So as I move towards finishing my novella, I’m going to be talking about it on my blog a lot more.
I’ll probably head each of those posts with “WIP Talk” or something like that so you know what kind of blog you’re getting into.
Today I want to talk about the main topic of my novella: mental health.
Mental health is being brought up a lot and experiences are being shared more than ever. I’m excited to see that the stigma of having mental health issues is no longer a thing amongst my friends and acquaintances. I love having conversations with my friends and listening to them talk freely about their depression or other mental health related issues. I love being able to share mine as well and not having to worry about what they might think of me afterwards.
My WIP’s underlying message is about being open when it comes to mental health issues and how holding it in can cause stress on yourself and your loved ones around you. I’m writing this for the Young Adult genre. I love this message because I want teens and young adults to know that what they’re going through is real. I want them to know that getting help and asking for help isn’t a bad thing.
How can it help society?
I want this novella to be a conversation starter between the young adults and their parents. Often parents are the first to know about their kids mental health issues, because they need to see a psychologist, and depending on how they react will determine how their kids get the help they need. It can be hard to find out that your little one is struggling on the inside and to accept it. My hope is that my novella can be that bridge.
You might be thinking, Emi isn’t writing about mental health for teens and young adults going to be controversial?
My answer: yes. I want it to be controversial. Mental health is no joke. This is something that’s plaguing the younger generation and taking their lives before they even get a chance to apply to college. We as the older and wiser generation, need to talk about it and find solutions to help our kids thrive and survive their childhood. It’s not something that stops when you get older, too. Even as adults we’re still struggling against the stigma of mental illness.
The title of my novella is called “We Don’t Talk About That”.
I aptly named it that because it’s the unspoken rule in most households. There are some things you tell your friends and outside family. Mental health issues go in the “don’t talk about” pile along with other failures in your life.
I think this is the first time I’ve told you what the title of my novella is. I wish I had done it in a more exciting fashion, but it’s out there now. So, get ready!
Every day I work on my novella I am getting more excited about sharing it with all of you. My characters are ready to tell their story and I hope you’ll like it as much as I did writing it.
Thanks for reading!
-Emi