In our journey as writers, we often face challenges and obstacles that threaten to derail our creativity and passion.
But for T.C. Westminster, author of the gripping thriller novel THE HOST, adversity became the catalyst for an incredible story.
Her journey is a testament to her resilience, and it reminded me that even in our darkest moments, we can find the inspiration to create something worthwhile.
Westminster battled against chronic illness and creates her stories in an environment that is far from ordinary. As writers, we’re always battling against the blank page. However, we often overlook the benefits we have: like our health.
Faced with extended periods of intense pain, Westminster finds comfort in the power of stories.
In THE HOST Westminster takes us on a thrilling ride that gets under your skin and refuses to let go.
The story revolves around two unlikely individuals trapped in a bunker – a reclusive philanthropist who despises the company of others and a British actor.
Westminster’s high-paced and tension-filled narrative tests these contrasting personalities in unimaginable ways.
It’s a story that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.
Want to listen to the whole interview? Check it out here!
The Inspiration
But how did Westminster come up with such an enthralling story?
It all began during a time of immense physical and emotional struggle. Her chronic illness flared up, confining her to bed for weeks on end.
It’s actually. A more unusual story than most people have. doctors haven’t really figured out how to help me and I get stuck in bed for a Sometimes it’s days, sometimes it’s weeks.
–T.C. Westminster
Cut off from the outside world, she wasn’t able to engage in her usual pastimes of reading, watching TV, or even listening to audiobooks, she turned inward.
In the midst of the darkness, she created a captivating story that became her debut novel.
I distracted myself by creating a world outside of where I was. And this story is what came out of that. And I [00:05:00] went through and what if they, what if this happened? What if that happened? What if they did this? Huh. I wonder. And it just, after seven weeks, I had a four books series. Wow. That was well plotted out.
–T.C. Westminster
Not only that, but she also began planning out sequels to THE HOST.
Little did she know that the captivity themes in her novel served as a reflection of her own experience.
…they kept me from focusing on the pain that I was in. Which I guess is why I torture my characters.
–T.C. Westminster
It’s an added reminder of how we can all use the personal struggles we’re going through in life, and use it in our writing.
What’s Your Story?
Westminster’s journey is a reminder that our hardships don’t define us. Instead, they shape us into resilient, determined individuals capable of turning our pain into something beautiful.
Anytime you’re going through something difficult in life, I hope you remember this story. Because instead of succumbing to the belief that writing can only happen under ideal circumstances, think instead of how struggles we go through can become the inspiration for our greatest works.
And when this arrived in my brain it was about six or seven weeks that I was stuck in bed just in a very high level of pain. And they just. couldn’t do much for me and I couldn’t read, which is my thing. I couldn’t watch TV. I couldn’t listen to audio books. I was just stuck by myself in the dark for an extended period of time and I had to distract myself.
–T.C. Westminster
I recently got to talk to Jason Powell about his writing routine. As a firefighter, he can so rarely find a consistent time and place without interruption.
It was a reminder that, if you wait for the perfect time and environment to write, you’ll never finish your book.
We all face our own battles, whether physical, emotional, or creative, but it is how we choose to confront these challenges that defines us.
Westminster’s triumph over adversity serves as a reminder to us that within our struggles, we can find the seeds of extraordinary stories.
As Westminster herself puts it, she does her best to get the stories out to people and share the stories that got her through difficult times.
And by the time I came out of it and was, not pain free, but, you know, functioning better. I was like back to the keyboard and write it out. And I didn’t realize until after I had written the whole book that the captivity portion of it kind of mirrored my being trapped in a room that never once crossed my mind, which is not very self aware myself.
–T.C. Westminster
Embrace your adversities because within them lies the power to create something worthwhile. You never know how struggles can influence your writing for the better.
