Only music around me, no interruptions of phones, texts, or questions from others living in the house with me, lets me dive into a project. On a normal day, this is easy, but when we are all inside because of snow and crazy low temperatures, it is more of a challenge.

This past weekend was heavy. Many of us woke up, went about our days, and just felt it: a tightness, a weariness, the way everyday moments feel harder to move through. (If you’re in the U.S., you’ve likely heard about the recent fatal shooting involving federal agents and the grief and tension it’s sparked across communities. That along with the worry of loved ones in the Eastern states battling an insane winter storm and cold!) On Sunday evening I found myself exhausted in a way that had nothing to do with productivity — but everything to do with feeling the weight of the world. All I kept thinking was: "I can’t wait to crawl into bed and disappear into my book for a while." I’ve heard authors ask, “What’s the point of writing when life feels so hard?” Writing is not an escape from reality. . . it’s a way of expressing it. Stories are how we make sense of the world around us. They help us grapple with pain, process emotions, and find connection when it feels like everything else is fragmented and crazy. That’s why, when a character feels real (not just a collection of traits), it matters! When you get inside their head, when you understand not just what they do, but why they feel the way they feel — that’s when your stories start to resonate with readers on a deeper level. That's when lives are changed. People are motivated. They find the spark to just. Keep. Going. For a character to feel real, they need: 1. Depth of backstory — not just facts, but emotional history 2. Clear motivations — what they want and what they fear 3. Consistency with complexity — real people have contradictions, and so should your characters If you’re finding yourself wrestling with emotion right now (let's be honest, who isn’t?), you might find it helpful to pour some of that into your writing — letting your characters live inside those questions and feelings. And of course if you write nonfiction, sharing what you know and how it can help people.