Laura Elliot, author of Under a War Torn Sky, A Troubled Peace, and several other books for children and teens enters the room. As she begins her talk I realize that I am woefully unprepared; notebook-less, bookless, not even a pen on my person. What started as an interesting way to spend an afternoon has become an interesting article- and I’m missing it. After learning that I write for the online newspaper at BCC, Ms. Elliot pinpoints me for the next activity. My task: find out the story behind her unique shoes (black with golden bees) without sounding rude. Ultimately, I fail (not on the sounding rude part, but the gaining information), though Ms. Elliot divulges the story anyways. By this point I have decided that I just can’t let this opportunity pass. After her talk, I ask Ms. Eliot if I could email her a few questions. Lucky for me, she obliges. After a bit of back and forth and an incident with my Spam folder, my interview is complete.
Q: Why did you decide to become a writer?
A: I think I always wanted to write. I was writing and drawing illustrations for
little picture books when I was 6 or 7-years-old. Writing allowed me to ask
those “how-come” questions I think I mentioned on Saturday. It lets me explore
and try to understand the very special creature the human being is. I also grew
up in what was once a fairly rural part of this area and didn’t have a lot of
ready playmates. So imagining, making make-believe was a daily part of my life
as a child and I found very rich worlds and friendships in the stories I made
up and acted out with my many stuffed animals and pets.
Q: Did you consider/ pursue any alternate careers before becoming a writer?
A: I did think about being a professional musician for a while – I play flute
and piano. I have found my study of music to be very helpful in my writing – it
teaches pacing, rhythm, timbre, accents, building to crescendos, etc.
Q: What advice would you give students who hoped to become writers?
A: Write, read, keep your eyes open; watch and analyze the world with empathy
as well as criticism; try to feel – really feel—what others might be going
through or thinking. See my website for more specific advice:
http://lmelliott.com/about_writingandresearch.php
Q: What were your favorite books when you were in High School?
A: In high school? Like you, I was so busy with the books I needed to read for
those honor classes, and, of course, with music, that I am not going to seem
very original to you. But in high school I came to love the Brontës, Austen,
Dickens, Fitzgerald. I discovered Truman Capote, Pat Conroy, Tennessee
Williams, Flannery O’Connor—southern voices. I read a lot of poetry, (I really
liked Emily Dickinson—how can you not like someone who writes about bees as the “buccaneers of buzz”); the New Yorker, and biographies of musicians. I always
dipped into Shakespeare, there was a play-by-play collection in our library and
I liked to pick up the comedies and some of the tragedies. The histories I
waited for until college.
Q: Are there any authors/ family members that you looked up to who influenced
your decision to pursue writing?
A: Not someone who specifically influenced me to write. But I knew a lot of very
strong older women who had pursued careers (which was unusual when I was very
young.) I had a surrogate grandmother who had been a lawyer with the State
Department in the 1920s and 30s—who was smart and sharp, like Yoda! She
definitely encouraged me and by example showed the joy of always remaining
inquisitive and that a young woman could accomplish anything if she put her
mind to it.
Q: Is it hard to balance your family and writing?
A: Probably my list of to-dos last night is the best demonstration of how hard
it can be – BUT wonderful. I think being a mother makes me a FAR better writer,
and it has been a real joy to have my children so involved in my work. They are
my first and best editors, my inspiration. For A Troubled Peace, my daughter
traveled with me to France and served as my translator as she is fluent in
French now. My son was particularly involved with the research and helped me
build the characters of Give Me Liberty.
Q: How long does it take you to write a book?
A: The longest part of my writing is the research, because I write
historical fiction. Typically, I spend about 18 months on the research,
thinking, planning, and 6 months to a year writing and editing. Then there is
the editing and production process with HarperCollins that takes about a year.
Q: Have you ever thrown away a complete manuscript because you realized it
just wasn’t what you wanted?
A: Happily, I have not had to ditch an entire manuscript! But I have done
massive rewriting, even adding completely new characters to my first draft.
Flying South, for instance, did not originally have the character Bridget in
it. Annie, Between the States is the only book for which my editor (who is
wonderful) didn’t ask me to do some rewriting.
Q: What is your writing process? Do you know the whole story before you write
or do the characters come alive in the process?
A: Writing is an organic thing – I find that sometimes my best laid plans go
awry because characters do come alive and take me in new directions. Claudette
in A Troubled Peace grew into a very opinionated woman and basically told me
what I was to do with her! But I do have a pretty solid plot outline when I sit
down to write. I don’t just put my hands to the keyboard and wait for
inspiration. Thomas Edison said of invention that it was 10 percent
inspiration, 90 percent perspiration. I think that is very true! The trick is
knowing when to stick to your plans and knowing when to just follow your
instincts.
Q: What is your favorite part of writing a book?
A: Favorite part? When something flows and almost writes itself. It feels very
magical when that happens. I also love those eureka! moments when I find
something in the research that adds depth or crucial plot twists.
Laura Elliot is a local author who currently lives in Virginia. Before writing novels she wrote articles for the Washingtonian magazine.
To learn more about Laura Elliot visit: http://www.lmelliott.com/
Interested in her books? Check out this trailer her daughter and some friends created for her latest book and sequel to Under a War Torn Sky: A Troubled Peace. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJss9zXXkfU
