Q&A with Amy Greene discussion

One of the things I’ve been asked about most is my writing process. This is the place for your questions about the whats, whens, and hows of writing Bloodroot.

Hi again-

I have given myself the nickname of being a literary groupie. Instead of rock music, I find that I am fascinated by authors and hearing of their process for creating art. Amy, did you have the entire story mapped out in your head before you began writing or did you literally just sit down one day and begin? Which character came to life first?

Hi Amy, I loved your book, it was truly a stand-out story in my mind. I read it last year and it still sticks with me. However I found your layout to be different, not bad, just different. Was there a particular reason you wrote books with no chapters? (Forgive me for I have no writing background whatsoever!)

Hi Amy,

My question is kind of related to Kyle's question. Do you prefer to write long-hand or on a word processor? I find that when I write on a word processor I have the tendency to constantly edit. Do you ever come across roadblocks like that?

Kyle wrote: "Hi again-

I have given myself the nickname of being a literary groupie. Instead of rock music, I find that I am fascinated by authors and hearing of their process for creating art. Amy, did you ..."

Hi, Kyle! Thanks so much for joining the discussion. Actually, I didn’t begin writing Bloodroot with any sort of plan. It started with this image I had of a woman with black hair and vivid blue eyes living in the mountain woods with her twins, hiding from some kind of danger. I was mostly interested in exploring the characters, not knowing at first whether or not a story would evolve. I just picked up my pen and wrote. Those first pages were more like elaborate character sketches than anything else, which made the first draft fairly easy to write. I used the voices of people I’ve known and loved my whole life for my characters. The grandmother, Byrdie, was especially easy to get right, probably because I’ve been raised by women like her, growing up in a rural part of East Tennessee. And, while Myra is the heart of the story, I didn’t begin it with her. In a way, I got to know her through the other characters whose lives she’d turned upside down. I wrote about her son, Johnny Odom, first. Somehow I identified with him the most, maybe partly because I made him and his twin sister Laura my age. He also turned into a writer almost against my will, even though there are inherent challenges involved in being a writer writing about a writer. It’s hard to do well, but I guess some part of me couldn’t help seeping into the narrative.

Janelle wrote: "Hi Amy, I loved your book, it was truly a stand-out story in my mind. I read it last year and it still sticks with me. However I found your layout to be different, not bad, just different. Was ther..."

Hi, Janelle! I’m so glad you joined in. As I mentioned to Kyle, I began Bloodroot without much of a plan--more as a series of character sketches--without a particular storyline in mind. Once a plot began to develop in the writing process, I found myself left with the task of tying the multiple narrators and disparate plot threads together somehow. It was a lot like working a puzzle. I tried organizing the story more than one way. At first, I had 6 parts, with each character narrating his or her own tale separately, but that didn’t work because there were too many gaping holes unfilled for the reader in each section. In the end, I settled on two voices for each part of the novel, pairing the characters that seemed to play off each other best. It was a struggle to find the right way to tell the story, but I suppose that’s what happens when you begin without a plan!

Patricia wrote: "Hi Amy,

My question is kind of related to Kyle's question. Do you prefer to write long-hand or on a word processor? I find that when I write on a word processor I have the tendency to constantl..."

Hi, Patricia! It’s great to hear from you. I feel the same way about writing on a word processor. Besides the compulsion to constantly edit, there’s just something cold and off-putting about being confronted with a blinking cursor. I always write first drafts longhand in a notebook. The act of putting pen to paper seems more intimate somehow. I feel more connected to the characters and the story. But, of course, when it comes time to edit and polish, I’m grateful for my computer.

Do you write daily? If so, what is your typical writing schedule like?

Amy wrote: "Janelle wrote: "Hi Amy, I loved your book, it was truly a stand-out story in my mind. I read it last year and it still sticks with me. However I found your layout to be different, not bad, just dif..."

I really liked how everyone was tied to everyone else even if they didn't realize it. It reminded me of those instances when you run into someone in a totally unlikely place and say "It's a small world!". It seems in small towns and rural areas, everyone is tied through the long history they have shared and the sense of community.
Is that why you tied them all together or was it something all together different? I'm thinking of Johnny going into the Antique Shop and Myra insisting the man that Johnny later lived with was the father of her twins.

Matthew wrote: "Do you write daily? If so, what is your typical writing schedule like?"

Hi, Matthew! Thanks so much for jumping in. Unlike some authors, I don't adhere to a strict writing schedule. I've found there are periods where I feel "on fire" creatively, and during those times I might spend up to twelve hours a day writing and doing little else. Then I go through dry spells, where a week or so might pass without me writing a word. I just have to trust during those times that the "magic" will come back and I'll be prolific again!

Rebekah wrote: "Amy wrote: "Janelle wrote: "Hi Amy, I loved your book, it was truly a stand-out story in my mind. I read it last year and it still sticks with me. However I found your layout to be different, not b..."

Rebekah, you're so right. Coming from small towns and rural areas, there's a sense of everybody knowing or being related to each other in some way. I did want to convey the sense of kinship and connection that's a big part of living in the mountains. I wanted to explore in writing those ties that bind Appalachian people both to each other and the land.

Amy, how are ya. In finalizing my latest ms, I realized two of the most crucial changes were directly inspired by exposure to two new writers, not that I imitated either author’s style, just adopted/mirrored their approaches as needed in certain parts of my own conjuring. Who are some (recent) writers who inspired you while writing Bloodroot, and in what ways specifically? Love, Zack

Hi, Zack! I always have a book on hand while writing, for those times when the words aren't flowing. If I'm feeling uninspired, I take a break and read something amazing to get the right side of my brain firing on all cylinders again. Two books in particular by Kent Haruf, Plainsong and it's sequel Eventide, were a help to me while working on my second novel. Haruf's style is so simple and elegant. I found myself pulling back when my own writing began to verge on flowery. I learned from those books how well simplicity can serve me as a writer, where both prose and dialogue are concerned.

Hello there, Amy. Thanks for doing as interesting and interactive as this.

My question to you concerned the type of support you had, both during and after your work on Bloodroot. I guess specifically I'm interested in the types of support your family/friends/other loved ones offered while you were working on the manuscript, and then also who helped you get to the point where your manuscript was being considered by agents and then publishers.

Thanks so much.

Phil

Philip wrote: "Hello there, Amy. Thanks for doing as interesting and interactive as this.

My question to you concerned the type of support you had, both during and after your work on Bloodroot. I guess speci..."

Hi, Philip! It's great to meet you here. I began writing as a child, and my parents have always been very supportive. As an adult, I've been lucky to have a husband who made sure I had quiet time to write even when our kids were small. I spent hours shut away in my bedroom with a notebook and pen writing Bloodroot. It took almost a year, and for a while after finishing the rough draft I kept it to myself, not even showing it to my husband. I was nervous at first about sharing it. But there came a time when I felt a need for constructive feedback, so I applied to the Sewanee Writers’ Conference in 2007. I had the opportunity there to work with Richard Bausch and Jill McCorkle. I credit the advice they gave me with making my manuscript ready to submit to an agent.

Amy,

You are a huge inspiration to me, as we are close in age and both hail from Appalachia. I was so impressed by your storytelling and how you were able to combine both eloquence and simplicity, staying true to the characters and setting.

Aside from the low-residency writing programs, are there other workshops you would recommend to help an aspiring writer develop his or her skills?

Thank you,
Rebekah

Dear Rebekah,

Thanks so much for reading Bloodroot, and for the kind words! As for workshops, I highly recommend the Sewanee Writers' Conference in Sewanee, TN--especially for Southern writers--and the Appalachian Writers' Workshop in Hindman, KY. I'll be teaching a novel class there this summer with my friend and fellow writer Silas House. They're taking submissions until May. You should apply:)!

All best,
Amy