Behind the scenes of Beneath the Kudzu (Part 1)…
My writing journey has certainly seen its ups and downs in driving toward the completion of my novel, Beneath the Kudzu. While I have experienced the occasional bruising here and there, I confess I have enjoyed the incredible ride along the way.
After hours of seminars and studying the craft of writing, I have learned there are many styles and methods of creating a book. Some authors write by the seat of their pants, while others outline, plot, and plan. I admit I do both. For example, the main character and the minor players have taken off in a different direction than originally planned. They determined their own fate. Hard to believe, but true. Although I am the one weaving the story, the characters created a life of their own at times, and I felt as though I was watching their story too.
Once I hit the publish button, I admit I cried. Overwhelming relief gushed over me as I realized I had completed Catriona’s story, typing “The End,” learned/learning the daunting business side of publishing, and the sheer mental release of self-inflicted stress. Many writers experience illness, etc., following such an endeavor. After two weeks of recovery, I finally have reached a point where my body is starting to feel normal again (whatever that is). I experienced this euphoric high while at the same time hitting an unbelievable dense wall. I wonder… do football players on both teams hit the same wall after a Super Bowl game? I suspect everyone needs downtime to recover… even in the victories.
So many of you have asked how I created my characters, the settings, and the story itself. For the sake of brevity, I will discuss the setting in this writing, saving the characters and the story for a future blog.
Instructors tell you to write what you know. Easy, right? (Not always.) For me, I chose an area I love as the background setting for my story. A place I will always call "Home" no matter how far away I roam.
As some would say in my neck of the woods, "By the grace of God, I am Southern (USA) born." I am a child of the Bible Belt. My faith in God is part of who I am. My family's history in the churches of this area go back generations - a legacy I treasure.
My Southern roots are grounded in the Southern Appalachian Mountains and valleys of Tennessee. I love the beauty of the same mountain range that continues into Virginia, Kentucky, and West Virginia.
The hard life of digging coal for a living covers these mountains. Coal mines were the background to my small home town. My family’s roots are covered in coal dust, as well as dirt from farming, and wood chips from logging - a past that built my future existence on this earth.
(photo courtesy of cityofwhitwell.org
To create greater depth to the story being told, I needed more to build on. My grandfather who farmed also owned horses… majestic creatures, romantic creatures, powerful creatures. It was an unknown gift when choosing a setting with horses as the centerpiece. The story came to life.
After months of researching these areas, the terrain, the language, the lifestyles, and copying picture after picture to my Pinterest account to use as reference when describing the scenery, I had my setting. The one I had pictured in my mind's eye: Virginia Hunt Country (horse country); Charlottesville (Monticello – a romantic, tragic, and historic location of mystery in and of itself); coal mines; the mountains of Tennessee; equestrian estate; rich vs poor; grand home vs. a simple one. There were endless possibilities to choose in building a background for a story of mystery and intrigue.
As a gift to myself, it's time for a road trip. This week, my daughter, Lydia, and I will be taking a journey visiting the places I have written about in my novel. I will be posting pictures in my next blog to share with you of the areas I only dreamed of vs the reality of what will be seen. I am excited to include you on our journey.
Until then, I pray you love, health and happiness.
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