A Book is Born

I know writers who can churn out of book in a year. But I’m not one of them. My novel, The Measure of Life was born as a germ of a thought about six years ago. That germ germinated slowly – very slowly — and metamorphized in plot and characters repeatedly. I knew I wanted explore the difficulties and pleasures of expat life, focusing on Rome, a place I’ve lived. And I wanted to write about marriage and family. But what was the best way?

The setting was a slam-dunk. Any novel needs a setting, even if it is only a room. I wanted to take readers away from their own locations to Rome, a big colorful noisy city filled with art and history, and for contrast, an island, where life was slower and quieter. In any novel there has to be a major turning point which can be solely psychological taking place in a character’s head or even in a memorable place One day on a visit to the Italian countryside the perfect location for a dramatic scene presented itself. An hour north of Rome near the town of Cerveteri is an archeological site – an area filled with Etruscan tombs from the 7th BC. The Etruscans ruled the area until the Romans finished them off around 300 BC. What better site for a death of some kind as a turning point? Location as inspiration.

Who would the main characters be? I knew my protagonist would be a woman expat from Seattle because I live nearby. But what was her life like before the move to Rome? Why is she there? What themes should the story have? What about the plot – should I develop it all on note cards or sticky notes and lock myself in, or should I come up with the beginning and the end and let the characters have their own way?

So many choices, so many moving parts, and each one affects the other. I think I’ll have a glass of wine!