I’m out and about tonight–in Atlanta, Decatur more specifically–for a Q & A and reading by Sheri Joseph to celebrate the release of her new novel, Where You Can Find Me. The event was sponsored by the Georgia Center for the Book and held at the Dekalb County Library. One of her writing partners, the novelist Susan Rebecca White, who read Sheri’s novel in progress, asked the questions. It turns out Sheri wrote a 400-page pre-novel in order to have the backstory with which to write this new novel. That’s right–400 pages.
Caleb’s abduction at age 11 is a given. The story of the novel is what happens after he comes back home. But Sheri felt she had to write the story of the abduction in order to discover the story of what happened afterwards.
Her first novel Stray, which I loved, was published in 2006. Six years and two trips to Costa Rica later, she’s already working on the next one, about which she says “No book teaches you to write the next one.”
Off I go to read. Chapter One. First sentence…
The Vincent house had been new when they bought it, when Caleb was four and Lark an infant.
“No book teaches you to write the next one.” Amen to that statement. Writers (published or not) are perennial students. We would be wise to learn from Sheri Joesph’s 400 page pre-novel.
That’s the truth : )
Wow! 400 pages just to get to the first page. That’s dedication.
I know. It’s amazing. And, as a writer, it makes me feel better. Somehow it puts it all in perspective.
And here’s something weird? Your comment was #4000. 400 pages and 4000th comment…