A candid writing moment with Penelope Marzec: A Diversion

A Diversion

"When I wrote Daddy Wanted I was going through an especially stressful period.

One of my daughters experienced constant earaches, dizziness, and lost the hearing in one ear. After going to several doctors, she'd lost hope. She was walking out the door of one specialist's office when he came running after her and suggested an MRI. From that image we learned she had an acoustic neuroma. It is a benign growth but it's location next to important brain centers makes it dangerous. (http://www.acousticneuroma.org/causes)  

She's had two surgeries and must schedule regular MRIs to monitor the tumor. If the growth returns again, she will opt for a Gamma knife procedure. At the time she was diagnosed, she was 28. 

But Daddy Wanted is not about a young woman with a brain tumor. The  hero, a geeky, Internet tech, grew up in Minnesota and needs a date for his best friend's wedding. He thinks the heroine is The Perfect Woman.The heroine, a game designer, grew up in Long Branch, NJ. Her hobby is surfing. She's lost her job and her roommate is pregnant. She thinks the hero would be a good father for her roommate's baby.

The setting is the only part of the story that bears any resemblance to my daughter's health crisis. I lived in my daughter's Brooklyn apartment during her hospital stays. I grew up in a small beach town and now live in a suburban area not far from the beach.The city is a foreign environment to me. However, I got to know Brooklyn well. (Although the alternate side of the street parking rules are really crazy!)

I rode on the subway to get to the hospital everyday.  I found the subway a great place to dream up my story.  Writers always ask, "What if?" So on those many subway rides, I asked myself plenty of questions and dreamed up Daddy Wanted.

In essence, I diverted my attention from the trouble at hand by creating my own fantasy. This technique probably won't work for everyone, but it worked for me.

Since then, my daughter has enjoyed some very bright spots in her life. She was awarded a residency at Eyebeam Art and Technology Center and is a recipient of the A.I.R. Gallery Emma Bee Bernstein Fellowship. Her illness changed her life. It became a gigantic detour, but it gave her more focus.

I've always tried to see the positive side of things. I've always looked for the silver lining, but sometimes it's difficult when there are no guarantees. That's why I make up romances. I get through difficult times entertaining myself with the stories in my head. Daddy Wanted is one of those stories."

Penelope Marzec

http://www.penelopemarzec.com