Why I choose to write “Inner Voice”

To be a writer is to give something of yourself, to write without fear and to have something to say. So why did I write Inner Voice?

Well there were three things I had in my mind when I started to write Inner Voice (that wasn’t its name originally!)

1. I had this story inside me and I needed to write it.

2. They say write what you know, I choose an idea and mental setting that was familiar and blended together bits of my knowledge to write from a place of comfort.

3. When you discover you can’t find the book you want to read, then write it yourself. I was tired of reading romance novels that had predictable outcomes, poor female characters and sex, well just for the sake of it.

So I knew what I wanted to write and I had a few ideas but that was about it. I had never written a longer story before, somehow I was concerned I wouldn’t have the staying power. To be honest I was right because on my first attempt I got part of the way through and the story simply fizzled out. I knew the reason but I was scared to admit it.

I needed to push deeper, draw on my own personal experiences and make sure the message I wanted to portray was clear. The writing from comfort just wasn’t cutting the mustard. It needed to be stronger, scarred, flawed and challenge the reader to think deeper. Those are the kind of books I like to read, whatever the genre. You need to be able to identify with the character/s and fall in love with them a little.

I suppose in a way this Novel was something of a cathartic experience then. So I took a risk and threw away my work and started again. This time looking more inward, sometimes painfully so.

I, like the main female character Emma, suffer with anxiety. Sometimes crippling, freezing me in my tracks.Many times, just like her, I couldn’t bring myself to knock and enter a boss’s office or put myself out there by challenging myself with something new. But equally like Emma I am strong mentally, able to overcome these challenges, gaining confidence with each new friendship. Each time I risked giving away something of myself, I learned something and gained something. So this book needed to do the same, for that reason it is more than a romance erotica story. It is the story of a real relationship, real love both from within and for another. I discovered where my strength in writing lies.

The main lead characters are both equally strong and equally flawed, just, well, real people. The story leads you on a ride that is threatening and scary, beautiful and glorious.

Additionally, there is one other facet to the story, upon which I drew from personal experience again. This is the introduction of a character with other mental health issues. It’s important that I say the character is fictional and is not intended to portray the real issues dealt with every day for people who suffer with mental health issues. However, it was a way for me to articulate some of the feelings I have had with these experiences.

I don’t want to give too much away, so give it a read and watch out for the twists, just like in life they are what make for an interesting ride!