When the Moment Stays with You

Yesterday I wrote an action sequence where the main character found himself caught in a blind alley between two enemies. We’ve seen such things in countless thriller shows, but to bring to life through words is a little different from seeing it in a movie or a television show. The writing must be bold, quick, using action words that provide the reader with a sense of desperation of the scene.

            When I finished, what struck me was what my wife said. After saving my work, I walked out of my office and suggested we go for a walk. She looked at me, her eyes widened. “What’s happened?” she asked.

            I quickly realized I was still living in the moment. The images and the sense of danger were still present in me. Although I had created fictional images and the emotions tied to the scene, I had made them mine as if they had happened. They were not so easy to dismiss.

            It isn’t the first time I’ve written something so emotionally charged or dramatic. In the first Moth book, there’s a moment near the end that was so shocking, my reader group to this day still mentions it with dismay. In the second Cuckoo Bird, there were two action sequences that I still recall as my most emotionally charged writing. One during a sniper duel when the main character watches his partner battle another sniper that his stress becomes so intense things become surreal. The other comes at the end, and not wanting to spoil the ending because I still hold out hope the Cuckoo Bird books get published, I can say, I cried after writing it.

            Action sequences aside, there are moments when love blooms that cause me to float on air. I have walked out of my office as if walking on a cloud. The thing is, I immerse myself in my characters’ world. The only stumbling block is finding the right words to convey the images and dialogue. That is why I edit my books nine times. Still, such immersion makes writing so wonderful. Whether I write a battle or a moment of love, I’m carried away. It is what I hope I do for my readers.

            As for yesterday, it took me half an hour to leave the alley in my mind, but today I will reread it, make some corrections and relive it all over again.