Writing in my native language

My favourite coaster - it means, 'I like coffee'

I’m often asked, “where in Ireland is that accent from?” That's when I'm not mistaken for an American (which happens a lot!). The accent is easy to hear, standing out in the welsh valleys town that I live in. Sadly, the accent is all I have. I regret not making more efforts to study the Irish language when I was in school. It was such a chore to me, but I should have stuck with it. My Irish-ness is more important to me now as a writing adult; I'm a little saddened that I'm unable to write something in my native tongue. 

Though my accent can't be heard in my writing, I've often wondered if it is possible to read it there? People who know me say I write how I talk and so they can hear me. I'd love to think that half way through a piece, a stranger might think, "I bet this writer is Irish. This sounds Irish." 

I've thought about it a lot since moving here nearly four years ago. If I can’t write in the Irish language and I can’t write in an Irish accent... how can I communicate my Irish-ness? 

It took a while for me to let that one go. In more recent times, I've been concentrating more on my ‘heart language.’ I’m not sure it’s the same thing as my writing voice. Maybe it is, but 'heart language' is what I like to call it. 

At the heart of most of the stories in my first collection, was the desire to give people a second chance; mainly because I got one. I love a happy ending, and though not all stories lend themselves to 100% happily ever after, I tried to give my characters the opportunity to have a tomorrow that is a little easier than today. 

My second collection will be different. I'm almost finished polishing the last few stories and I can sense something has changed. When I was writing it, I lost a dear friend in violent circumstances and just a couple of months later, my dad died. My writing took a darker turn. There is more loss and grief in this book. Maybe it's more realistic, I'm not sure. I do know that because my heart was breaking, my heart language was full of broken-ness.  

I was tempted to re write, now that I'm somewhat recovered from the loss, but I stopped myself. It's a season in my writing that I feel I'd be wrong to hide, or dress up. My circumstances had an obvious effect on my writing, my consolation is that I really do write from my heart. 

I pray that in time, my writing will become rooted in the native language of my eternal home. A place where grief and loss are replaced by joy and restoration. Second chances don't exist because we won't need them any more. The ultimate happy ending.

Annmarie Miles is from Dublin, Ireland. 
She lives with her husband Richard who is a pastor in the Eastern Valley of Gwent, in South Wales. She writes short stories, magazine articles, devotional pieces for Christian radio, and blogs about her faith at www.auntyamo.com Her first collection of short stories published in 2013, is called 'The Long & The Short of it' She is working on a second collection due for publication in 2018, and a non-fiction book about being an overweight Christian called, 'Have mercy on me O Lord, a slimmer.'