Experiential Writing

Writing free-style comes naturally to me. I flow with the words and write as quickly as my fingers will allow. The results are sometimes— well, just downright embarrassing. You may have noticed that the eBook and paperback editions of my first book are nowhere to be found. Fact is, I took a look back at what I wrote, and I didn't like what I saw. I'm in the process of rewriting.

What's changed? It's simple. I'm now identifying as a writer of literary psychological fiction. I take that monicker very seriously. Rather than simply allowing the words to happen, I'm working to shape them. And I'm not going to kid you… it's downright hard.

I'm doing my best to develop a discipline that's uncommon as I will describe more fully in future blogs. My plan is to strip even the most impactful scenes of interpretations in order to allow readers to provide their own meanings. My goal is to make the book experiential.

In this blog, I'm going to provide my original version of the openings of my previous, published first book together with the one I'm in the process of rewriting. I'm sure you will see the reason I was embarrassed to publish the original. And the storyline develops quite differently in the two versions they begin so differently.

I'm going to hold my nose and show you both versions, beginning with the original. Here it is:

"I entered the waiting room and encountered a goddess. Even from a distance, I could tell that she was extraordinary. She appeared to be blissfully unaware of the impact she might have on mere mortals.

She wore a snow-white summer dress that provided breathtaking contrast to her near-tropical tan. Long, wavy auburn hair and red lipstick rounded out the stunning visual palette. Since she appeared to be absorbed in a magazine, I allowed my eyes to feast for an instant before approaching her. I knew that I was indulging myself, but the only women I'd ever seen who compared had been projected safely on a silver screen."

In the soon-to-be-published version, you'll see a very different, and hopefully more mature writer. The orientation is introspective, as you would be expected with literary fiction. My first version has been described as a psychologist trying to be a writer. Now, I'm simply writing. Here's the new beginning:

"It was the day I had been working toward for years.

After a decade of training, I was about to see my first client in my own office. The furniture was new, but no personal touches had been added. Everything felt slightly unreal, as if I had stepped into someone else’s life.

I had imagined this moment so many times that I thought I would recognize it. Instead, I found myself looking around and wondering. Could this be what I worked so hard for?

The thought caught me off guard. It didn’t belong here. This was supposed to be the beginning.

A different set of questions followed quickly behind it. What if I’m not good enough? What if I can’t help people?

I could feel my heart picking up, each beat a little harder than the last.

My client was already two minutes late.

I stood there for a moment, listening to the silence, aware of how much I had invested in being exactly where I was standing—and how little that seemed to steady me.

Then I heard the front door open.

The sound was small, almost ordinary. Still, it cut through everything.

She was here."