Hello, everyone, Iโm
Sarah Rayner and itโs great to be back at Fresh Fiction on
the release day of the follow-up to the international bestseller,
ONE MOMENT, ONE
MORNING. My new novel,
ANOTHER
NIGHT, ANOTHER DAY is published today, December 23, from St. Martinโs
Griffin.
To mark the launch, I thought Iโd share my thoughts on writing about โdifficultโ
subjects, as itโs an area I find both fascinating and rewarding as a novelist.
The inspiration came when I was out for lunch with a group of authors earlier
this week, and one of them said that itโs only by โwriting into the dark spaces
of our psychesโ that we break new ground as authors, both personally and
artistically. Given that
ANOTHER NIGHT, ANOTHER DAY is about three people
crying out for help and is set in a psychiatric clinic, perhaps itโs little
surprise that I clapped my hands and said, โI totally agree!โ
Writing into the light โ or staying in oneโs comfort zone โ is easy. Itโs easy
for writers, as it doesnโt stretch us so much, and itโs easy for readers too.
There are many occasions when we need the succor of a cozy, reassuring book, and
donโt get me wrong, there is nothing intrinsically bad about picking up Bridget
Jones for the umpteenth time. But if thatโs all we
ever read or write,
then the danger is we donโt grow as people; what starts out as cozy and
comforting becomes stifling, and eventually we stagnate.
Thatโs why I believe that writing into the dark and tackling difficult subjects
like mental illness is important. It can feel uncomfortable, and it takes more
effort to both read and write books like this, but giving ourselves fresh
challenges is part of what makes life rich and fulfilling.
That said, I didnโt venture into the dark of
ANOTHER
NIGHT, ANOTHER DAY completely unprepared. I had already tackled subjects
we often prefer to avoid in my previous novels, and this gave me a certain
amount of confidence.
ONE MOMENT, ONE MORNING deals with the
death
of a spouse and
THE TWO WEEK WAIT explores infertility, so to some
extent
ANOTHER NIGHT, ANOTHER DAY continues in this vein. I
had a metaphorical torch, if you like. However, because
ANOTHER
NIGHT, ANOTHER DAY deals with issues that are particularly close to my
heart, I had to be
ready to go there. If Iโd tried to tackle such a
complex and delicate subject as mental illness fifteen years ago (when I started
writing adult novels), I suspect the result would have been a mess, and
unpublishable.
Moreover, by writing โinto the darkโ, it doesnโt mean that you, as a reader, or
I, as an author, have to stay there.
ONE MOMENT, ONE
MORNING was about the loss of a loved one, yes, and
THE TWO WEEK
WAIT focused on childlessness, but both were also about the healing
power of friendship and personal growth. Much successful storytelling involves a
sense of resolution, and
ANOTHER NIGHT, ANOTHER DAY is no different. The story
is a mix of light and shade, and โ without giving away the plot โ offers hope in
terms of recovery for the characters too.
Should you choose to read
ANOTHER NIGHT, ANOTHER DAY โ and obviously Iโd
like that โ I hope you find it illuminating. But if you choose not to, Iโd urge
you to read outside your comfort zone just the same. After all, what better time
to take a fresh look at fiction than when poised to begin a New Year?
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @creativepumpkin and visit my
website.
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