BACKSTORY: Anecdotes from a writer’s desk by Debra Loughead

 

                                                      

Loughead, Debra - BWL Publishing Inc.

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about how story ideas are generated. And how frequently the inciting incident in a novel revolves around a particular inanimate object.

The ‘inciting incident’ in a novel is the event that sets the story in motion. It’s the first instant that initially hooks the reader and keeps them turning the pages. The event that forces the protagonist’s ordinary life to suddenly veer off track into the realm of the extraordinary, setting in motion a series of challenges that the main character could never have anticipated. And quite often, the mysterious object that is about to alter the trajectory of someone’s life is discovered early in the opening chapters.

I’ve been reflecting on some of the many famous and classical stories with an object woven into the fabric of the narrative. Often these objects are imbued with magical properties. The iconic novel The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, a young adult Bildungsroman by Ann Brashares is a perfect example of the object as plot device in literature. Four girls, best friends since forever, discover a pair of old jeans that quite curiously fits each of them perfectly well in spite of the fact that they’re all different shapes and sizes. Over the course of a single summer, the girls each have a chance to wear the possibly magical pants, resulting in journeys of growth and life-altering experiences for all of them. 

Of course, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis is another example of an object at the heart of the story. During wartime London, four siblings are evacuated for their safety to a home in the English countryside. While exploring the peculiar old house, the youngest girl stumbles upon a magical wardrobe in a spare bedroom. This leads to a whole new world and countless adventures for all of the children over the course of the entire Chronicles of Narnia seven-book series.

A few more novels and short stories that immediately come to mind: The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Monkey’s Paw, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Gift of the Magi, The Lord of the Rings, several Harry Potter books. You get the picture, and I’m sure you can think of countless others in any and every genre. In each of these cases, an inanimate object just happens to set the story in motion (and so many of them just happen come to a terrifying conclusion!)

Which leads me to my own body of work, as well as Happenstance, my latest novel. Back in 2009 and 2011, two of my short reluctant readers novels were published by Orca Books. In The Snowball Effect, hurling a snowball off a bridge on a snowy winter night results in serious consequences for young Dylan. And in Struck, a teenaged Claire gets caught in a rainstorm, opens a discarded umbrella she finds in a trash can, gets struck by lightning, then returns to her home to find that her circumstances are suddenly changing. Another middle-grade historical novel, Bright Shining Moment, from Second Story Press, centres on a dime that young Aline steals from her mother’s purse so she can contribute to a charity box at her school. That seemingly innocuous incident sets a whole series of circumstance into motion that might never have happened if not for the theft of that one thin dime.

I’d always wanted to explore the concept of an object triggering a series of linked events in longer form, and this is how I came to write my new YA novel from BWL, Happenstance. Telling the story of a lost-and-found moonstone ring from the perspectives of two young adults, Tara and Sophie, in two different voices was a gratifying challenge, one which I’d never attempted before. Each of the girls comes with her own unique backstory and her own set of experiences and struggles, friends and family, personality traits that affect her decisions, and her own intense soul searching as she begins her coming-of-age journey over the course of the novel. And it all starts with that sparkling ring. That object of everyone’s desire, or so it seems. The one that may or may not be endowed with magical properties. A ring that seemingly alters the course of two teenagers’ lives. Or maybe it was all just a matter of happenstance.

If you can recommend any object-based novels that held you spellbound as you eagerly turned the pages, please feel free to share them! Thanks!

 

Time: Screw the Bastard by Byron Fry

 

Fry, Byron - BWL Publishing Inc.

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Time: Screw the Bastard

 

 

   As a species, humans are nothing if not overly preoccupied with age. Some of us buy into the latest gadget, product or fad being lauded as a savior against the inevitable; some of us handle it in healthier, more active and natural ways. But at some level or other, we all have that nagging clock loudly reverberating around the back of our theater. It alters the performance of everyday goings on up in our attic, as it counts down the seconds before the arrival of what Eliot called The Eternal Footman.

     This has long been on my mind, even as a young man, not because I'm obsessed or unhealthy or overly morbid, but because I've spent my adult life in the Southern California entertainment industry. It's is an oddly surreal culture, in that we're conditioned to think that we have to be ageless. And I guess if somebody meets with the right level of success, they are--to the zeitgeist at any rate, in the same way that they're quickly forgotten if they don't achieve that success--but if we get visibly old, especially women, the phone tends to stop ringing. So hereabouts at least, it's not a baseless concern. And most of us are smart enough to know how stupid that is, and resent the vapid aesthetic that devalues the most experienced sector of the creative workforce. And of course, the entertainment industry isn't the only culture on Earth where this errant thinking holds sway.

     I'm a staunch functionalist at heart, so it's not actually as big a thing to me as it is to many around me. As I see it, those who would be concerned about age--as opposed to caring about what someone brings to the table professionally, or as a human--don't have the right mindset to work with me professionally or to be on my cloud, anyway.

     But whether viewed from inside or outside the plastic capsule of Hollywood, this stigma about getting older is a bad path: it makes us compare ourselves to who we used to be. And this focuses our energy 180 degrees in the wrong direction.

     I had an illuminating conversation with a good buddy one night when I was living in Mammoth Lakes, and the subject turned to this. My promo headshot was dated and I needed a new one, but I was concerned about not looking as young as I had used to. I'll never forget he said:

     "Ah, no, my man...that's not how it works, here's how aging works: It's not that you're older than you were yesterday. It's that you're younger than you'll be tomorrow."

     This simple sentence rocked me back on my heels, and has been my guiding tenet about the aging process ever since. Thus I herein impart it unto you, in hopes that it has the same effect on your efforts and life as it does on mine, namely:

     Get out and do it now. Do everything you can, every day, with whatever you've got. Pursue your time, don't be chased by it. The life you live--this incredible, mind-boggling thing that is existence as a living, thinking organism--will be fuller, and more fun. You can trust the Eternal Footman to be here on his own time.

     Until then, screw the bastard...and screw father time, too.

I Miss Snow

         

I miss snow.

I miss my flurry friend.
It's been a few years
since it's come for a lingering visit,
the kind that takes me back to my childhood
no matter the aches in my bones
and joints
or back
or hips
and head.

I miss the play. 

The dance in the sky

that drifts to my soul — 

those floating, fluttering, crystalline blossoms

that alight upon an eyelash 

delicate as a lover's kiss,

yet in numbers,

possess the power to halt the world.

I miss experiencing a clean slate, 

literally

then internalizing it, 

figuratively.

The calm and quiet 

muting, soothing, 

allowing a restless mind 

a few still moments.

I miss the reason for the word

cozy

after a workout shoveling.

Horses tucked in the barn

hay up to their knees

soft light on

floofy blanket and cat in my lap,

good book in my hand,

honeyed hot tea at my side,

good dog at my feet.

Life in a snow globe.

I miss my friend snow.

Let's get personal with donalee Moulton

 

In a recent post, I shared some questions I’m often asked about my writing. This month I thought I’d get a little more personal with some questions I’ve been asked about me personally. My answers are below.

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Tell us about your life outside of writing.

Life is good. It is filled with family, friends, and furry critters. There is yoga four times a week; I wish it could be more. That is, I know, I wish I could fulfill. There are wonderful times in the hot tub with the snow falling and bubble baths in the other times when the weather says it’s wisest to stay inside and soak.

Professionally, I’m writing short stories and novels, and doing more developmental, copyediting, and proofreading for writers. That is a joy.

What was the most difficult section/piece you ever wrote? What made it difficult?

That’s an interesting question. As a freelance journalist, I wrote on everything from intellectual property to the armoured truck industry to eel grass. Accuracy was paramount as was engagement. However, the most difficult piece I ever wrote was for “Lives Lived” in The Globe and Mail. It was a tribute to my mother following her death in 2020. It was so difficult to write because it was so personal. I had no perspective, and I feared I would not “get it right.” The only thing I know for sure: Mama, would have told me not to worry. And there would have been a hug.

Which books and authors do you read for pleasure? Is there an author who inspires you?

I relish reading. I was a judge in a Crime Writers of Canada’s recent Awards of Excellence, and I got to dive into more than 40 fabulous – and very diverse – books that kept me on my toes and my eyes glued to the page. When I was younger and I was discovering the wonder and wow of the mystery genre, I devoured authors like Tony Hillerman, Martha Grimes, Ruth Rendell. More recently I have discovered writers like Richard Osman. And Delia Owens’s Where the Crawdads Sing was nothing short of joyous.

What books have influenced you as a writer?

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.

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Was there a person who encouraged 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.

What is the best piece of advice about writing that you have ever heard or read? What would you tell aspiring writers today?

Write. This sounds simple. Many days it isn’t. Some call this dedication, others devotion. I’m not sure it matters what it’s called as long as it happens. You will never be a better writer, you will never write another book if you don’t sit down in front of your computer screen and begin to put words in front of you.

BWL Publishing Inc. New Releases for February 2025

ALL IN THE FURRY FAMILY

Eileen O'Finlan

https://bookswelove.net/o-finlan-eileen/

Can a cat be a bridezilla?  In Fauanburg she can in this delightful sequel to All The Furs and Feathers. 

 

The success of Oneness Park has brought big changes to town. Smokey is now Abigail Fluffington’s partner at Fluffington ArCATechture. Autumn Amelia runs the wildly popular Mama Cat’s Kitchen.

 

Two new neighbors moved in near the devoted cat sisters. One of them falls paws over tail for Autumn Amelia.

 

But it’s not all fun and games. Two strange cats are stalking Smokey. When she finally confronts them, she gets the shock of a lifetime.

 

Meanwhile, Greyson and Abigail Fluffington's wedding is threatened as Abigail keeps changing her mind about the menu, the cake, the flowers, even the invitations. Her antics are driving all the furs and feathers crazy!

 

Editorial Review – Nancy M. Bell

 

All in the Furry Family is an endearing sequel to O'Finlan's earlier All the Furs and Feathers.  Some suspected stalkers turn out to be a wonderful surprise and the big wedding of  Abigail and Greyson goes off without a hitch ~ well almost.

A totally enjoyable read.