The Co-Authors I Couldn’t Say No To

When I started writing Breathing Freely, I had a good idea of how the story was going to go. The major plot points were tucked neatly inside a mental folder. I simply had to get Wes and Lou to those chapters. 

Then, I got to know them, these characters I’d created, and boy were they opinionated. 

I remember being excited about putting a scene I vividly imagined countless times to paper. It was beautiful. Wes was going to take Lou riding on his four-wheeler. They were going to laugh and get caught in the rain, Lou was going to steal Wes’s hat and mud was going to be flung everywhere… but, it didn’t happen. Not quite the way I had hoped anyway. 

If you’ve read Breathing Freely, you know there was mention of the four-wheeler ride and Lou stealing that ballcap, but it was just that: a memory. 

That scene only made it into their story as a flashback from Wes as he strolled down memory lane at the most ill-opportuned moment. 

“I knew Lou was planning something for today, it's been marked in my calendar for months now, but I never would have guessed she’d try to out-romance me. I’m sorry it took me so long to come home to you, baby. I bet it was beautiful.

I pocket the tealight to add to my collection of tokens from her. One day, whatever day she picks, the items I’ve accumulated will be on display as a part of the centerpieces for our wedding guests to enjoy, giving them a peek into our life together. 

One table will have the chunk of driftwood Lou tripped over while we were scoping out locations for new parking spots near the banks. My shoulders shake when I recall her face the moment she realized we were both going into the water after my failed attempt to catch her. We swam to the dock, striped our clothes and let them dry on the sun-bleached planks while we skinny-dipped. 

Another will have the ballcap I can’t bring myself to wear again, not since she plucked it off my head and backwards onto hers as we rode fourwheelers through muddy trails. It looks better on her.”

The chapters leading up to this point never gave room for these many memories to have texture. At first, I was a bit upset and thought I’d royally messed up when I didn’t give the audience all those sweet moments in real-time. I thought their connection was going to fall flat and feel forced. But, Wes gently whispered “Let’s try this…here.” And, I listened to him. 

And I’m incredibly grateful for his advice. 

On the flip side of that same coin, there are scenes I never meant to write that became my favorite and made me ache to put to paper.. Like, the trial toward the conclusion. Those chapters weren’t on my radar at all. They weren’t mental checkpoints or milestones for me to reach. They just happened.

I’ve never sat in any of the hotseats I wrote about, but now, I feel as though I have. 

My heart raced. The words on the screen faded in and out of focus with every forced blink as more and more tears were cleared. My nose was stuffy and by the time court adjourned, I was shaking and my chest ached. 

I felt like I could finally breathe, much like I’m certain Wes and Lou felt.

I can’t take all the credit for the scenes I wrote. Some of them Wes and Lou insisted on sharing. They didn’t betray me or their story, they simply surprised me with their stewardship. 

I suppose that’s either the benefit or downside to having characters living in your head for years, depending on how you look at it. I’m sure Wes and Lou would both agree to it being the former. 

At this point, I can’t confess to what the ending was originally supposed to be.That’s a secret I’ll keep between me and my co-authors. But I can tell you this: I never intended to write a sequel. Wes and Lou simply informed me they weren’t done, yet.

With gratitude,

Haleigh