Tina Birdsall
asked
Suanne Laqueur:
This question contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)[How could you let that happen to them?? (hide spoiler)]
Suanne Laqueur
This answer contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)[I had to clarify with Tina what she meant by "that" and "them," although I had an idea. She just finished Part III "David." It's rough. Poor Fish. How could Dais do it him? How could I do it to him?
It sucks putting your characters through hell. But therein lies the story.
The Man I Love was written from the outside in. I had written the bones of the romance of Daisy and Erik when I was in college. Then I put the manuscript away for a very long time, returning to it when I was in my thirties. The college narrative no longer interested me, it was a time long gone by and I had no connection to it anymore. But it occurred to me Dais and Erik were in their thirties, too. What were they up to? Were they together?
Almost immediately I knew they weren't. And not only not together, but completely out of touch. They had broken up badly. Why? What could have severed that unique connection? Well, what else...someone had cheated. Who? And more importantly, why? Neither Dais nor Erik is a thoughtless, cruel person. Or a particularly spontaneous person. Dais, especially, with her deep pragmatic streak. Her infidelity would be especially shocking but what could drive her to it?
While I was mulling that over, I wrote the bones of the reconciliation. So I had a beginning and end, and I began to work my way toward the middle. Something terrible had pushed Daisy off the edge of herself. And when I began to sketch out the idea of a shooting and its traumatic aftermath, it all began to fall into place.
How could I let it happen? It had to happen. It's the story. But nobody loves Erik like me. He's going to be all right. (hide spoiler)]
It sucks putting your characters through hell. But therein lies the story.
The Man I Love was written from the outside in. I had written the bones of the romance of Daisy and Erik when I was in college. Then I put the manuscript away for a very long time, returning to it when I was in my thirties. The college narrative no longer interested me, it was a time long gone by and I had no connection to it anymore. But it occurred to me Dais and Erik were in their thirties, too. What were they up to? Were they together?
Almost immediately I knew they weren't. And not only not together, but completely out of touch. They had broken up badly. Why? What could have severed that unique connection? Well, what else...someone had cheated. Who? And more importantly, why? Neither Dais nor Erik is a thoughtless, cruel person. Or a particularly spontaneous person. Dais, especially, with her deep pragmatic streak. Her infidelity would be especially shocking but what could drive her to it?
While I was mulling that over, I wrote the bones of the reconciliation. So I had a beginning and end, and I began to work my way toward the middle. Something terrible had pushed Daisy off the edge of herself. And when I began to sketch out the idea of a shooting and its traumatic aftermath, it all began to fall into place.
How could I let it happen? It had to happen. It's the story. But nobody loves Erik like me. He's going to be all right. (hide spoiler)]
More Answered Questions
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more




