Hunting for Gems

Our Guide 

Writing novels is like hunting for gems.

Several years ago, my mother and I went gem hunting in North Carolina two years in a row. The first year, we went to Hiddenite, one of those if-you-blink-you-miss-it towns, to sluice and pan for a variety of gems and to dig for emeralds. The mine was located out in the boonies, even more remote than the town itself. As I drove down the bumpy dirt road to get to the office, I passed chickens, a couple of stray dogs and a rooster.

When I finally spotted the long, covered sluice line surrounded by stacks of buckets filled with unprocessed, virgin ore, I was excited about what we might find. We sat at the sluice line for hours, sifting through the dirt and, not having any luck, decided we would try our hand at digging for emeralds. 

It was an incredibly hot day in August; sweat poured off of us as we trudged up hills, carrying heavy shovels and buckets. Again, no luck. We ended up sitting in the creek, panning for gems, letting the cool water wash over us. We didn’t find any “quality” gems there either but we learned a lot on that trip and had a lot of fun.

Our next trip, the following May, was to Franklin, which is advertised as the “Gem Capital of the World.” I’d done my homework and I was determined that, this time, we would find what we were looking for. We went to several different mines in search of star sapphires (referred to as "North Carolina rubies") but, after three days, we still hadn’t found any of the precious gems and we were beginning to get discouraged.

Our last day there, it rained on and off and was damp and chilly. We sat at the sluice line, shivering, with our hands submerged in the cold, running water, rinsing off and inspecting hundreds of rocks. By the end of the day, we had each found some stones, which we thought were promising, but we weren’t certain that they’d amount to anything. So, on our way out of town the next morning, we stopped at a local gemologist’s shop. Our suspicions were confirmed; we’d each found stones that we would later have cut and polished to produce beautiful, star sapphire rings!

Like gem hunters, we writers often have to sort through a lot of ideas, discarding most of them, before finding one that is worth keeping and developing into a novel but, as we write our story and, especially, when we finish it, we know that it was well worth it. And then, we do it again!

A Post About Nothing

I remember watching an episode of the Jerry Seinfeld show where Jerry and George were trying to come up with a subject for a TV Pilot and they were drawing a blank. I know exactly how they must have felt because there are many times when I sit down to write the weekly post for my blog and I struggle to come up with a topic. This is one of those times.

People often talk about writers’ block and, thankfully, when it comes to my fiction, I’ve never experienced it. But, when it comes to my blog, it’s a whole other story. Most topics about writing have been done to death and it’s difficult to come up with fresh ideas. So, I’ve decided to do what Jerry and George did. To write a post about nothing.

I’m thinking that this might be a good opportunity to open my blog to suggestions from my readers. Is there a topic you’d like me to write about in future posts? Do you have any questions about writing or publishing that I might be able to address? Or, any other questions? Please feel free to leave a comment if you do or you can send me an email. My contact information is on the "About the Author" page, which you'll find on the top right of my blog. I'd love to hear from you!

Why I love being a Writer - Part 3

While it's very exciting to start writing a new book, it's also very satisfying to type "The End" on a manuscript. Months of research, writing, rewriting and editing have come to an end. I always breathe a sigh of relief as I send a book off to my publisher. I can relax for a while, at least until it's time to go through my book with the editor, to choose a book cover and to begin to promote the book. 

But, my mind is free! No more writing in my head even when I'm not at my computer. A respite from jotting down ideas when I'm in the bathtub or driving in my car. Because that's what we writers do. When we're in the midst of writing a novel, it's constantly with us. Day and night. If that sounds like a bad thing, let me assure you that it's not. In fact, it's one of the joys of writing. But we all need a break once in a while, even from the things we love.

And I do love the process of creating. It all starts with a single idea. It could be something as simple as a snippet of conversation overheard in a restaurant, an expression on someone's face or, as in my case, the sight of an old Victorian when I went for a walk one day and wondered what would happen if those walls could talk.

That single idea begins to grow until, eventually, it blossoms into a complete manuscript. I send it out, sigh and then another idea takes hold of me and the process begins all over again. And, I wouldn't have it any other way!