Welcome to my writing life by donalee Moulton

 

I’m often asked interesting, insightful – and difficult – questions about my writing and my writing life.  I’d like to share some with you.

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Who or what inspires you to write?

My mother taught me to love language – and to respect it. She cared about words and getting the words right. She was my greatest influence.

When I was about eight or nine, a next-door neighbor tossed me a Nancy Drew book. She thought I might like it. I sat on the curb between our two houses and read the entire book cover to cover. I loved the puzzle, figuring out who dunnit, and being propelled into a world outside my own.

That same year someone gifted me Charlotte’s Web, and my life was forever changed. Not only could words transport you to new worlds, they could become a part of your heart, change you in ways you could not have imagined. I wanted to do that.

What is the best thing that has happened because of your writing?

As a journalist, writing took me to places and into situations I would otherwise never have experienced. I’ve been a stone’s throw from the Arctic Circle and submerged in a survival suit. Creative writing taught me to look within as well as without. But always, the best thing about writing is when someone remembers something you’ve written, drops you a note to ask a question, comments on a character. It’s a connection you make. It’s a connection that matters.

What is the most difficult thing you have experienced about writing or publishing?

Writing is difficult. Finding not just the right word, but the best word; developing characters that take you places you didn’t expect but is exactly where they need to be; struggling with plot and immersing yourself in timelines and red herrings.  Then once the writing is ready, the publishing process begins. That is a whole new – and evolving – world. Keeping current in that world is a challenge and a necessity. I would rather curl up with a good book, but that is not an option.

What didn’t you do during your writing or publishing journey that you wish you had?

I wish I had started writing books earlier. I wish I had taken more courses. I wish I had spent more time talking with writers about writing. I wish I had spent less time talking with writers about the business of writing. I wish I had read more. Tons more. I wish I had been more patient, with myself and with the drive to be published. I wish I had pushed myself more. I wish wishes came true.

Which genre(s) do you like to write in, and why?

I really like mysteries. When you’re busy, career focused, juggling meetings and deadlines and interviews and research and editing and teaching and scurrying to find something for dinner, there isn’t a lot of time for reading. As wrong as that is, it is also a reality. So, I embraced the mystery genre and read as much as I could as often as I could. That was sheer enjoyment. I also wanted my ideas to be challenged, my senses to be assaulted (gently but definitively), and my heart to be broken. So, I read as many novels, especially Canadian novels, as my mind, heart, and spirit could bear.

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Do you outline your books before you write them?

Sort of. I have a rough plot outline and a brief backstory for the main characters before I start writing. I know who the culprit is and why they committed the crime. But I wait for the writing process, the research, and the thinking about everything (usually in the middle of the night) to help me flesh out the who, what, where, when, why, and how.

How do you define success as a writer?

People are reading what I’m writing and in some way my words touch them if only for a few seconds.

If you could have lunch with any author, who would it be?

If I could go back in time, I would love to have lunch with E.B. White author of the essential and divergent classics Charlotte’s Web and The Elements of Style. Today, I would love to share a meal with Delia Owens. Where the Crawdads Sing is simply beautiful writing.

Tell us about a great adventure you’ve had.

Firsts are always thrilling: first article I ever got published, first interview of a really famous person (Tina Turner), first interview of a really famous person who was a huge disappointment (Gene Simmons from Kiss), first class I taught, first presentation (where I was the expert), first time I was introduced as “a writer,” first book, first mystery book, first blog.