Loss takes a toll on a person. Maybe it’s the loss of a job, a relationship, or a loved one. Any form of loss will grab hold of your daily routine and shake it to shambles. This might seem like an odd topic for an author to write about on her website, but a little less than a month ago I lost my grandmother. I’m not only named after her (Ross), but she was a sounding board for my outlandish ideas for characters, plots and settings. The loss has left me lost for written words and losing the battle to meet a personal deadline.
Patsy Ross shared my love for the written word. I don’t remember her being an avid reader, but she created one when she gifted me with a box set of Little House on the Prairie novels one Christmas long ago. GrandPatsy was beautiful, charming, and eloquent. Her sense of style and firmly held beliefs were not only seen or heard, but they were supported by her actions. The character she played in my own life challenges me to create characters in my stories that are vital and three-dimensional (they must have a past, present, and future).
Someday, I might write a story about a young woman that eloped with her enlisted boyfriend, only to have his deployment postponed due to a blistering sunburn. No matter how much I love imagining new places and people, pretending in the plot will never resonate with the reader. My grandmother lived a full life with really amazing moments and awfully difficult instances. She celebrated and mourned, she pressed on through time and lived to be 91 years old.
My heart hurts to think of finishing my current work in progress without calling GrandPatsy to fill her in on what just happened in the last chapter. Loss can lead to losing your way or losing your grip on living life. It has altered my daily routine and my motivation. Changing my focus, and writing this story for GrandPatsy may be the only way it gets finished. But, I will finish.
