Why Leah Cohen Wrote "To & Fro" as Stories That Meet in the Middle скачать в хорошем качестве

Why Leah Cohen Wrote "To & Fro" as Stories That Meet in the Middle

Why would any novelist write a book that literally ends in the middle? In this episode of ‪@WhyAuthorsWrite‬, host Mary J. Cronin talks with celebrated author Leah Hager Cohen about the creative journey that inspired her to write "To & Fro," as a story of parallel worlds with two heroines compelled to cross the time barrier to meet midstream. Leah describes how she set out to recount one mystical heroine’s timeless journey, but hit a wall of doubt and frustration that forced her to abandon the book. Months later, Leah re-started with a contemporary heroine. Soon these very different characters gradually intertwined with one another in s shared quest, meeting in the middle of "To & Fro" in a moment that feels both mysterious and inevitable. Cohen didn't expect her book to take this shape. Like many writers, she begins her novels with an open, curious mind rather than a blueprint. “I don’t have a sense of where I’m going,” she says. “I only have a sense of where I’m beginning.” Her original story centered on Ani, a young girl traveling through a landscape that evokes parable, fairy tale, and myth. After setting the project aside in frustration, Cohen began writing a second narrative about another girl, Annamae. Slowly she realized the two stories belonged together—but not as parallel plots. “I felt that the motion of the two stories was toward each other rather than in tandem,” she explains. “That sort of ‘to and fro’ energy.” At the heart of both narratives are children on the threshold of adolescence, asking timeless questions: How did I get here? Who made me? To what extent do I make myself? For Cohen, these questions are deeply connected to the creative act itself. Writing fiction means embracing uncertainty and listening closely to what emerges from the imagination. “One of the mysteries involved in making art,” she says, “is not trying to have mastery over one’s imagination, but listening to what issues from it.” Rather than controlling every aspect of the narrative, Cohen describes her role as honoring the lives of the characters she creates. “My role has to do with listening with humility,” she explains. “These characters are fictional, but when I’m writing they become very real to me.” The novel’s unusual ending reflects that philosophy. Instead of offering a tidy resolution, To & Fro leaves space for readers to participate in meaning-making—mirroring Cohen’s belief that stories are ultimately about relationships between writer and reader. “All writing is about relationship,” she says. “Putting words down is speaking to an imaginary listener.” In this thoughtful and wide-ranging conversation, Cohen reflects on the courage it takes to write without knowing where the story will lead. For readers and writers alike, this episode offers a rare glimpse into the inner life of a novelist—and into the powerful, and mysterious uncertainty that fuels creative writing. It explores the challenges of combining two separate narratives, and Leah’s last-minute decision to build more explicit connections between the two halves of To & Fro. Insights and Highlights • Listening to characters with open minded humility frees Leah to create • World-building is grounded in a deep relationship with fictional characters • “Why am I here” and “Where am I going” are universal questions that drive the storyline in To & Fro • Leah hopes her readers will feel empowered to create their own next chapter in her book Chapters • 00:00 The Genesis of Two Narratives • 08:06 Exploring Universal Questions • 14:27 Building Explicit Connections • 19:57 The Culmination of Two Quests • 25:03 The Liquid Portal That Cohen’s Heroines Have to Enter