From Fact to Fiction

I've been a freelance journalist and a non-fiction writer for over 30 years. Although I wrote a lot of (mostly bad, mostly juvenile) fiction between the ages of 11 and 21 I turned to non-fiction for a career because I figured I'd have a much better chance of making a living that way. So why did I write a novel? Funny you should ask.
I had no intention of writing a novel, ever. I wasn't interested in writing one, even though I'm an avid fiction reader. It just wasn't on my agenda, until one day, much to my enormous surprise, I suddenly HAD to write Playing the Genetic Lottery.
One of the reasons I became a journalist is because I'm extremely curious. I love being able to call up perfect strangers who are doing interesting things and ask them about their work. And one of the things I'm most curious about is people, and what makes them behave the way they do. One morning I received a phone call from a friend, who like me, is always questioning whether nature or nurture is more important in shaping a person. Kathy told me about a woman she had met the evening before. Her new acquaintance was the oldest of seven children and essentially raised her siblings because their parents both had schizophrenia. Knowing I'd authored and co-authored eight non-fiction books, Kathy wanted me to call the woman and help her write a book. Before I even thought about it I answered "No, I want to write a novel."
My pronouncement shocked both of us, especially me. I still don't understand why, but I knew I was destined to write what eventually became "Playing the Genetic Lottery."
At the time I didn't really know too much about schizophrenia. So I did what I always do when preparing to write about a subject. I started researching it. The natural first step would have been to talk to the woman Kathy wanted me to work with, but I was afraid of inadvertently stealing her story. So afraid, in fact, that I wouldn't even let Kathy tell me the woman's name. Instead I started reading everything I could get my hands on about schizophrenia. I combed the library and the bookstores, and I spent hours on-line. I also had numerous conversations with people who have schizophrenic relatives. Then I sat down and started creating Caitlin, my protagonist, and her world.
Writing fiction, I quickly discovered, gives a writer a lot of freedom. And freedom, at least for this writer, means a lot of fun. Sure, I wanted my book to be realistic, and used the fruits of my research to create realistic scenarios, albeit highly fictional ones. But the fun came in creating those scenarios, as well as a full cast of characters. As a journalist, I'm obsessed with accuracy, making sure I describe events exactly as they occurred and taking pains to spell every one's names correctly and get all the facts straight. As a novelist, I was unconstrained, and could just enjoy the ride.
And what a wild, enjoyable ride it was. Before I started writing I drafted a rough outline of how I wanted the novel to proceed, then completely ignored it. Instead, I let the characters and the story take me along where they needed to go. I loved getting lost in Caitlin's world, even though writing can be and often is hard work. I looked forward to turning on my computer and working on the book. After finishing a chapter, I start pondering on the next step. Like Caitlin does in the novel, I thought about the book every morning when I first woke up, and after completing a chapter would start daydreaming about the next one.
Another fun part, at least for me, was peppering the book with personal tidbits of information. For example, several of the characters in Playing the Genetic Lottery share birthdays with several of my family members. Several of the characters and locations share the names of my favorite elementary school teachers. My husband used to jokingly maintain that the current president was named Calvin Coolidge, so I worked Cal into the book as a private joke between Caitlin and her husband.

Terri Morgan is a freelance writer from Soquel, California. She has written thousands of newspaper, magazine, newsletter and web articles on hundreds of different subjects. She is the author or co-author of eight non-fiction books, primarily for young adults. Playing the Genetic Lottery, which was released as an e-book in November, 2011, is her first novel. For more information on the author, her books, and to read excerpts from Playing the Genetic Lottery, visit her website at www.terrimorgan.net. The novel is currently available as an ebook at www.smashwords.com/books/view/104186 and at amazon.com.. A paperback version is in the works.

I originally wrote this guest post for Morgen Bailey's blog. You can see the original, and check out her great blog at http://morgenbailey.wordpress.com/201...