By
Mary Ellis
Write what you know…is a quote usually attributed to Mark Twain.
Twain might have been a great American novelist, but his advice better suits
authors of the 19th century. What are authors supposed to do in
the 21st century when expected to produce two or three novels a
year? As books become shorter and faster-paced, some writers are releasing
books faster than that. If as a full-time professional writer you only write
about subjects you’re familiar or experienced with, won’t you run out of story
fodder? On a personal level, how many stories about a schoolteacher, living on
the edge of Amish country, who loves gardening, animals and American history
will readers tolerate? Perhaps more practical advice for this day and age would
be: Write about what fascinates you, or perhaps the person you hope to one day
become.
I have reached the stage
when retirement isn’t a distant pipedream. As much as I love Ohio, winters have
grown intolerable. My husband and I are determined to live three or four months
of the year in the warmer and sunnier South. Recently we’ve combined our quest
for inexpensive spots to “snowbird” with my new mystery series.
The setting for my first
story was easy…New Orleans, a city we visited while family lived in the area
and many times since. After several stays in Cajun country I was playing the
washboard with spoons and cooking gumbo from a roux. My second
mystery, What Happened on Beale Street, allowed me to indulge my
love of the blues while researching Memphis and the Mississippi delta where
rice and cotton fields stretch to the horizon. For my current work in progress,
I prowled the streets of Natchez, a charming town overlooking the mighty
Mississippi where the police captain turned out to be the nicest person I ever
interviewed. As we check out new places to live, I’m discovering wonderful
spots for fictional dead bodies to wash ashore or characters to go missing.
If you’re looking for
new story ideas, why not consider places you’ve always wanted to visit? Start
with research at your local library and on the internet. Then create the
characters of your dreams. Maybe you can give them the talents you always
longed to have.
Your enthusiasm will
turn your story into a page-turner readers can’t put down. And just think…when
you visit the area to tweak the details, your trip becomes a tax deductible
expense. Sounds like a win-win situation, no?
________________________________________________________________
Mary Ellis has written
twelve award-winning Amish novels and several historical romances set during
the Civil War.Midnight on the Mississippi and What Happened on Beale Street are the first two
books of a new series, Secrets of the South Mysteries. Before
"retiring" to write full-time, Mary taught school and worked as a
sales rep for Hershey Chocolate. She lives in Ohio with her husband, dog and
cat and can be found on the web at: www.maryellis.net or https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mary-Ellis/126995058236
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