Fiction has been described as the history of private life. The novel was in its early years a “history” of its characters, often presented as diaries or letters, and historians regarded it as competition, as they had been the great storytellers before. The idea of history continues to change, most dramatically by the scientific method. Science and science fiction both influence the fields of belief. The possibilities excite me. I’ve come to love history as I’ve aged enough to accumulate some of my own, and most of my work includes long looks at the past.
In fiction we find a safe place to discuss deeply personal matters both real and speculative. I didn’t know what normal was until I started sharing my writing with others, only to be told that my normal might be strange enough to a mainstream reader as to require considerable introduction. There’s no honester mirror than a character modeled after one’s self that readers do not like.
I find a universal modern morality in popular characters. The attempt to create one drags me along on the hero’s journey, and I improve in spite of my earlier conviction that I already had something wonderful to say to the world.
Writing fiction is humbling in the way of most creative efforts. I am blessed with three or four people who kindly read my produce. My writing gets changed as a result of their comments, and I get changed as well.
—Loretta
