Writing
What You Don’t Know
We’ve all heard that we
should write about what we know. But what if you find out about a project that
you don’t know anything about but would like to learn?
I discovered since I
started writing seriously that I love history. I met up with Mary Davis at an
ACFW conference and asked her what she
was working on. She said she and three
other authors were putting together a proposal on the Pony Express. I said if
there was an opening, I’d love to join.
I told my husband about
this meeting, and he said, “Sounds like an excuse for a road trip.” So I researched
the Pony Express and learned that the only station in Colorado was in
Julesburg. So we picked a long weekend and set out. Along the way, we stopped
at the visitor center at Sterling, Colorado. I asked if they had information
about the Pony Express, and she showed me the couple of pieces they had. She
also said I should talk with the past president of the Colorado Pony Express
Association. She called him, Gary came down, and we spent an hour talking about
the Pony Express.
Prior to this trip, before
I even knew if I’d be able to get in on Mary’s collection, I’d visited the
library and read a bunch of stuff about the Pony Express. I’d researched
online, and I’d ordered a couple of books from Amazon.
A month later, Mary Davis
emailed and said one of the ladies had to drop out and now there was an
opening. Because I’d done the research, I was ready to submit a proposal.
What I’ve learned:
- Writing
only what I know boxes me in. Writing what I’d like to know allows me to
learn and explore. I don’t need to be an expert; I just need to know
enough to sound credible. If I don’t know a particular detail, I can
always look it up online or find a book with the information.
- Writers
conferences are great places to connect with other authors as well as with
agents and editors.
- The
more I learn about a subject, the more excited I get, and the easier it is
to write about it.
- No
matter the topic, there is a book, a museum, or an expert out there.
- Folks
love talking about their jobs. Plan to interview someone.
- Research
the kind of museum you’d like to visit—many have virtual tours if you
can’t physically visit.
About the Book
This
is a 9-in-1 novella collection from Barbour Books centered on the Pony Express,
which ran from April 1860 through November 1861. The Pony Express already seems
to be a romantic snippet of Americana, and so it seemed to make sense to write
a collection of historical romance set on the trail. My story, Echoes of the Heart, features a mail
order bride responding under an assumed name, a crippled station master who
thinks no woman will want him, and their search for a future—together or
separately.
About Donna
Donna lives in Denver with husband Patrick, her first-line editor and biggest fan. She writes historical suspense under her own name, and contemporary suspense under her alter ego of Leeann Betts. She is a hybrid publisher who has published a number of books under her pen name and under her own name. Her current release, Echoes of the Heart, a 9-in-1 novella collection titled "Pony Express Romance Collection" released April 1. Donna is also a ghostwriter and editor of fiction and non-fiction, and judges in a number of writing contests. She will be teaching an online course for American Christian Fiction Writers in June 2017, “Don’t let your subplots sink your story”. Donna loves history and research, and travels extensively for both.
Great interview! I love how you had the research out of the way when they came to you with an opening. Can't wait to read this collection!
ReplyDeleteI agree, Sally. Thank you so much for stopping by!
DeleteWelcome, Donna! I completely agree that sometimes writing outside the knowledge box turns out the best results...IF the author actually does the necessary research.
ReplyDelete