” page 524. To some extent, a writer does have to punish
themselves. I know I feel that way
sometimes. I take myself back to the heart
wrenching feelings I have lived through to be able to write of similar emotions
for my characters. The process
hurts. Yet, happiness can be found. I get to cheer on my character and feel their
success. I feel very happy when a reader
understands the scene.
The
past two weeks, I have been in a painful time.
I am trying to write new stories and scenes but the words fail to flow
from my thoughts, through my fingertips, and onto the page. Each word falls flat and my ideas seem to be
vague or cluttered. “Words are so heavy,
she thought, but as the night wore on, she was able to complete eleven pages” Zusak,
Markus, “The Book Thief,” page 526. In
this quote, the book thief reads eleven pages which under the circumstances is
an amazing feat. In fact, comparing my
writing life to the book is completely inadequate due to the heaviness of the
topic; yet, the quotes are so all encompassing that they fit for a writing
life. Words can be very heavy. They can bog down a scene and leave the
writer at a loss on how to continue.
In
January, I dropped my manuscript off with an editing friend. This novel has lived with me for over sixteen
years. For the last five years, I have
actively written, rewritten, edited, and worked on all these pages. I am far from finished for the project is at
least a three book series. I still have
two more books to work on. “I have hated
the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right” Zusak,
Markus, “The Book Thief,” page 528. This
is definitely how I feel about all the fiction pieces I have written. I always hope the words are right.
For
some reason, the local theater finally brought The Book Thief to our
community. I took the opportunity last
night to watch the film. As is the case
with a movie, many beautiful scenes were left out as were my favorite quotes. I still recommend reading the book because
the author “made them [the words] right.”
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