Take a walk with Daphne Laurel

I’m having a go at fiction.

Daphne is the main character in my novel-in-progress. Working title: Guided. I started writing this as a procrastination project when I was struggling to finish my memoir. I was giddy about being able to write whatever the hell I wanted to. Writing memoir involved scrutinizing myself and my memory to make sure I was getting at the truth of every scene, and being fair to the characters. It was also incredibly emotionally taxing. Writing fiction, anything goes I guess, as long as you keep your readers’ attention.

Daphne is an ordinary young woman who’s trying to find meaning in her life by trying out various New Age and spiritual practices. When we first meet her, she is doing a guided meditation on the floor of her apartment.

Another example of internal monologue?

Not really. We are in Daphne’s imagination, but it’s not a stream of consciousness. She’s listening to, and responding to, a guided meditation recording. The story is what her mind conjures up in response to the prompts.

I’ve done guided meditations like this before, and it’s amazing how easy it is to get into a visceral imaginary experience – seeing places and people in vivid detail. The one I remember most was a walk a bit like Daphne’s, where the person I met at the end was a much wiser version of me. I have never forgotten her, and I've never been able to find her again either! I didn’t write this from memory though. I wrote it with a sense of gay abandon that I didn’t have to worry if it was true or not!

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What is Write Out Loud?

It’s an experiment in sharing writing-in-progress. Every post I’ll read something I’ve written, and write a brief commentary on the process. Since I published my memoir, Unlikely Stories of a Perfect Childhood, everyone I know has asked me, “What are you going to write next?” This blog is the answer.