97 Per Cent

by Posted on

97A week and a half ago I went to visit a Chinese healer. He was suggested by a friend as another way to battle stress, and get on the right side of health. I wanted him to do some acupuncture, give me some tea, and make it better right away. Alas, no quick fixes here. Instead he gave me really hard homework. A recommendation to give up wheat and dairy. A demonstration of some Tai Chi moves. And a prescription to be silent for 15 minutes at the beginning of every day, and then ask the question “who am I?” Sounded simple enough. (I was wrong, nothing simple in those tasks.) Then he took my pulse, and dropped a bombshell.

“You know, 97% of what you worry/think about you can’t change. So you have to let it go.”

I argued. Given my job, my personality, I can change more than 3% of what I want to change. He just shook his head and smiled.

The next day what he said hit me like a ton of bricks. If he was right, and I began to suspect he was, how could I recognize the 97%? And how could I stop worrying about it? And did I really want to?

Being a writer, thinking about the 97% is how we create conflict for our characters. It is how we heighten the tension. We are told to think about what bad thing you could do to your character, and then make it worse. Not paying a parking ticket lands you in jail. A frayed cuticle leads to an amputation. Ordering from a sketchy website ends in financial collapse. That’s the way it works.

The doctor was recommending getting rid of the 97%. I am thinking about repurposing it. Give it all to my characters. Which makes me wonder–are mystery writers healthier than civilians because we use our angst in our writing? Or are we hot messes because we hold it all in? I’m not sure. But what I am sure of? The story lives in the 97%.

Published by Julie Hennrikus aka Julia Henry

One woman, three names, many books. As Julia Henry she writes the Garden Squad series for Kensington. As J.A. Hennrikus she writes the Theater Cop series, and as Julianne Holmes she wrote the Clock Shop series. Click on my profile picture to connect with me on Facebook and Instagram! @JHAuthors

9 Thoughts

  1. Julie, so glad you had a good experience with Dr. Wu and it’s helping not only your well being but your writing! Can’t say the same for your characters though…

    1. He was great. I am having trouble with the homework, but looking forward to the journey. And yes, my characters are going to live out my nightmares. In a cozy way.

  2. Dr Ming Wu has changed my life for the better in so many ways. Like he always says: Number one most important question WHO AM I? Simple…but not easy! I am grateful for him and his wisdom everyday. Thanks for a great morning read Julie.

  3. Just a suggestion … when you give up/cut back dairy, unsweetened almond milk takes up the slack pretty well in tea/coffee and oatmeal. Glad to hear you’re working on the stress before it works you over. Keep up the great work, Julie.

  4. A frayed cuticle leads to amputation — now that is trouble. Great blog. I might be afraid to ask Who am I but I will give it a try!

  5. Great post, Julie. I’m intrigued by the 97%, though not surprised, and the ‘who am I?’ exercise. May need to give that a try myself. Thanks! Enjoy your vacation. 🙂

Comments are closed.