The Inspiration for Relic

The setting for Relic was inspired by a home in Wyoming, NY, a tiny rural village, which boasts that it still has gas street lights.  Another of the village’s pride and joys is Hillside. The home has seen many incarnations, first as a “water cure,” then as a private home, then as a B&B through several owners.

I have known about Hillside since my reporter days. It has so many cool features that one just wouldn’t imagine in a house of that age. I remember there being lights in the closets that automatically lit when the doors opened. Bedrooms shared bathrooms, Jack and Jill style, but then there were also doors between adjacent rooms, so that not only could a person move down the length of the upstairs via the hallway, but also from room to room. I remember a beautiful spiral staircase on the outside of the house that led from the owner’s bedroom porch to the buttlerfly garden.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen all of Hillside. I have some photos that help my memories. But then, like a lot of memories, truth and fiction blur. When you’re a writer, that’s okay. It’s where imagination takes over.

Empowerment

Early Tuesday morning, before the sun was up, I was waving a placard and walking a picket line with parents, teachers and support staff for a local school district. (That's me in the middle!) It was a peaceful protest of the educational policies in New York State. Lately, educators in the state are feeling as if they are losing control of their classes, their curriculum, and the school budgets. They are losing their voice. The protest allowed us to take back some of that control. We felt we were doing something.

Our chant was, “This is what democracy looks like.” And it was. It was a show of Americans using their constitutional right to voice their opinion. I don’t mean to get political here. I'm writing about it because the experience lit a fire under me. I felt empowered. Sometimes when we feel like we lack control of a situation, we need to find a way – any way -- to make something happen.

Two things dawned on me that day.

First, I prefer to write about young female protagonists, and this is how I want them to feel. I want my characters to be empowered, to find the strength to make a difference. I don’t like reading books where I have to suffer through a plot where things keep happening to the female character and she is given no ability to change things. In Relic, my protagonist gains the courage to speak for someone who doesn't have a voice.

Secondly, I have always been a person who likes to find ways to make things happen. A writer friend of mine is self-publishing, and I am pretty impressed with the product. As I wait for agents to respond to queries, and as I line up more agents, I have a nagging thought. I believe in Relic. I want it to be read. Perhaps self-publishing is a road I will travel as well. I refuse to be a female character who waits for things to happen!

Floor Plans

At a recent meeting of my writing group, I shared a section of my current project. The section had two characters traveling though a house at two different times in history. After sharing, one member of the group asked if I had designed a floor plan since there were so many details, and they were so consistent from scene to scene. I responded that, of course, I did.

Earlier in the session, another member of the group had shared a piece he was writing about a hotel. He had a realization about his own writing, saying that he hoped when characters were coming out of the elevator they were turning the same way to get to the lobby!

One piece of advice I would give any writer is to create a map or floor plan as one of the earliest stages of your writing process. It doesn’t sound much like writing, but mapping an imaginary world, sketching out a floor plan or consulting existing maps and floor plans all keep details consistent. They’ll help you describe your setting to your readers, so that they can picture what you are seeing. Readers are smart and observant. They’ll notice if you make basic location mistakes.

Favorite Time to Write

Do you have a favorite time to write?

I love writing first thing in the morning with a steaming cup of Red Rose tea nearby. I can tell if it’s a productive writing session if the cup of tea goes cold. This happens most often during summer months on my back porch. There's something about nature all around me, the world waking up, that inspires me. I love the quiet before everyone else in the house is awake.

As a wife and the mother of two, however, this rarely happens! So, I grab time when I can. Lately, a lot of my writing has been happening on weekends, particuarly Sundays when errands are at a minimum. Or in the evenings when the oldest is getting ready for bed and I am waiting to crash. I must say that fighting sleep and fighting a story line is not always as productive as I'd like it to be.

I made the most progress on Relic when I devoted just 20 minutes a day to writing. I find often, that 20 minutes will turn into a half hour or even an hour or more. Sometimes, that time is spent re-reading what I have already written, or revising what is on the page. Sometimes it is enough to refresh my brain, which after the computer has been shut down, keeps working on the plot. By the time I sit back down the next day, the story has continued in my mind and is waiting to be put down on paper.

No matter when you like to write, make a commitment to that time. Even a little time each day adds up.

Writers Group

I have to say that joining a writing group is a must. I joined my writers group at least 12 years ago. Although the number of members flexes every year, the core members have remained the same. We meet once a month and bring a piece of writing. It can be anything the writer would like feedback on. The author passes out a copy to each member and tells the members where they would like to focus the feedback. It can be anything – “I was having trouble with descriptions,” “Are you picturing this?” “Is my dialog realistic?” The author reads the piece. Then feedback happens. Some members are good at catching grammar and punctuation errors. Others great with trimming the fat. Within 15 minutes you have some excellent feedback on your work.

My group has been great listening to chapters of Relic and giving me feedback. A couple of the members were even among my Beta readers. They read the entire manuscript and were additionally valuable when I presented two new chapters I added because of Beta reader feedback.

Writing is such a solitary endeavor, but it’s no good if you write just for yourself. Every writer should seek outside eyes so that future readers will love every word.  

Wendy Corsi Staub: The Aftermath

It was great meeting Wendy Corsi Staub March 3 at the independent book store Monkey See, Monkey Do. It was an intimate gathering and she talked to us like old friends. I became aware of her writing only recently and read through her Lily Dale series in a few weeks.

During her talk I was struck by several things. As a New York Times best-selling author under contract with HarperCollins, she is a very prolific writer. She has about 80 titles to her credit. It was interesting to hear about her work schedule, which to me sounds grueling. She writes from 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. taking all her meals in her “office.” Due to her contract she must write 4 books by this fall! I cannot imagine the pressure of such deadlines. I admire her creative stamina. Just coming up with all the story ideas I found amazing. She also shared some of those story seeds with us – how a stray cat that was hanging her house gave her the idea for one of her upcoming books.

The other thing that I found to be wonderful was Staub’s support system. Her sister and son accompanied her to the talk. Her sister lives locally and her son goes to a local university, but I found it wonderful when her sister cut in and said what an intelligent, creative person she has always been. “She won’t tell you this, but she is very intelligent,” she said. Staub’s husband and her son are her only beta readers. She said they know what her readers want. Her husband also helps with the business end of the writing. Her son helps with cover art and titles.

It was a great afternoon! Wendy Corsi Staub is a wonderfully personable woman. I’ll be sure to pick up a few more of her books. I’ve got my eye on this new one set in Lily Dale.

Wendy Corsi Staub

I am really excited. Today, I am attending a talk with Wendy Corsi Staub.

It's interesting how sometimes we stumble across things that help us on our journey. A while back, my favorite middle school librarian was pitching books to my 8^th graders. She does this often, and as she does this, I keep a list of potential reads for myself. One title that made my list was Lilydale Awakening by Wendy Corsi Staub. Recently, the librarian pitched the book again, and when no 8^th graders jumped, I took it out. I was interested in the book for a couple of reasons. It had a local setting and was paranormal. I wanted to see how a New York Times best selling author handled these two ideas that I also use in Relic. I really liked the book. Read the whole series.

While visiting friends in Virginia, I got an email from my favorite independent book store Monkey See, Monkey Do, that they were hosting a visit from Wendy Corsi Staub.

A sign? Maybe!

I'm hoping for some insight into the publishing world. Earlier this year, I set a personal goal to hear talks from as many authors as I could. So far, I've heard about ten, many though have been through broadcasts. I'm looking forward to hearing an author in person and perhaps hearing her answers to some of my burning questions.