My Writing

I started writing a novel in Sept. 2008, the very first day that I started Liam in preschool. My first idea, which had been ruminating through my mind for a couple of years, was to write a book of short stories that encompassed the lives of people in Argentina, with their daily problems and the culture behind them. I had them each lined up in a neat outline. They were supposed to be short novellas, ranging from 20-60 pages each. However, when I started writing the first one, and got to page 50, I realized my protagonist was not done going through her rediscovery journey. I struggled with this for a while because not only did I not want this to be a book on it's own, but because I was equally passionate about the other stories I had to write.

So I thought about it, turned to my husband, who is a good guide for me. He just said, "You have a good story, just write it. Don't worry about the page numbers. If your protagonist is taking you places, just follow her." So after much reluctance, I finally just let go and wrote. It felt good to make that decision and so I started working on a detailed outline for as long as I could see the story. And then the writing flowed easier, knowing where the story was headed.