Heather Huffman's Blog, page 36

Dream, Dream, Dream

When I was a little girl, my older sisters would sing that old Everly Brothers song ad naseam. Every time I joined in, they told me I sounded like a dying frog. Ah, family.

Anyway, back to dreams.

Why? Because my novels often start with one. Only it's not a normal dream—it's much more movie-like, and it's just one scene. Although I only get to watch part of the "movie," and it's seldom the opening scene, I wake up knowing something deeper about the characters and their lives than what was revealed in the snippet I saw. Somehow, I understand who they are.

I know instinctively that it's a book and spend the next several days contemplating the people, their lives and their story. I do ridiculous amounts of research during this time. I probably don't want to know how many watch lists I'm on, thanks to Google searches on things like Bulgarian organized crime, firearms and human trafficking.

Sometimes days turn into months. I think about the characters while I'm driving, cooking dinner or folding laundry. I picture them in my head. I watch movies with the actors that would play them if it were a movie. I wait until the story is ready to be told. It has to simmer until the time is right.

Maybe it's because I'm looking for it, or maybe it's providence, but something usually happens in my life during that simmer-period that makes the rest of the novel begin to take shape. Take Throwaway for example, I knew I was writing a story about a prostitute and a cop—I'd seen them meet and I knew they were crazy about each other no matter the cost—but I had no clue where they were headed. Then I visited Honeybranch Cave during a family reunion. As I walked through, listening to the history of the place, I knew in my heart that cave would be important to their story.

That missing ingredient was the spark I need to start writing. Once I start, the story flows quickly. Some, like Ties That Bind, are finished in three weeks. Throwaway took six. Some draw on forever before I find my spark. Once I have that, the story begins to tell itself.

What's With the Graffiti?

graf·fi·ti (gruh-fee-tee):

markings, as initials, slogans, or drawings, written, spray-painted, or sketched on a sidewalk, wall of a building or public restroom, or the like. (Dictionary.com)

graf·fi·to: Archaeology. An ancient drawing or writing scratched on a wall or other surface. (Dictionary.com)

Since the world of the ancients, mankind has been etching drawings on cave walls, the sides of buildings and railcars, eager to leave their mark on the world.

Graffiti is a recurring element in my novel Throwaway—one that encourages the heroine, Jessie, to leave her own mark on the world.

That's why graffiti is a recurring element on the blog. I hope each of my novels in some way encourages others to go out and leave their mark on this world.

That's also the origin of the graffiti party. Every so often, I'll throw a graffiti party—an evening of fun and a chance to literally leave your mark. If I have paperback copies of my books when a party rolls around, they are offered for sale and I'm happy to sign them. More than a book signing or even a great get together, the graffiti party is about taking what you love and the talents you have to leave your mark on this world.
 
I'd love for the graffiti party idea to grow into something bigger… a sense of community, a way to connect volunteers with opportunities to make a difference—to be honest, I haven't figured out all of the possibilities. They're a work in progress.

Feel free to join in the conversation to help me figure it out!