BookView Review

Welcome to BookView Interview, a conversation series where BookView talks to authors.

Recently, we talked to Marilyn Whitehorse about her writing and her recently released  In a Pickle, a perfect blend of wit, intrigue, and profound insights on the human experience. (Read the review here).

What does your writing process look like? Do you have any rituals you must perform in order to do your best writing?

I like to write early in the morning—before the demands of the day take over. I write the first draft with a fountain pen in a notebook, letting the words flow from the right side of my brain, down my arm, and to the page. Then I transcribe to the computer. I have learned to leave myself a ‘thread’ at the end of every writing session so that I have something to come back to the next time. I think of the ‘thread’ like Hansel and Gretel following breadcrumbs through the forest.

I have learned that the story and the scene will unfold naturally if I sit quietly and put pen to paper. It’s when I force thinking/ writing that it goes sideways on me. I don’t ‘wait for the muse.’ Instead, I pick up my pen to let the muse know I am ready to take dictation. Depending on what’s going on in my public life—where I need to be, what needs doing—I carve out an hour or more to sit quietly and let my thoughts and the words flow.

I carry a small moleskin notebook and a fountain pen in my purse. I prefer to write where it’s quiet, but I can tune out the world and write in a café, an airport, while getting my car serviced… it doesn’t matter when I put my mind to it because the characters live with/in me and are anxious to have their say.

I utilize the recording settings on my computer and cell phone to read and then follow along as I read. I attempt to read exactly the words on the page, not what I think I wrote. Did I stumble while reading? That place needs to be fixed. I can also check for spelling, punctuation… all the little things that are really big things.

When it comes to editing for second/ third—however many—drafts, I print out the pages, then pick up my red pen. Corrections, additions, and subtractions are done in long sessions at the computer. Then another hard copy, attacking it with my red pen, until I am satisfied.

Who (or what) are your writing inspirations?

Danny Simon, a television comedy writer, opened my eyes to characterization.

And I learn from people in general. I listen to people and/or read stories that come to me every day. I swear, the weird things people do, think, and say… When I hear an outrageous story, I think, “As a writer, I can’t make this stuff up.”

I am a voracious reader, so I learn from every person who has put pen to paper. I read novels and short stories because I can learn something from every writer. I read non-fiction because I’m fascinated by the facts of this amazing world. I read biographies because folks lead compelling lives. I still read the classics because I was first introduced to them by my mother when she read Grimm’s Fairy Tales to me. “There’s a reason they’re grim,” she said, “Life being what it is.”

On top of writing, you are an artist who works in more than one medium. Have you learned anything from being a visual artist that informs your writing style?

One advantage I have as a person blessed with dyslexia is that I think in pictures. I see scenes unfold before my eyes as if I’m watching a movie. Then I transform those pictures to the written word. Many times, I hear the characters speaking to each other first, then write down the dialogue, and finish by describing where the characters are and what they’re doing when they are talking. Occasionally I refer to actual pictures to refresh my eye or memory.

On the other hand, the collages and photographs I create also tell a story. If the viewer is astute, they can read the story in the pictures.

How do you create characters that feel authentic and interesting, but are sufficiently different from one another?

Once, while standing over the stop bath in a communal black and white darkroom, I made the bold statement to my fellow photographers that I could write a novel about anyone. I don’t know if I could actually do that, but maybe…The point being, everyone has a life. Some are, perhaps, more interesting than others. What I got out of a religion class in my undergraduate studies was that there are many paths to the top of the mountain: some are blazing their own trail; some are following well-worn paths; and, as the saying goes, those who wander are not necessarily lost. Everyone has a story.

The breakthrough I had about understanding characterization came from a screenwriting workshop I took from Danny Simon. He said that there are a certain number of ‘plots’ in life: birth, childhood, the teenage years morphing into young adulthood, jobs (or lack thereof), first loves, friends, lovers and/ or marriages (betrayal, or lack thereof), children (or lack thereof), perhaps divorce (or lack thereof), death of loved ones, and eventual demise of self. It’s not what happens—because some of these events are bound to happen as we go about our lives. It’s about how each person reacts to what happens. Therein lies the key that unlocks the story. When he made that statement, I felt like I’d been kicked in the stomach by a horse. Suddenly I understood, and I’ve never looked at people, or life, the same way since.

Do you have a favorite chapter or sequence from In a Pickle?

I don’t like to play favorites. The book is written as a literary romp—a light-hearted, semi-sarcastic journey. I enjoyed writing all of it, and I hope the reader enjoys reading it in the same spirit.

What’s one thing you’ve learned as a teacher of the English language that helps your writing?

I’ve learned that clear writing means clear thinking. Gamboling about in writing just leads to confusion. Together, my students and I unpack the grammar in sentences, which reminds me of my teacher instructing me in the basics of diagraming sentences in the fourth grade. Later, in graduate school, I dove into the grammar and vocabulary of English much deeper. Instead of thinking of myself as a teacher of language, I am comfortable with being a perpetual student.

What’s next for you?

Currently, I’m working on Book 3 in the Reverend Sweetie Bird series. I also write non-fiction shorter pieces that often end up in literary magazines. And then, there are always the collages and photographs… I’m most satisfied and grounded in my life—public and private—when I’m creating.

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