Always Evolving

While I was walking this morning, I was thinking about how much my books have changed from my original ideas to the reality they are.

I had been thinking about writing books when I retired for most of my working career. For a while, my daughter and I talked about writing together, books that went from this world to an imaginary world, where I would write this side and she would write the fantasy. I realized at some point this writing thing would be solo, and that is when the real evolution started.

I originally thought I would write comedic novels, satirical, funny, not unkind, just poking fun at all of us. Cecil and I had gone to the Tupelo Marathon and 14.2 miler (there was no good way to have a course for a half marathon) two years in a row, and on the way there and back we passed through Hernando, Mississippi, the seat of DeSoto county. Hernando DeSoto - you know, the Spanish explorer who led expeditions though what is now the United States south.

For whatever reason, Hernando, Mississippi sparked my creativity. I originally planned to set my historical books there. Then I studied up on the history of DeSoto county, and there was no way I could. Not going to say any more. You can read up on it if you want to know.

But I will say that as I read more history, I got less enchanted with comedic or satirical novels. It is extremely hard to get the tone right in comedy so that things are funny but not hurtful.

I realized that I did not want to take the chance of hurting anyone with my stories. There are so many of us that have wounds that have scarred over, but that still hurt when touched. I didn't want to try to be funny and inadvertently hit a sore spot.

My stories became stories of hope, and love and community. I hope if anyone cries reading my stories it is because they feel for my characters, or they wish they could live in a world where people take such good care of each other.

If you are privileged to not have wounds and scars that still hurt, I am happy for you. But for all of us wounded souls, I want my books to be a refuge and a comfort. I still think some of my ideas were extremely funny. But not funny enough to take a chance on wounding someone.