My inspiration to write a novel began years ago in a Wyoming
writers group. We’d heard dime novels were making a comeback, so we each
decided to write one. How hard could it be? The books were short—one-hundred
pages or less.
Though the resurgence of dime novels was short-lived, I now had
a plot for a longer book. A young woman would tire of life in the big
city—Pittsburgh, to be exact—and move to Wyoming. Sad to say, that was the
entire plot. So, of course, my attempt to write the story quickly bogged down,
because it was going nowhere. But I didn’t give up. Instead, I read books about
writing, attended writing classes, workshops and conferences, joined another
critique group, submitted early chapters to contests to receive feedback from
judges—and kept working on the novel.
In the meantime, I wrote a nonfiction book about a street
ministry and another about a prison ministry. And I began leading Bible studies
in a women’s prison. That’s when the notion entered my head that the protagonist
would be a young woman who’d just been released from prison in Pennsylvania.
She would move to Wyoming to escape her past. But, of course, her past would
follow her and try to drag her back to that former life.
As you can see, my inspiration for Winds of Wyoming
did not come in a one-time “ah-ha!” moment. My path
to formulating a believable plotline was indirect and my journey to publication
long and slow, but I learned much about fiction writing along the way. Based on
reader feedback, the result was worth the delay.
did not come in a one-time “ah-ha!” moment. My path
to formulating a believable plotline was indirect and my journey to publication
long and slow, but I learned much about fiction writing along the way. Based on
reader feedback, the result was worth the delay.
---
Although debut novelist
Rebecca Carey Lyles grew up in Wyoming, she and her husband, Steve, currently live
in the neighboring state of Idaho. She enjoys the creativity and beauty that abound
throughout her adopted state as well as opportunities to hike, camp, snowshoe
and cross-country ski in the midst of God’s grandeur. Her nonfiction titles,
both available on Amazon, are It's a God Thing! Inspiring Stories of
Life-Changing Friendships and On a Wing and a Prayer–Stories from
Freedom Fellowship, a Prison Ministry. http://www.beckylyles.com ; http://www.widgetwords.wordpress.com
Will the past she hoped to hide imprison Kate Neilson again?
www.fliterary.com
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