On Obstacles & Authoring

Obstacles. That's where my mind is. For my characters, for the current world climate, for myself.

What is an obstacle? Something that prevents us from achieving our goal, sure. But the root of the word is where I'm meandering: obstare. To Oppose. To hinder.

Funny, don't you think?

As if language suggests the very thing blocking us from more even has a choice in the matter to do so. To hinder. To oppose our wants and needs. As if Obstacle were a character in the cast at all, a pesky little Midsummer Night's Puck, skipping off after sprinkling chaos that will trickle down long after.

I know it's not really how language works, but I can't help but giggle at the Americanized way of dominating the original meaning. Obstacle. Tackle. To launch and wrangle or claim.

And isn't that what we all want? To tackle the thing that's hindering us. To claim dominance over the unknown. But in this particular example, the thing to tackle would be the thing itself, would it not? Is the word the antithesis of itself? I feel that way in the publishing world some days.

They say your greatest critic is yourself. That fear is placed within us of our own accord, and therefore we have the power to change that fear and reshape it.

So what about obstacles? Yeah, I'll get there.

Katie has them. Devyn, Shana, and Lemon all had them, too, but Katie's are more than I realized until I started writing. Perhaps it's because I'm nearing my second year of authoring, settling into business practices, ditching bad habits, and shaping my next moves. It could be because my hand hasn't worked right in a few weeks and patience is not my strongest virtue.

Mostly, I think it's because Katie holds the fate of the whole town in her scarred and over-filled arms, and her story is one of compassion and justice, themes I can't help but ruminate over in present.

My obstacles; my fears, are the very things I create myself. But the potential for growth and change is infinite if hope never dies and light never fades. So, I keep writing and she keeps showing me where to find the strength.

Burn bright, Katie Simons, your story just ignited brighter than we ever imagined.

Pine Forest Book 4, Coming Later this year...XOXO, Elsie