Today we have with us one of the darlings of Australia’s inspirational fiction community, award winning author Paula Vince. Paula is a gracious advocate of Australian writers (and writers in general), and is consciously active in her support, including through her blog and review site. It’s wonderful to have her guest blogging today. Read on for reflections from her ‘write life’ experiences.

I must admit that what I like least, even after several years of writing, is the question, ‘What is your occupation?’ My heart still lurches when anybody asks me that, probably because I’ve become used to either one of two polar opposite responses. Some people say, ‘Wow, you’re kidding me! You’re really a writer? That’s amazing.’ Then they follow up with more questions concerning wages and platforms which I feel inevitably help me lose face.

The second type of response is a cynical looking, ‘Yeah, right, sister,’ sort of smirk and rolling of the eyes. Without having to put it into words, these people might as well say, ‘You live in a dream world, so get real,’ which I find highly embarrassing.

Sometimes I feel it must be much easier for people who are able to reply, ‘hairdresser’, ‘chef’, ‘bank teller’ or any of a number of other socially acceptable occupations. I’ve wondered why this simple question about my occupation evokes these yo-yo reactions from others. I think it must be because emotions are the raw materials fiction authors work with, so it can’t help but draw an emotional sort of response. I have to remind myself that this is a very good thing. It’s healthy for us to get our emotions stirred up. Not only does a good novel strengthen our empathy muscles, which sometimes get slack, but it makes life more fascinating. As authors, we are dealing with things beneath the surface, but we don’t always get credit for positive change we’ve been responsible for.

I like to remember what stimulated me to want to write novels in the first place. The work of other fiction authors helped rescue what might otherwise have been a bit of a drab and downtrodden childhood. Firing up my imagination with other people’s stories made me so happy I always wanted to do the same. Although we might not be providing direct assistance, such as food, clothing and shelter, to others, it’s a big mistake to think that we’re just wallowing in a self-indulgent world of our own. Nothing could be further from the truth. The services fiction authors offer to the community are of immense value.

Many of our friends and acquaintances wear socially acceptable masks, becoming clones of media darlings or surging along with the crowd. It’s hard to really be sure what makes them tick. Fictional characters give us an outlet to feel things. We are able to delve directly into their deep inner hearts. It might be the best chance some readers get to put themselves in the shoes of others. Every so often, I get a lovely comment, such as, ‘When your hero faced that situation when so-and-so happened, my heart stood still. I was really cheering him on.’ Then I’m reinforced that I’m doing the right thing. It makes up for those awkward, ‘What is your occupation?’ sorts of questions.

Paula Vince is a South Australian author of contemporary, inspirational fiction. She lives in the beautiful Adelaide Hills, with its four distinct seasons, and loves to use her environment as settings for her stories. Her novel, ‘Picking up the Pieces’ won the religious fiction section of the International Book Awards in 2011, and ‘Best Forgotten’ was winner of the CALEB prize the same year. She is also one of the four authors of ‘The Greenfield Legacy’, Australia’s first and only collaborated Christian novel. Her most recent novel, ‘Imogen’s Chance‘ was published April 2014. For more of Paula’s reflections, please visit her blog, It Just Occurred to Me. You may also like to visit her book review blog, The Vince Review where she also interviews other authors.