The Power of the Notebook

By Joy Ross Davis

I have to admit that I am a notebook hoarder. There’s nothing I love more than new brightly colored notebooks, but not because of the color. I love them because each one holds possibilities. For me, a new notebook means a new novel.

My most recently-completed novel began three years ago as I sat at my breakfast nook one morning having a cup of coffee. I began to see images of people, images of places—familiar places—and though I didn’t know the people, I kept seeing them until I’d given each one an identity. In my notebook, I jotted down names and physical characteristics. I wrote little snippets about the town where they lived in Ireland.  

From the images that I saw, I knew the time frame must be in the early 1900s. One particular image captured me more than the others. It showed a young woman drowning in the waters of a great body of water, and it brought to mind my fascination with the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915, yet I had no idea how a young Irish woman would be sailing on the great ship, and while research provided me with facts, I had to keep searching for personal accounts of the incident.

My notebook began to take on page after page of notes, but I hadn’t yet begun a story. And what was the point of all the notes if I couldn’t come up with a story? But then, most of my works have begun this way. I see the same images repeatedly, and then I begin to record what I see in a notebook.  But the entries I’d made were random and seemed to have no connection to each other. At this point, they covered several events of note, mostly political, in Irish history and spanned about twenty-five years. And because I had no desire to write about politics or riots or killings, very few of them were helpful.

So, I began delving more closely into the personal accounts of the Lusitania disaster. With the help of the Google search engine, I’d found several, but most of them were from crew members who’d miraculously survived the sinking. And though these were helpful, what I needed was something more personal. After all, one of my new characters would be directly involved. She would be the young woman I’d seen drowning in the waters.

For about a week afterwards, I’d go through my notebook in the mornings, hoping that something I’d jotted down would give me the kernel I needed for the new story. And then one morning, I had that moment, the one that says, “That’s it. There’s your story!”

I grabbed my highlighter—the green one—and drew a circle around a very short entry I’d made months earlier about a tiny town in Ireland becoming famous as the site of an international GeoPark. I’d been to the town and I’d seen the wondrous caves, the underground lakes, and the natural stone carvings first hand. And because I knew the town so well, I was quite comfortable installing my new characters as residents.

The now-tattered, lime green notebook had served its purpose. A book was being born, slowly but surely.

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Joy Ross Davis is of Irish descent and a student of the lore and magic found in the hills of Tennessee. After a twenty-five year career as a college English professor, she traveled to Ireland and worked as a writer and photographer, publishing numerous travel articles and photos for an Irish travel agency. She has been a contributing feature writer for a local newspaper and has published articles in Southern literary magazines. She lives in Alabama with her son and beloved dogs. She loves to speak at conferences, book club meetings, and events to share her connection with angels and the stories behind her books. Contact her on Twitter @joyrossdavis or Facebook.  Check out her boards on Pinterest.   

Last Step: Keyboard

By Joy Ross Davis

When I first began to write for publication, I did what many writers do: I read books about writing, lots of books. Some were helpful; others not so much. I thought I might find a formula, a tried and true method of writing the right way. I’d read about writers who sat down at the computer and stared at a blank screen waiting for the Muse to descend, itching for their fingers to fly across the keyboard and spill forth greatness. I am not one of those writers.

My process doesn’t begin at the keyboard. It begins far earlier, usually when I’m showering, folding laundry, or making a tuna sandwich, and it begins not with a machine but with a voice, a phrase, or even a conversation that sneaks into my mind while I’m busy doing something else.  The fact is that I hear their voices.

My characters talk to me in snippets long before I know who they are, and for me, this is always how my writing has begun…with a voice in my head, a character who wants to come to life on paper. The one thing I’ve learned through the years is to listen to those voices and to jot down the words I hear. For that very reason, I am a Post-It Note hoarder. In every room of my house, there is at least one of the long, lined “sticky” notes—blue, green, or pink (I’m not fond of yellow) and a pen or pencil. In my rather large kitchen there are two: one by the coffeemaker and one on the table.

My most recent publication is a story about a mute orphan named Bitty Brown. Her name came to me as I showered one night, so I stepped out of the shower and wrote down the name. Over the course of the next few weeks, I heard more and more from her, and even though she is portrayed as mute, she “told” me her story in bits and pieces. She talked to me about her life. I jotted down all the details as she gave them to me.

And then I researched to find out more, and what I discovered became the backdrop of the story.

For every piece of writing that I’ve published, this is my process. It never begins with a keyboard but always with a voice inside my head that needs to be heard. And it’s my job as a writer to do my research, find out what I can, activate my imagination, and give life to that voice.

I’m not sure whether all writers hear these voices, but I’m fairly sure that no matter how a character comes to a writer, whether through research, dreams, notes, or even showering, our characters come to us for one reason. They want life, and they long for us to get to the keyboards and tell their stories. _____________________________________________________________________ 

Joy Ross Davis is a college English professor who retired in 2005 to care for her mother, who suffered from dementia. As a release, the author began to document some of the more humorous and poignant moments as a full-time caregiver. These became articles which were published in a local newspaper. Later, they were compiled into a memoir entitled, Mother, Can You Hear Me? In addition to writing and teaching, she has worked as a travel writer and photographer in Ireland. To date, she has worked with Helping Hands Press to publish five novellas. She has also published a cozy supernatural mystery novel. She lives in Alabama with her son and three beloved rescue dogs. 

Writing Amidst Those Choppy Seas

By Joy Ross Davis

I know a few writers who plot out their stories carefully and have the whole story ready before they begin to write.  For me, writing is similar to swimming in a tumultuous sea of thoughts and ideas.

Amidst the many waves of ideas, my stories come to me haphazardly, and they begin with a scene. I will see a new character, usually with a name, and know immediately the character’s purpose. The scene itself tells me what and who the character is.

For example, I had a deadline to meet for a Civil War novella. I struggled to come up with something fresh and new, but I was at a loss. Then one morning as I stared out across the yard, a character floated into my mind. I saw him sitting outside a tent. I knew immediately that he was a sutler and that his name was TuckerD. 

My next step in navigating the treacherous waters of writing is to envision an ending. I thought of my new character, what he might be, what he might do, and over the course of a few days, I knew how his story would end. I could see it, every part of it.

And that is how my writing process happens. A character is given to me, and as I think on that character, I am able to see how that story will end. The ending must be fixed before I begin writing.

Granted, I don’t know details. I know the main character. I know how the story will end and how that character fits. What is left is to dive deeply into the waters and discover the shimmering jewels I need to create everything in between.  

Though it might be an unusual method for writing a novel or a story, it is the one that comes most naturally to me. Knowing the main character and knowing how the story will end serve as my guidelines in creating the spectrum of the story.

Sometimes, when I explain that I can’t begin a story unless I know the ending, I get strange looks, but knowing the ending of the story tells me exactly what I need to know to create the rest of it. That ending is crucial to the movements, actions, and gestures of every other character. Everything must fit together in order to make the ending satisfying. Otherwise, the waves will overwhelm my tale, and it will be lost.

My way might not fit everyone, but perhaps it could be a guideline for other writers. The delight in creating, for me, comes within the various waves, storms, and tides of the story.  Having the ending clearly in my head serves as a lifeline to keep me on course as I navigate the choppy seas of writing.  

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Joy Ross Davis is a student of the lore and magic of the back hills of Tennessee. She writes imaginative fiction featuring unusual angels as main characters. She has lived and worked in Alabama for most of her life. She has a Ph.D in Creative Writing, and for many years, taught English at a local community college. She retired to become a caregiver for her mother who suffered from dementia. For several months in 2007, she lived in Ireland and worked as a travel writer and photographer.  She is currently teaching English online and English in the classroom. She lives in Bessemer, Alabama, with her son and three rescue dogs. Published works available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble: Countenance (Ecanus Publishing, 2013), Emalyn’s Treasure (Helping Hands Press 2013), The Transformation of Bitty Brown (Helping Hands Press 2014), The Sutler of Petersburg (Helping Hands Press 2014), Sisters Divided (series) (Helping Hands Press), Mother, Can You Hear Me? (Helping Hands Press 2014) She documented her experiences with her mother in a series of articles for a local newspaper. The articles titled, “Mother, Can You Hear Me?” have also been featured in Muscadine Lines, a Southern literary magazine and are now available in paperback. Her first novel, Countenance, published in 2013, is the tale of a haunted B and B under the care of a renowned chef. Since that time, she has published four novellas and one Civil War short story, all available in paperback. Join me at Website: http://joyrossdavis.com  Twitter: @joyrossdavis Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jdavisangelwriter Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/Joy-Ross-Davis-Author-256923284485421/?ref=hl Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Joy-Ross-Davis/e/B00BNKKR90/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1451751325&sr=1-2-ent

Writing in Ireland, My Irish Blessing

By Joy Ross Davis

In 2007, I was blessed with a summer internship as a travel writer and photographer with a travel agency in Ireland. It was a gift, a miracle that changed my life.  

As a travel writer and photographer, my job was to travel across five counties of Ireland, find remote, lesser known places that American first-time visitors would enjoy, photograph them in the best light, and then compose an enticing article that would actually make visitors want to see them. My basic assignment was to turn in ten articles and twenty photos each week.

Given the weather in Ireland—usually cool and rainy—I discovered that nothing in my suitcase would work as traveling clothes, as many of the remote destinations required long walks through fields of stinging nettle. Gone were the nice pants and blouses I’d brought, replaced now by heavy sweat pants, long sweaters, and most importantly, a pair of Wellies (boots).  

The first two weeks were chaotic as I tried to figure out how to visit the sites, take great photographs of them, and then write interesting articles. Steeped in history and myth, I was more concerned with the legend than the place itself, so I spent hours interviewing people, talking to local about the particular site, and generating ideas. In short, I spent hours wasting my time!

Finally, in desperation, I settled into a routine. When I’d visit a site, I would take along a small notebook that fit inside my camera bag. I’d spend some time reflecting on the beauty of the place, taking many more shots than were required, and in general, coming to know each place. I wrote in hotel lobbies or dining rooms at B and B’s, Internet cafes, libraries, and soon, I established a fixed routine.

And this was my Irish blessing.

My entire writing life changed during my stay in Ireland. I learned that I could write anywhere and under any circumstances. I became a better photographer and found that images inspired my best writing.

Photographs continue to inspire me as nothing else does, and at times, I feel an instant spiritual connection. The story comes, then, and no matter where I am the ideas flow. My Irish blessing generated a new source of inspiration, one that still guides my writing today. And for this small miracle, I am grateful.

I have shared my pictures of my Ireland travels to illustrate this blog post. Photo 1: Welcome: The third photo is one of the interior of the formal gardens at the castle. It is quite a stunning place. Photo 2: Castle Lough Rynn....Exterior of the Castle Lough Rynn. This photo was used on the cover of a travel brochure. Photo 3: Baronial Hall....The photo of the interior of the castle includes a pink sofa on which I would perch myself with my laptop and a cup of tea for hours at a time to write! Notice that the fireplace holds a likeness of Queen Victoria.  

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Joy Ross Davis lives in Bessemer, Alabama. A student of the lore and magic of the back hills of Tennessee, she writes imaginative fiction. She has a Ph.D in Creative Writing  and for many years, she taught English at a local community college. She retired to become a caregiver for her mother who suffered from dementia. She documented her experiences with her mother in a series of articles for a local newspaper. The articles titled, “Mother, Can You Hear Me?”, have also been featured in Muscadine Lines, a Southern literary magazine. For several months in 2007, she lived in Ireland and worked as a travel writer and photographer for Tourism Ireland. She is currently teaching English online for the University of Phoenix. She lives with her son and three rescue dogs. Her published works include; Countenance, Emalyn’s Treasure, The Transformation of Bitty Brown, The Sutler of Petersburg. Her social media links arewww.joyrossdavis.com  https://www.facebook.com/jdavisangelwriter

@joyrossdavis