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Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Writing What's Real - IWSG March 2020


It's IWSG Day. The goal of this blog hop is to share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds. IWSG is the brainchild of Alex Cavanaugh, our brilliant ninja leader. Co-hosts for the March  IWSG are Jacqui Murray, Lisa Buie-Collard, Sarah Foster, Natalie Aguirre, and Shannon Lawrence! To read other contributors, click here. 

March Optional Question: Other than the obvious holiday traditions, have you ever included any personal or family traditions/customs in your stories?

I can’t recall including personal customs or traditions in my stories, but I've used snippets (or more) from real life. They say write what you know. In my theory, mining real experiences makes writing feel more legitimate to readers.  

To that end, I’ve written fiction using details from real life such as:      

  •  An 1800’s estate formerly located in my home town an eccentric millionaire filled with amusements, including bear pits, an under grown grotto, saloons, restaurants and a "pleasure lake." Long gone to ruin, the entire area is now populated with large homes. All that’s left is the lake and occasional pieces of statuary my friends used to encounter when playing in the woods when we were young. Confession time. The Beneficiary, the novel I’m currently querying, includes a fictional representation this estate, which I wrote without ever seeing it. Yes, it was in my home town, but unless you knew property owners in the area, it was inaccessible. I closed that loop this past summer when my sister-in-law, who lives with my brother in the house where we grew up, took me on a hike down a relatively new nature trail they’ve created that leads to the lake.
  •  A memorial to the victims of a shipwreck off the coast of our town, a Celtic cross sitting high on a mound in the middle of our local cemetery. The boat left Galway in the fall of 1849 making it just shy of Boston before hitting ledge during a storm. Of the ninety-nine passengers (+/- but that’s another story), twelve made it to shore, forty-five were buried in a mass grave in our cemetery and the rest were unaccounted for. A quiet mystery remains. The memorial is not located at the burial site and no-one seems to know where the real grave site is. In the same cemetery, which is run by a private group, there is an unmarked plot of land that I suspect is the grave, but those who may know, aren’t saying. The questions surrounding this wreck triggered me to write my book, This Side of Here.
  •  My grandmother’s backyard, most likely tilled by an avid gardener before she bought it. It featured a grape arbor and rectangular gardens edged in red brick. Her property abutted an empty lot that climbed to the road across from a Catholic church and school. A character from This Side of Here disappeared from a similar yard. Aha. Wait. I've just remembered a tradition. Early Easter mornings, we drove to my grandmother’s house before late mass. She always purchased two stuffed bunnies for my little sister and me and used them as a centerpiece on the breakfast table. After a feast of double-boiler scrambled eggs, bacon, grapefruit and honey buns followed by play time with those stuffed bunnies, it was off to church. If the weather allowed, we’d cut across her backyard to get there. Not a tradition I’ve written about before, but now, thanks to IWSG, I have. Whoops. Now that I think about it, I did write about this custom, including a recipe for her delicious eggs, here.
What traditions have you included in your writing?

16 comments:

Nick Wilford said...

Local legends retold over time can be described as traditions, so I think that counts! I haven't really written about anything like that in my local area, but this post inspires me to keep my eyes and ears open.

Jan Morrison said...

What excellent mining of local lore you've done! What was the name of the ship? Being a coastal broad I'm fascinated with ship wreck stories.

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

I agree. Incorporating snippets of real-life experiences adds a priceless layer of authenticity to any work of fiction. And you've included some terrific ones! That shipwreck story is intriguing... I wonder how many books it's inspired.

cleemckenzie said...

You've had a lot of real life to draw from, and it seems pretty interesting.

Dixie Jackson said...

I completely agree in that drawing on personal experience you create a realistic world for your readers. Even though most people read to escape, if the world you build isn't "real" to them, they won't invest in it. I love that you used your grandmother's backyard for inspiration!

Bish Denham said...

I can imagine all sorts of stories surround that house. Interesting stuff.

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

I think it's great that you are surrounded by such legends. What a great source to draw upon.

Sarah Foster said...

Those are all such interesting stories! I'm not surprised you wanted to write about them.

Carol Kilgore said...

These are so interesting! I have bits and pieces of things here and there, but not all are family traditions. Most are Texas things.

Debbie Johansson said...

What fascinating stories and great inspiration! Makes me want to find my own local legends. ;)

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

You live in a place with so much history and mystery. The mass grave story is creepy.

Joanne said...

sounds like you've weaved quite a bit. It's in your blood and writing. That's cool. I can't pinpoint exact stuff, but I know I've included snippets in poems and whatnot. As writers, sometimes we don't know what's drifted to the top of the brain and out the fingertips. Either way, it's magic.
Continued good luck on the query. Don't give up. It's spring - hope is eternal, my friend.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

These moments of real life will bring your stories to life. They are so interesting!

Empty Nest Insider said...

These are all great stories and I'm glad you finally got a closer look at the private lake. How fortunate to have such a caring and fun-loving grandma who went out of her way to bring you and your family an unforgettable Easter tradition!
I can't wait to hear more about your new book, Liza!

Julie

Tara Tyler said...

love your inspirations!
stories are everywhere just waiting to be discovered =)

and thanks for stopping by my Beast World campaign stop at Alex’s!

Tara Tyler Talks

Nithya said...

I agree, adding snippets from personal experience adds authenticity to the work. I liked that you used your grandma’s backyard for inspiration. It's so great that you are surrounded by amazing legends and it is a great source to draw upon. Thank you for sharing such an inspiring story !! Waiting for more. To find out more about the top IAS coaching in Chennai check out the link given https://www.chinmayaias.com/