Blog Tour: Next Stop, Somewhere

 

Many thanks to Elizabeth Marro, fellow Wednesday night Read & Critique sojourner who tagged me in this Writer’s Blog Tour. #mywritingprocess

Elizabeth & I meet weekly with the rest of our group & challenge one another’s writing skills, self-confidence & lifelong dream of being rich & famous off one published book that is eagerly optioned by the WB for a television series that premieres after Supernatural & features Susan Sarandon’s move to the small screen.

Elizabeth is a kick-ass writer who pushes me to cut the bullshit & get real with my work. Her current project is Casualties, a novel that brings new perspective to the growing body of fiction dealing with the lasting impact of our most recent wars on those who fight and those who wait at home.

Check out her brilliance: http://elizabethmarroblog.com @EGMarro

So this Blog Tour thing…

“It’ll be fun,” Elizabeth said. “Just answer 4 simple questions about your writing process.”

   1) What am I working on?

   2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?

   3) Why do I write what I do?

   4) How does your writing process work?

 

Easy, I thought.

 

 

1) I’m writing my first novel, the story of 3 sisters on the midwestern homefront during WWII, circa 1943, loosely based on some family history & the crucial role Goodyear Aircraft played in the war effort.

Yay! My cocktail pitch sounds pretty cool.

And that my friends, is where I slam face first into the dead end of certainty.

I have no idea how my works differs or if it even IS different. I also have no clue why I continue to work on this particular story, except that I must. My writing process? I tacked up a Wanted poster several years back & no one called.

How about I tell you what I do know about this whole writing thing?

Duck Valley, Ohio & the people who fill its borders exist. My 3 “fictional” sisters, Bessie, Jeannie & Rogue all live. Their fears, hopes, loves & adventures matter. Maybe not in this reality, but they are, somewhere, outside of me, far beyond the constrictive restraints of my imagination.

This project started as a screenplay right out of film school in 2002. I spent weeks back in Ohio doing research with my dad. Road trips, family dinners & a dozen rolls of film. It felt like someone was counting down from 10, & we stood moments from take-off, destination: Planet Friggin’ Phenomenal.

My dad got sick & died in 2005. I set the project aside for 6 years, knowing it wouldn’t be as much fun without him rooting me on. But Duck Valley wouldn’t go away. The Alton sisters kept campaigning for a comeback, hijacking my plans for other writing projects.

In 2011, I agreed to give it a tenuous try, but on 2 conditions: 1) move to a novel, leave the film script behind & 2) I would write for the characters & nothing more. Not to get published, make a billion dollars or finally win my father’s approval. This story would be written for them, the characters who had been bonking on my door for a decade & the sacred stories peeking in my windows.

3 years later, I’m still plugging along, page by page, one voice at a time. No end in sight, all of us just riding on the same train, trying to enjoy the view & each other’s company.

Sometimes setting the map & navigation tools down is difficult. Some days the landscape out the windows is just stick-ass boring. Many days, I search for the engineer so I can politely ask we speed things up or at least toot the damn horn every once in awhile.

Then something happens, unexpected & often quietly wondrous, that reminds me this trip is not my own, & I’m not the one in charge. I punched my ticket, stowed my luggage & now my job is to stay still & listen.

 

 

Now it’s my turn to tag other fabulous writers so they can continue the conversation.

First up:    Leslie Johansen Nack     Leslie is working on her memoir, the amazing story of her family traveling the world for 3 years on a 45-foot sailboat.  She is currently waist-deep in discovering the tenuous line between personal truth & shared memory, & is brilliant in bringing her authentic 12-year-old self to the page.  Her blog can be found at SheWrites.com, & she’s a member of San Diego Writers, Ink.

And next:  Indy Quillen  A lifelong writer, Indy has created everything from short stories to children’s books to greeting cards & novels.  A fellow Midwest girl, she rocked my universe by designing & creating my website, & helping me remember that taking a risk is always necessary to achieve something awesome.  Check out her talents as a Social Media Strategist at mediafastlanes.com.