Rebecca Reilly's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing-as-healing"
A Conversation with Rebecca Reilly-Author of Haunting Megan
The following interview was conducted on June 8, 2014 for a Northern California press release:
Tell us about your writing process. Did you map out all the details of your story in advance, or did your story evolve more organically?
I do not generally map out my stories. I love the creative freedom of organic writing. A conversation, a jog through the forest, or stumbling upon a new location triggers an idea. I dream through it, usually while I hike or jog. I want to know my key characters before I begin. But once I start, I am often surprised where my characters take me. Sticking to a map feels too much like writing a term paper.
The scenic mountain setting plays a huge role in your story. Were you inspired by any real-life locations?
Many of my favorite trails are in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. There is strength in the mountains. There are myriads of textures and all types of beauty. You can stand at a trailhead and choose very different journeys. And danger is always lurking. I like to think my characters take on one or two aspects of the environment in which they live.
Haunting Megan has some very dark themes: alcoholism, abuse, insanity, and murder. Is it a difficult or emotional experience to write about these topics?
It is always difficult to write when there is truth in the tragedy. Alcoholism ruins lives. Abuse ruins lives. But writing also heals. Reading can heal, too, or it can at least provide a needed escape from reality.
Are the events in Haunting Megan purely fictional, or did you draw from any real-life situations?
My mother was an abusive alcoholic, and many of the events of the opening chapters came from my childhood. I woke one night to my mother standing above me with a chef’s knife in her hand. Thinking back on those days definitely sparked the beginning ideas for Haunting Megan.
Where do you find inspiration for your characters?
Inspiration for characters bubbles and pops all around me! Sometimes, I see someone do something out of the ordinary at the grocery store and it sparks an idea. Sometimes a quirk in me, or someone I know, can develop into the basis for a character. Fortunately, there is so much good, so much evil, so much insanity in all of us that inspiration is not difficult to find.
Are there any characters in Haunting Megan to whom you particularly relate?
Much of Megan is modeled after me. Her insecurities, her brokenness, her need to protect are qualities that grew from my childhood. The love of a good man helped me see my value, accept my flaws, and grow into the woman I was created to be.
Tell us about your research process. What aspects of Haunting Megan required investigation and study?
Research is a big part of writing! I spent time in several mountain lodges and hiked many trails. I studied police procedures and psychiatric hospitals. But even little details, like what needs to be done to a motorcycle to make riding in winter feasible, and what wild animals do to dead bodies, need to be investigated.
Your books span a variety of genres. What draws you to the genre of romantic suspense? How does the experience of writing for this genre differ from writing comedic or children’s books?
When I have a few minutes to relax and unwind, my first choice is a good romantic suspense novel. When I hike or jog, I often ask myself, “What if…” questions that lead to plots of mystery and suspense.
I love to read and often devour over 1600 pages a week—so I explore a lot of different genres. I think the difference in writing varied genres comes not so much from the genre itself, but from the characters within that genre. The audience for whom I am writing plays a significant role, too. Creating a character for humor takes a sense of the ridiculous and a setting that matches. I’ll sound as crazy as some of my characters when I say this, but what and how I write comes down to the voice I hear in my head. I hear things differently depending on the character I’m writing, and the character depends on the genre. The mood, the tone of voice, and how I look at a setting all depend on how my characters feel. I even sit in a different body position depending on who is speaking in my writing.
Did your book change significantly in the rewriting process?
Absolutely! The story itself changes dramatically from dream to first draft (which is the fun of writing organically). My beta readers give me feedback that helps me know what aspects of the story I did not communicate well enough. And I get new ideas that help deepen characters, settings, mystery, humor, and more. My first book, “Into Dark Waters”, went through fourteen rewrites.
You have said that your characters sometimes surprised you and that you did not originally intend for this book to be a ghost story. Can you elaborate on your novel’s tendency to take on a life of its own?
The fact that my characters act and speak in ways I do not intend, surprises and delights me more than anything else in the creative process. I can’t explain it. I’ve tried to rewrite events to fit my idea, and my characters intrude even more forcefully. I rewrote the scene when the girls arrived at the lodge several times, and the ghost showed up in every edition. So I gave up and made Haunting Megan a ghost story…or is it?
What, in your opinion, is the message in Haunting Megan? Is there a lesson you wish to share with your readers?
The Bible says to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39). “As yourself” means loving yourself comes first—before you can love another with the depth and feeling healthy love should have.
You have the potential to do great things, to love grandly, to live well. You are gifted, talented, and worthy of love. It does not matter how the world has abused you, or what society says about you, you are worthy to be loved. Finding the grace God offers you, finding the wonders He designed in you, those things open up your world. Healthy relationships, whether they are between siblings, friends, or romantic, depend on you knowing your value. Love yourself and live in the confidence of knowing you are worth loving.
About the Author
Rebecca Reilly is a pastor and has been working in ministry for over thirty years. A wife and mother of two and grandmother of one, Rebecca enjoys hiking, jogging, and taking cruises. When she’s in her Northern California home, she works as a pastor of student ministries, a massage therapist, a health coach, and a writer. Rebecca enjoys writing mysteries (Into Dark Waters and Haunting Megan), but has also written humor (Diary of a Christian Woman: How I Used 50 Shades of Grey to Spice Up My Marriage), a children’s chapter book (The Geek Club), and two picture books (Heart of a Kitty and Jammers and His Flying Bed Adventure). Right now, Rebecca is working on follow-up novels in all four genres.
Tell us about your writing process. Did you map out all the details of your story in advance, or did your story evolve more organically?
I do not generally map out my stories. I love the creative freedom of organic writing. A conversation, a jog through the forest, or stumbling upon a new location triggers an idea. I dream through it, usually while I hike or jog. I want to know my key characters before I begin. But once I start, I am often surprised where my characters take me. Sticking to a map feels too much like writing a term paper.
The scenic mountain setting plays a huge role in your story. Were you inspired by any real-life locations?
Many of my favorite trails are in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. There is strength in the mountains. There are myriads of textures and all types of beauty. You can stand at a trailhead and choose very different journeys. And danger is always lurking. I like to think my characters take on one or two aspects of the environment in which they live.
Haunting Megan has some very dark themes: alcoholism, abuse, insanity, and murder. Is it a difficult or emotional experience to write about these topics?
It is always difficult to write when there is truth in the tragedy. Alcoholism ruins lives. Abuse ruins lives. But writing also heals. Reading can heal, too, or it can at least provide a needed escape from reality.
Are the events in Haunting Megan purely fictional, or did you draw from any real-life situations?
My mother was an abusive alcoholic, and many of the events of the opening chapters came from my childhood. I woke one night to my mother standing above me with a chef’s knife in her hand. Thinking back on those days definitely sparked the beginning ideas for Haunting Megan.
Where do you find inspiration for your characters?
Inspiration for characters bubbles and pops all around me! Sometimes, I see someone do something out of the ordinary at the grocery store and it sparks an idea. Sometimes a quirk in me, or someone I know, can develop into the basis for a character. Fortunately, there is so much good, so much evil, so much insanity in all of us that inspiration is not difficult to find.
Are there any characters in Haunting Megan to whom you particularly relate?
Much of Megan is modeled after me. Her insecurities, her brokenness, her need to protect are qualities that grew from my childhood. The love of a good man helped me see my value, accept my flaws, and grow into the woman I was created to be.
Tell us about your research process. What aspects of Haunting Megan required investigation and study?
Research is a big part of writing! I spent time in several mountain lodges and hiked many trails. I studied police procedures and psychiatric hospitals. But even little details, like what needs to be done to a motorcycle to make riding in winter feasible, and what wild animals do to dead bodies, need to be investigated.
Your books span a variety of genres. What draws you to the genre of romantic suspense? How does the experience of writing for this genre differ from writing comedic or children’s books?
When I have a few minutes to relax and unwind, my first choice is a good romantic suspense novel. When I hike or jog, I often ask myself, “What if…” questions that lead to plots of mystery and suspense.
I love to read and often devour over 1600 pages a week—so I explore a lot of different genres. I think the difference in writing varied genres comes not so much from the genre itself, but from the characters within that genre. The audience for whom I am writing plays a significant role, too. Creating a character for humor takes a sense of the ridiculous and a setting that matches. I’ll sound as crazy as some of my characters when I say this, but what and how I write comes down to the voice I hear in my head. I hear things differently depending on the character I’m writing, and the character depends on the genre. The mood, the tone of voice, and how I look at a setting all depend on how my characters feel. I even sit in a different body position depending on who is speaking in my writing.
Did your book change significantly in the rewriting process?
Absolutely! The story itself changes dramatically from dream to first draft (which is the fun of writing organically). My beta readers give me feedback that helps me know what aspects of the story I did not communicate well enough. And I get new ideas that help deepen characters, settings, mystery, humor, and more. My first book, “Into Dark Waters”, went through fourteen rewrites.
You have said that your characters sometimes surprised you and that you did not originally intend for this book to be a ghost story. Can you elaborate on your novel’s tendency to take on a life of its own?
The fact that my characters act and speak in ways I do not intend, surprises and delights me more than anything else in the creative process. I can’t explain it. I’ve tried to rewrite events to fit my idea, and my characters intrude even more forcefully. I rewrote the scene when the girls arrived at the lodge several times, and the ghost showed up in every edition. So I gave up and made Haunting Megan a ghost story…or is it?
What, in your opinion, is the message in Haunting Megan? Is there a lesson you wish to share with your readers?
The Bible says to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39). “As yourself” means loving yourself comes first—before you can love another with the depth and feeling healthy love should have.
You have the potential to do great things, to love grandly, to live well. You are gifted, talented, and worthy of love. It does not matter how the world has abused you, or what society says about you, you are worthy to be loved. Finding the grace God offers you, finding the wonders He designed in you, those things open up your world. Healthy relationships, whether they are between siblings, friends, or romantic, depend on you knowing your value. Love yourself and live in the confidence of knowing you are worth loving.
About the Author
Rebecca Reilly is a pastor and has been working in ministry for over thirty years. A wife and mother of two and grandmother of one, Rebecca enjoys hiking, jogging, and taking cruises. When she’s in her Northern California home, she works as a pastor of student ministries, a massage therapist, a health coach, and a writer. Rebecca enjoys writing mysteries (Into Dark Waters and Haunting Megan), but has also written humor (Diary of a Christian Woman: How I Used 50 Shades of Grey to Spice Up My Marriage), a children’s chapter book (The Geek Club), and two picture books (Heart of a Kitty and Jammers and His Flying Bed Adventure). Right now, Rebecca is working on follow-up novels in all four genres.
