Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Writing a Novel: Totems

Over the months, people have given me things to hold onto while I write my way into a novel. A skull of a small animal, smooth and white. A book about survival. A red tulip. A ticket to the ballet. A chai tea. A hand-knit shawl, blue. A Mickey Mouse watch. A spiral shell.

2 comments:

Kari Jones said...

Hi Laurie,
Totems, what a great idea. I have maps and books I've collected, and photos that show not the people in the novel but pictures that create environments or attitudes or emotions I want to evoke.

Julie Paul said...

Wonderful! Laurie, have any of them made it into the story yet? I'm not sure if I have any totems, per se, but I've been sampling recipes that would be used at my novel's cafe, and listening to jazz singers. My memories of living in the novel's settings are what keep me going... along with the WWC!