Just under two months ago, I went
to see a therapist for an introductory conversation. I’d been troubled by some
thoughts I could never quite get under control and I was hoping that talking to
someone with an objective outlook/insight would help me put things in
perspective.
It was a pleasant conversation. I
liked the therapist and thought I’d made a good choice in selecting her. But
there was a problem. I couldn’t afford to see her. My health insurance – I live
in the Netherlands – would only cover 40% of her hourly rate, up to a maximum
of €400 in any one year. And while I’m not destitute, I didn’t and don’t have
the money to make up the shortfall. I could try a state-sponsored therapist she
said, and she knew one or two to recommend, but she also had to point out that
there was a waiting list of at least six months.
I thanked
her for her time, said I was sorry we couldn’t go further, and went home. That’s
when the inspiration struck.
You see, for
several years now, I’ve had an idea for a ghost story. But only an idea. It’s
never gone any further than that because every time I’ve tried to develop it,
my imagination has dried up completely.
Yet walking
back home that day, asking myself what I was going to do to solve my problem,
it occurred to me that if I couldn’t talk to somebody about troublesome
emotions, then I could at least express them another way. I could get them out
of me by giving them to a fictional creation. I could use them to drive her story.
If I say
that this fictional creation is a 12-year-old girl and that the book is a middle
grade adventure describing her meeting with a ghost, some people may think that
I really do need a therapist. (Or perhaps not.) All I can say is that since that initial conversation, when I
began researching the setting, thinking up character names and constructing a
plot, inspiration hasn’t deserted me. Progress is slow – I’m a slow writer - but
it is progress. And my overall outlook has perked up considerably.
Strange
inspiration?
Or just
inspiration?
4 comments:
I am also fascinated by where story ideas come from. So often they sneak up on us when we least expect them or are not looking. Your ghost sounds wonderful and what an intriguing way to explore your thoughts. Good luck with it x
Yes - good luck!
I think that it is great that you have managed to transform your situation so creatively and that it has inspired you to write a ghost story. Good luck with it! I do think being creative is itself therapeutic so I hope you end up both with a great book and feeling much better in yourself.
I appreciate the comments. Thank you all. The ghost and the girl are taking better shape with each passing day.
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