Swimming (and Other Things I Know Nothing About), a guest post by Abbey Nash

I vividly remember my first experience with swimming. Unlike Tess, the protagonist of my YA novel, BREATHING UNDERWATER, I did not push doggedly out of my parents’ arms and into the brave new world of cannonballs and underwater tea parties. Rather, I was an under-enthusiastic swim lesson participant, and when it came to the class’ culminating accomplishment—jumping off the diving board into the deep end—I flat out refused.

Even now, I can manage a decent doggie paddle, but hate the diving board. And though in high school, I dated a few lifeguards, (and ultimately married one), I couldn’t rescue a pool noodle. So you might imagine my amusement when readers of BREATHING UNDERWATER share their own experiences with competitive swimming, as though that is something we must certainly have in common.

In truth, despite the oft repeated maxim “write what you know,” I know very little about many things I’ve written novels about, including the inner workings of a drug and alcohol rehab facility or the world of music production and celebrity. On the basest level, “what we know” is often too weird, or let’s face it, too boring, for fiction.

And yet, as I’m sure most sci-fi and fantasy writers understand even better than those of contemporary fiction, “what we know” becomes the very seeds of story, reaching far beneath day to day lived experiences and into the shared elements of humanity: fear, love, grief, wanting. While I don’t know much about the premised experiences of my protagonists, I do know what it’s like to love someone who suffers from drug addiction, to chase creative dreams with aching hunger, and to fiercely persist when life throws you a curve ball that threatens the very thing you love most.

In BREATHING UNDERWATER, 17-year-old Tess has always had a plan. A scholarship kid and a fiercely competitive swimmer, she lives by three rules: study hard, work hard, train hard. But the summer before a national swim meet, everything changes. Tess has a seizure, and her world suddenly becomes one of doctor visits, missed practices, and a summer job stuck behind the pool’s snack bar counter—instead of high in the lifeguard chair like every summer before. Instead, her job goes to new guy Charlie. Although his messy hair and laid-back demeanor sends Tess’ heart racing, this isn’t the time. She’s in danger of losing her spot on the swim team, and with it, her best shot at attending her dream college. But with the support of her loving family, her best friend, an epilepsy support group, and maybe even the cute new boy himself, Tess slowly starts to envision a new future for herself: one based on self-acceptance and inclusion.

When I began writing BREATHING UNDERWATER, I had recently suffered a series of seizures and been placed on brain-numbing medication. I was no longer able to drive, and suddenly even things like sleeping, or soaking in a relaxing bubble bath, became dangerous activities that I couldn’t do without supervision. My life, as I had known it, prior to that point, was completely turned upside down. I was heartbroken and angry. And then my grandmother suggested I write about it.

I had already written one novel, LIFELINE, and the process had been my own lifeline while navigating a loved one’s drug addiction. For me, writing is a lifesaving activity. These feelings are reflected in Tess’ relationship with swimming. When considering rejoining the swim team, despite the water’s inherent dangers, Tess says, “All I have to go on is the smell of chlorine and the stirring in my heart.” Similarly, the decision to write a book inspired by my experience with epilepsy offered no certainty. I didn’t know what the future held for my health or where my life’s U-turn would ultimately take me. The only thing I knew for sure was that writing would help me find my way back to myself.

To write Tess’ story, I didn’t have to know about underwater workouts or pace lanes or goal times: these things I learned from gracious competitive swimmers eager to talk about the sport they live for and to share a multitude of resources through which I could dig to bring the external elements of the book to life. Google makes us all experts at pretty much anything. I was also fortunate to connect with many other people with epilepsy—including many teenagers whose experiences were different than mine—through my local chapter of the Epilepsy Foundation. But the heart of BREATHING UNDERWATER, Tess’s internal arc, is what I already knew: the fear, the heartache, and ultimately the commitment to show up anyway.

“Sometimes life throws you a curveball,” says Tess’ dad, “and winning becomes less important than being able to catch it.” Not all “curveballs” look like health challenges, chronic disease, or injury. Sometimes they look like the end of a relationship, an unmet goal, or uncertainty about the future. It’s my hope that BREATHING UNDERWATER will resonate with all readers at whom life has thrown a curveball, no matter what kind, and are looking for a path back to themselves. My journey has taught me that the path unfolds as you walk it, and that, sometimes, broken roads lead to beautiful places.

Says Tess, “…a whole future opens up in front of me, full of new and different, but not necessarily bad. Like wildflowers in a vegetable garden, surprising you with their unexpected beauty.”

“Write what you know,” is an excellent starting place for writers. But to that advice, I would add, “Write what you wish you didn’t.” Dig bravely beneath your lived experiences to unearth the ways they have shaped you, the threads of personhood that will knit you to your readers. Let those dark, broken, and beautiful places be the cracks that light up your stories.

For everything else, there’s Google.

Meet the author

Abbey Lee Nash holds an MA in English from Arcadia University. She lives with her husband and two daughters outside of Philadelphia, where she works as a senior marketing writer in the healthcare industry. A former writing teacher, she enjoys leading creative writing workshops, and has presented at SCBWI events, the National Council of Teachers of English, as well as schools and universities. When she’s not writing, or talking about writing, you can find her reading, spending time with her family and friends, or walking in the woods. BREATHING UNDERWATER is her second novel. Learn more about her work at www.abbeynash.com.

About Breathing Underwater

In this slice-of-life, sensitively written novel, a teen girl grapples with a sudden epilepsy diagnosis, all while figuring out a new crush and an uncertain future.

Tess lives for swimming. In the water, she’s truly alive. It’s the rest of her life—one of demanding grades, anxious parents, and a newly distant best friend—where she’s holding her breath.

Until tragedy strikes. Suddenly, Tess’s health and her future are full of uncertainty. Her summer before senior year is now one of doctor visits, missed swim practices, and a job stuck behind a counter—not sitting high in the lifeguard chair like every summer before. Instead, her spot goes to new guy Charlie. Although his messy hair and laid-back demeanor catch Tess’s attention, this isn’t really the time. She’s in danger of losing the very college swim scholarship she’s worked so hard to secure. She’s got to focus on getting back in the pool—and on getting back to herself.

Lyrically and sensitively written, Breathing Underwater is a slice-of-life story with depth, exploring topics like epilepsy, inclusivity in student athletics, changing friendships, and the power of love and community. With warmth and wit, Abbey Lee Nash has crafted a moving portrait of a teen girl’s journey to self-acceptance and life on her own terms.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

ISBN-13: 9780823453863
Publisher: Holiday House
Publication date: 03/05/2024
Age Range: 14 – 17 Years

Filed under: Guest Post