In the past month or so as my new book From the Start has landed in early readers’ and reviewers’ hands, I’ve been asked one question more than any other:

Are you Kate Walker?

It’s a logical question. Kate is, after all, a writer of romantic stories. She’s from Iowa. She loves old movies. Her hair can’t decide whether it’s curly or just messy. The similarities aren’t exactly, well, subtle.

The truth is, there’s a lot of me in Kate…much more than any other character I’ve written. Which is quite possibly why this story felt harder to write than others. Of course, there’s also a lot of Kate that’s pure imagination. I’ve never lived in Chicago, for instance, or written a screenplay or lost a parent. Though she has three siblings like me, she’s the second oldest (I’m not). And I’m not quite as jaded in the love department.

But yeah, in certain parts of this book, Kate Walker is totally me. Parts like:

Me? Write a book about football? A sport that interests me about as much as the periodic table? p.76

I’m pretty sure my own character plagiarized my own words. I do not know why I wrote a book about a football player just like Kate can’t figure out why she’s writing a football player’s memoir. Solidarity, sister. Although I will say after the research required by this story and a thorough Friday Night Lights binge, I can now honestly say I have much more appreciation for football than I will EVER have for the periodic table.

I’ve got a nail in my foot. p. 124

Yep, that part in the book when Kate steps on a nail while in a corncrib…after warning the person she was with not to step on a nail? Totally did that.

And Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant bantered while chasing a leopard around a Connecticut farm—dialogue she had memorized from so many viewings with Mom. p.291

This scene actually goes on to quote some of the movie Bringing Up Baby—one of my absolute favorite rom-coms from Golden Era Hollywood. It’s actually the first classic movie I remember seeing as a kid. We’d check it out on VHS from the library over and over and over. I think it’s actually a huge part of why I write rom-com today. And in that scene, Kate talks about how she wishes she could write something as witty and hilarious as that movie.

And each time the voice of her past hissed its way in—tried to tell her this was just another wishy-washy story about fake people living fake lives who didn’t really matter—she’d reread the last scene she’d written. Or scroll back to the beginning and read her first chapter. Or dream about the ending she couldn’t wait to give her characters, the way their journeys would change them . . . and just might change the reader.

And somewhere in the process, she began to believe in her own story. p.332-333

The thing with Kate is she’s not convinced she’s making much of a difference with her stories. I’m going to guess every writer faces this kind of doubt at one point or another. Honestly, it can be vicious. We all want to know what we’re doing matters…because we want to matter.

Writing this story was cool for me because Kate and I sorta re-embraced not only our love for but also our purpose in storytelling at the same time.

And the kicker…

There’s a moment about three-fourths the way through From the Start when Kate’s good friend says this:

“It’s called taking a risk, Kate…Stop letting your characters be braver than you are. Be the girl who takes a risk…It’s okay to admit what you want. When you do, you might finally get brave enough to go after it.” p. 224

Those are actually my favorite lines in the whole book because I remember the exact moment they came to me. I’d gone to Target for something and was mulling this scene as I ran errands. I’d just arrived back home and was unlocking my front door when they pattered in.

And that was the moment when I knew…right then, in that scene, Kate was me.

Funny thing is, this has happened with every book so far. There’s always one scene, one moment when I realize why I’m writing the story…why God put it in my heart. Because He’s talking to me…

Which I suppose sounds selfish. After all, aren’t stories written for the reader?

Yep, they are. But I think they’re written for the writers, too. Just like songs and poems and artwork. We’re moved and changed and challenged by our creative journeys. I love how that happens. I love how God uses the individual gifts he’s given us to speak to us.

And he spoke to me about bravery and risk and vulnerability as I wrote From the Start. None of which is all that…comfortable. It wasn’t for Kate and it definitely wasn’t for me.

But I kinda think uncomfortable—in a good way—is right where he wanted me with this one. 🙂

Have you ever massively identified with a character in a book?

*****

By the way, I haven’t been the most frequent of bloggers here lately but that’s because I’ve been busy visiting other blogs. I’m super thankful to the kind bloggers who’ve invited me to visit their corner of the internet. Here are a few of the spots I’ve stopped by recently:

“The Important Things In Life” Blog

I had so much fun answering Sarah’s questions. The hardest question she asked? How I’d describe myself in one word. I tried to get away with “elegant” but I’m a horrible liar.

“Robin’s Nest” Blog

Another fun Q&A with a new reader/writer friend. To Robin I made the shocking admission that I’ve never once in my life mowed a lawn. Or is it “mown” a lawn? See, I don’t even know the correct verbiage!

“God is Love” Blog

Alexis asked a slew of fun questions, too, including a couple in-depth ones about Kate and Colton which I really enjoyed answering.

“Book Reviews by Tima” 

In this Q&A I reveal how little I actually knew about football as I began writing From the Start…and talk about why it was my hardest book to write.

“Divine Detours” Blog

Kathy, too, asked some fun questions including one about a divine detour I’ve experienced in my life.

Christy’s Cozy Corners

I wrote a post for Christy’s blog last Friday, which just happened to be Encourage a Young Writer Day…so that’s what I did.

Thanks for hosting me, ladies!