I was having a hard time figuring out what I was going to blog about this morning. Then I woke up and my back decided to make it's presence known, and I just knew: pain.

Back when I wrote Extreme Love, I used Caitlyn (my heroine) as an outlet to work through a lot of things I was going through after I lost a ton of weight. It was therapeutic and while she grew as a character, I also grew as a person. It was extremely helpful to express all the conflicting thoughts I had on a daily basis through words.

And here I am doing it again through Julie in my current WIP.

I take the whole write what you know thing to heart. :)

And what I know is pain.

Its hard to believe that it's been almost two years since I tripped over my nephew's toy. All in all, I can't complain about my recovery. I'm walking. I'm back in the gym. Hell, I'm not secluded to a bed. That alone is reason enough not to complain.

But then I have mornings like this morning where just trying to get out of bed is a painful struggle and I'm reminded that I am one stumble away from going through all of this again.

That is where Julie has come in. Writing my fears and worries through her helps me cope with mine. Just seeing my thoughts reflected up at me helps. I guess it's just getting it out and not letting it fester inside. Whatever it is, I feel better afterwards.

What about you guys? Do you have a character that you're expressing a personal experience through?
Abby