The Stories We Don’t Tell
Author: Melissa Thayer
Published by: Booktrope Publishing
Publication Date: May 15th, 2014
Author: Melissa Thayer
Published by: Booktrope Publishing
Publication Date: May 15th, 2014
Book Description:
“Growing up had stolen the truth of us.”
A life worth living is a life worth sharing. Growing up in a small town in Montana not worth a name, that kind of life is not one Nick can manage, let alone comprehend. When fate gives him an existence he can barely recognize, he searches for meaning in the future he wishes existed, and attempts to escape a past that cannot be told, save for in the pages of a faded memory.
Melissa Thayer’s lyrical and poignant debut novel, part confession and part wistful longing, is an incisive look at love and loss, and what remains of a soul that is dashed against the rocky shorelines of hope.
Very. Slowly. The novel I’m working on right now started two years ago. I have two other novels in various states of simmering—one started in 1995 and the other in 2008. They will both find their time. The Stories We Don’t Tell has paragraphs and scenes written fifteen or so years ago. I’m a collector. I collect thoughts and observations. Almost every morning I journal—some years more diligently than others—and those boring looking notebooks are where all the ideas are. An idea may be but a quick sentence based on an emotion invoked by a song lyric, an observation of a place or person, or a “what if” question.
I think it’s common for writers to be constantly translating the world around them into shareable thoughts, and that’s what my brain is doing 24/7. It never turns off. People wonder why I’m quiet or prefer to not be surrounded by too much noise, it’s because I rather enjoy thinking. I’m not sure how much of that comes out in the writing, I’m not a philosopher or anything, I just like to translate the world around me into words. I suppose sometimes it’s a sort of game: How would that scent be described? What is the difference between the variations of cold a person can feel? It can go on and on, of course. It’s a never-ending game.
When I find a thought or feeling that moves me, I write it down and some take off into story seeds. If I had more time in the day, if I had no other responsibilities, I’m sure I could be quite prolific. As it stands now, my ideas have no choice but to germinate slowly or I would become overwhelmed by the amount of them and the inability to get them out. There have been many days when that feeling comes and that’s when I get a bit cranky. Being overwhelmed with a pile of thoughts I can’t get out feels like being trapped in a box, and considering my claustrophobia, that is not fun.
Every short story or novel is a different process. Some go in a straight line from start to finish, others get written in pieces and quilted together. Some have outlines, some have loose ideas written down. Mostly I would say I write with a connect-the-dots approach. That is, I know which points I have to get to, but the in between is a discovery.
A life worth living is a life worth sharing. Growing up in a small town in Montana not worth a name, that kind of life is not one Nick can manage, let alone comprehend. When fate gives him an existence he can barely recognize, he searches for meaning in the future he wishes existed, and attempts to escape a past that cannot be told, save for in the pages of a faded memory.
Melissa Thayer’s lyrical and poignant debut novel, part confession and part wistful longing, is an incisive look at love and loss, and what remains of a soul that is dashed against the rocky shorelines of hope.
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GUEST POST
How do you develop your writing ideas?
Very. Slowly. The novel I’m working on right now started two years ago. I have two other novels in various states of simmering—one started in 1995 and the other in 2008. They will both find their time. The Stories We Don’t Tell has paragraphs and scenes written fifteen or so years ago. I’m a collector. I collect thoughts and observations. Almost every morning I journal—some years more diligently than others—and those boring looking notebooks are where all the ideas are. An idea may be but a quick sentence based on an emotion invoked by a song lyric, an observation of a place or person, or a “what if” question.
I think it’s common for writers to be constantly translating the world around them into shareable thoughts, and that’s what my brain is doing 24/7. It never turns off. People wonder why I’m quiet or prefer to not be surrounded by too much noise, it’s because I rather enjoy thinking. I’m not sure how much of that comes out in the writing, I’m not a philosopher or anything, I just like to translate the world around me into words. I suppose sometimes it’s a sort of game: How would that scent be described? What is the difference between the variations of cold a person can feel? It can go on and on, of course. It’s a never-ending game.
When I find a thought or feeling that moves me, I write it down and some take off into story seeds. If I had more time in the day, if I had no other responsibilities, I’m sure I could be quite prolific. As it stands now, my ideas have no choice but to germinate slowly or I would become overwhelmed by the amount of them and the inability to get them out. There have been many days when that feeling comes and that’s when I get a bit cranky. Being overwhelmed with a pile of thoughts I can’t get out feels like being trapped in a box, and considering my claustrophobia, that is not fun.
Every short story or novel is a different process. Some go in a straight line from start to finish, others get written in pieces and quilted together. Some have outlines, some have loose ideas written down. Mostly I would say I write with a connect-the-dots approach. That is, I know which points I have to get to, but the in between is a discovery.
Sin
City native Melissa Thayer writes fiction that touches upon the
timeless truths of the human condition in poignant and thought-provoking
ways. She enjoys writing about people and connecting readers with her
characters.
She currently lives in Washington with her husband, daughter, and three cats.
THE STORIES WE DON’T TELL is her debut novel.
She currently lives in Washington with her husband, daughter, and three cats.
THE STORIES WE DON’T TELL is her debut novel.
Author Links:
***GIVEAWAY***
One signed copy of The Stories We Don't Tell (INT).
Ends June 25th.
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Intriguing storyline!
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting today, Alecia! And great post, ladies! I'm always fascinated by how authors find the ideas for their books. I'm so not creative like that >.<
ReplyDeletethanks for the chance. looks interesting. the book.
ReplyDelete