Brick by Brick
Mary Cunningham May 8, 2008
Brick-By-Brick: One author's approach to series writing
The final proof for
Cynthia's Attic: Curse of the Bayou, book three in my 'tween fantasy series, was finally ready to be e-mailed to the publisher. The moment I hit "send," a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.
The Missing Locket and
The Magic Medallion had been a snap. Both completed in about a year, although editing and getting a publisher interested had taken about five. I wasn't sure another book was in me, but a cliff-hanger, written at the end of book two, obligated me to send Cynthia and Gus on one last time-travel adventure.
I intertwine old family stories and ancestors into my books, so I knew there was one last tale to tell. My great-great grandfather's disappearance. As the story goes, he was taking a load of
produce from his farm in Southern Indiana, down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. His flatboat was seized, along with the goods, and he was never seen or heard from, again.
What we recently discovered is that his "produce" was actually home-made bourbon! While the updated version of the story was slightly embarrassing for some members of the family, it cleared up a lot of confusion for me. I'd always wondered why someone would've been "done in" for a load of corn and soybeans.
But, back to the writing. I was compelled to send the twelve-year-old best friends back in time to find him.
I sailed through the first half of the story and then hit a wall. Not a wall that could be easily punched through with a couple days rest and diversion. This wall was solid brick—about five feet thick. I wrote. I deleted. I wrote more. I deleted. I paced.
Had I ever really written a decent paragraph in my life?
Desperation consumed me. The deadline approached. Nothing to do but call the publisher and admit that book three was a total bust. But, then I turned to my alternate source of creative energy. My husband. My biggest cheerleader and idea person. Although it would be difficult (not impossible) for him to ever write a book, his imagination was boundless.
We sat on our deck one evening, sipping wine and throwing out ideas. "What if Cynthia and Gus…?" he'd ask. "Or…oh, this is even better!" Although, ultimately, the story went in a slightly different direction, each idea was a sledge hammer blow…dismantling that wall brick-by-brick.
I finished the second half of the 35,000 word (approx) manuscript in about two weeks, and was pleased with the outcome. But, I made one huge mistake. I wrote another cliffhanger!
So, here I am. Six chapters into
book four and I've hit another wall. How fortunate that it's spring and we just moved the deck furniture outside. Looks like another brainstorming session this weekend!
About Mary Cunningham
Author,
Mary Cunningham, makes her home in the beautiful mountains of West Georgia with her husband, Ken, and adopted doggie, Molly. They are parents of three creative children, and a delightfully witty fifteen-year-old granddaughter.
The idea for the series,
Cynthia's Attic, came about through a recurring dream. After realizing that the dream took place in the attic of her childhood friend, Cynthia, the dreams stopped and the writing began. Three books, in the series are published and a fourth is in process. She is also co-writer of a non-fiction, women's humor book,
Women Only Over Fifty (WOOF).
Cunningham is a member of SCBWI (Southern Breeze Chapter), The Georgia Reading Association, and the Carrollton Creative Writers Club.
In between editing and getting her twelve-year-old characters, Cynthia and Gus in and out of trouble, the author enjoys golf, swimming and exploring the mountains.
Mary Cunningham Profile at OnceWritten.com
