If You Write It, They Will Come

Lately, with the advent of spring and opening day of baseball season in the air, I'm reminded of one of the most popular baseball movies--Field of Dreams. I think what made this story so compelling was the strong faith and, yes, hope demonstrated by the main character. Based solely on a voice he hears, he plows down his cash crop corn field and builds a baseball playing field. To what end? his friends, neighbors, even family ask. At first, even he doesn't know why. That's where the faith comes in. I'm not in this instance talking about faith in the scriptural sense (although there are clear parallels in the movie), but instead faith in that voice in his head that says to step out and do something absurd, risk exposing oneself to ridicule, but do it with conviction and believe that the end result will make it all worthwhile.

How is writing a book any different from building a ball field in the middle of nowhere? Authors have to listen to that voice in their heads, the one that won't be ignored, then step out and do something so crazy your friends shake their heads, maybe even discourage you from continuing. When you put your writing out there, you are exposing the story, the characters, the writing, indeed yourself, to judgement from any and all. Who with a lick of sense would do such a thing? Writers of faith. Writers who believe if they write the story, the readers will come. Writers who have a story to tell that won't shut up and leave them alone. Writes who are willing to risk their "cornfield," whatever that may be, to do what they must do.

Now I have a story of faith to tell. I had told myself I was through with horses after a long, long run of bad luck, heartache, and financial depletion through vet bills. Quite a shame, really, since I've got a warm barn, an arena with good footing, a large stock of hay and years working with horses. But recently I started to let the idea of getting another horse seep into my consciousness. "Just for fun," I told myself, I started looking at horses for sale, but what I wanted was either out of reach or would be sold out from under me before I had a chance. Once, a major blizzard hit the day I was to go try one. It was as if fate were pushing me away, pushing in another direction. "If you build it, they will come" is one of the most repeated, often parodied tag lines from the Field of Dreams movie, but in the end it is something we all want to believe. If we prepare, if we believe, the cosmos will put the pieces together in just the right order. And that's what happened. Out of the blue, the horse came, but not at all in the way I'd imagined. Quite unexpectedly he fell in my lap--a beautiful 17 hand Thoroughbred, a lovely mover with a kind, forgiving nature. But just how this happened--I'm saving that bit of the story for another time...stay tuned!

Make Readers Care by Lisa Trovillion

Ideas.  Where do they come from? I maintain that all creative ideas spring from one’s own experience. Whether you are a writer who dreams up imaginary worlds full of fanciful creatures and apocalyptic events, or a writer who drops characters into a precise historical setting, the story you create comes in part from your own experience.  What we hope to do as writers is make the reader care. Care about something! In order to do that, you have to reach down inside and find that thing--maybe hiding in a dark corner of your memory--and drag it out for all to see.  It can be hard. It can be embarrassing.  Maybe even a bit painful.  But if we’re committed to making others care, we have to rely in some measure on our own truest emotions and experiences. And that doesn’t necessarily have to mean unpleasant experience. There are writers who lift us up, make us laugh, give us a sense of hope and inspiration. But to do so they are still stirring the embers of their past experiences, no doubt.  So now, while reading a book, I often wonder how much of it was “true” for the writer.  I suspect it was the portions that touched me the most.  How much of your novel is true?  How “true” is your story and where do your ideas come from?  Below, a picture of my Oldenburg mare, Dorrie, pondering whether she'll feature in my next novel.