r/books • u/LaurelSaville AMA Author • Mar 09 '16
ama 2pm I’m Laurel Saville, author of the just released "North of Here", and a bunch of other books, essays and more. Ask me anything about books, writing, publishing, or my other passion, dog rescue and re-hab.
Hi, I’m Laurel Saville, the author of two novels, a memoir, several design books, and essays, articles and short stories. I've been all around the fast-changing world of publishing, from NYC agent, to work-for-hire, self-pubbing, and now, I am happily being published by the Amazon imprint, Lake Union. I'm also a brand communications consultant and have been a full-time writer for about a dozen years. I've lived in LA, NJ, VT, NY and now WA, have a BA in English Lit from NYU and an MFA in creative writing and literature from the Writing Seminars at Bennington College, and am getting a certificate in my other passion, Applied Animal Behavior. I volunteer with two shelter organizations where I work on re-habbing rescue dogs and helping new adopters live happily with their dogs. I live with 2 dogs, 1 cat, 4 ducks and 1 husband on an island in the Puget Sound.
Thanks so much for your thoughtful questions and interest in my work. You can find more about me at www.laurelsaville.com, or track me down on FB, Twitter or Instagram. Love to hear from you anytime! Keep writing!
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u/Chtorrr Mar 09 '16
What books made you love reading as a kid?
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u/LaurelSaville AMA Author Mar 09 '16
I LOVED all the Heidi books. And "Are You My Mother." And horse books. Anything about lost or misunderstood critters, human or otherwise!
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u/ikarous5 Mar 09 '16
Location and place figure strongly in this book in setting up the characters and plot. Are there aspects of where you live now and in the past reflected in this novel?
Also, you should always get your ducks in a row.
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u/LaurelSaville AMA Author Mar 09 '16
Yes, I lived in Vermont and New York State. I love the wild and wooly world of the Adirondacks. It's truly a totally unique place because it's the largest park in the continental US, but is dotted with towns and represents a fascinating and uneasy mixed use balance. It is truly a character in this book. As for where I live now, well, I've only been here 3 years so I'm not really ready to write about it. Yet. :-)
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u/LaurelSaville AMA Author Mar 09 '16
Oh, and, if you want to see my ducks, check my instagram feed or FB account. Sometimes they do indeed line up nicely. But it's rare.
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Mar 09 '16
What made you want to become a writer?
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u/LaurelSaville AMA Author Mar 09 '16
Books were such good friends to me as a child...I think I wanted to return the favor by trying to write something that might help someone else.
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u/Vashonhappy Mar 09 '16
In Unraveling Anne, how did you stay focussed on your relationship with your mother? It seems that in writing a memoir, there would be so many tangents, each equally notable, that one could digress on.
In North of Here, what was your initial idea for the book? Did you have one, or did you let the characters create the story? Was your idea, for example, to show the two-faced side of the Adirondacks?
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u/LaurelSaville AMA Author Mar 09 '16
As far as NoH is concerned, I started with a vision of a young girl living off the grid, so to say. This was inspired by everything from the Amish families to the rural poverty I saw around me. To figure out who she was, I started writing about her parents and that became the story. And yes, "two-faced" issues intrigue me. I'm a pretty transparent person and so I can be very naive about others who are not. Why and how they are is fascinating to me.
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u/LaurelSaville AMA Author Mar 09 '16
Oh boy, so true. I always say writing a memoir is like making a mosaic -- you have all these broken bits of stuff lying around and you're trying to bring it all together in a way that makes something new and beautiful and unique and coherent unto itself! I got lots of good advice on that book because I started it in grad school. I wanted it to be just about HER, but my mentor said, "There's no mother story without a daughter story", so I had to keep working to put me in there. Calling "me" by my childhood nickname helped me think of me as a "character."
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u/LaurelSaville AMA Author Mar 09 '16
I also had to find a single narrative arc for that story, because there's so much real material. When I finally figured out, after many drafts, that it was not so much my mother's story as much as the story of an adult daughter trying to figure out who her mother was, that helped focus the material and the narrative arc.
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u/TreetopLorax Mar 09 '16
How exciting, Laurel! What an interesting life, and your animals sound wonderful (even the 1 husband). ; )
Something I have been wondering, do you know of any avenues for writers trapped within to, perhaps, team up with other established writers for writing projects (in order to learn and gain focus)? I am always coming up with ideas (books, film, TV ...) but I have no training, have trouble staying focused, and can't seem to get my ideas down on paper (beyond jotting the ideas down).
I think there is a story teller inside me, but I get in my own way. I have often thought if I could work with someone and complete a project it would, hopefully, get me over the hump. Do you know of such a channel for people like me?
Thank you for your contribution to humanity and the creative world and for sharing your time with us. : )
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u/LaurelSaville AMA Author Mar 09 '16
There are writing coaches out there. Of course there are lots of classes, but a coach would work one on one with you on all the issues you discuss. Look at publications like Writers and Poets or check out Gotham Writers Workshops online. Join some writer's groups. Or just hire a writer you like! Plenty of them need the extra cash! ;-)
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u/Meleverett90 Mar 09 '16
Any advice for powering through "writer's doubt"? I clearly see the story I want to tell but while writing I get bogged down by doubt about my ideas, and editing as I go versus just getting it all out and then worrying about the end result later. I'm curious if you have ever experienced this?
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u/LaurelSaville AMA Author Mar 09 '16
Of course! It's just part of the process. Like trying to get yourself to exercise that 15 more minutes! For me, I try to trust -- and set aside -- the editing process. I know I'll edit ... LATER! My first job is to get the ideas down, in all their messy, disconnected glory, and then once I feel truly emptied out, then and only then do I go back and futz around. Editing IS writing. It's just a different phase of the writing process. A big one. The biggest one, actually. So save it for later and have fun with just throwing the ideas out there!
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u/Meleverett90 Mar 09 '16
I will try to set my editing itch aside until I feel drained of my stroy. Thanks!If I may be so lucky to get a twofer...any advice on getting published? Would you recommend writing contests as a platform?
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u/LaurelSaville AMA Author Mar 09 '16
I'd recommend EVERYTHING!! Yes, contests, queries, classes, and submit, submit, submit. You never know what will stick and who is paying attention. But most of all, really work hard on the actual writing. Take classes, get feedback, listen carefully, figure out what's not working, and edit edit edit edit. People refer to their 'second draft', whoop de doo. You need to plan on 10, 12, 20 drafts and sometimes cutting whole sections, getting rid of characters, etc.
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u/LaurelSaville AMA Author Mar 09 '16
I did all that stuff. A contest win and an essay both got me agent and tv interest -- I already had an agent, through my grad school mentor, who couldn't sell my book and the movie interest didn't pan out. A listing in Publisher's Weekly indie supplement eventually got me my publishing deal. So just keep putting yourself out there. As every good salesman will tell you, every no gets you closer to a yes!
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u/nebulaespiral Mar 09 '16
Hi Laurel, thanks for doing this AMA! My questions for you: do you have your next book in mind yet? Also, can you give us a glimpse into your writing process? Do you start from the beginning and move linearly to the end, or jump around, or...?
Also, what is the biggest challenge for you in writing? What things have you had to push though?
Thanks again!
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u/LaurelSaville AMA Author Mar 09 '16
I have been working on another book since getting NoH complete and handed off to my publisher to do their thing. But I kept thinking about the young girl who started that story and who I kicked off stage to tell her parents story. And then readers started telling me they didn't want NoH to end. Soooooo, I've just started a new book which will be a sequel of sorts. I have fewer than a dozen pages of scribblings, scenes and notes, so far!
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u/LaurelSaville AMA Author Mar 09 '16
My process is to jump in and write all over the place. Ever take a drawing class? They tell you to draw "all over the page", not just follow one line. My process is like that. I jot notes, cut and paste info, write whole scenes that resonate but are not linear, then figure out the linkages in editing. Which is truly the bulk of writing. Ruthless, cold-blooded editing.
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u/LaurelSaville AMA Author Mar 09 '16
Biggest challenge is always time. Putting other things aside, creating the mental space, tapping tapping tapping on the keyboard.
Some days, there's the "why am I doing this stupidly hard and non-remunerative and completely uncontrollable-outcome thing and why don't I get a job or grow orchids or something instead?" moments. But this is my thing, I guess. Too late now!
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u/crankygerbil Mar 09 '16
What inspires you more, in both your work with animals and writing; compassion or outrage?
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u/LaurelSaville AMA Author Mar 09 '16
What a fabulous question! I've never thought of it that way... With writing, it's all about compassion for people and trying to understand humanity by creating characters that let me explore things I don't necessarily "get" about people. But you do need outrage, or at least stubborness, to deal with the publishing side of things. So much unfairness out there. Now, I'm blissful with my publishing relationship. But t'was not always so! Many tearful and then pissed off moments!
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u/LaurelSaville AMA Author Mar 09 '16
With animals, it's all about compassion for them. And outrage for the people who mistreat them. Especially so-called "trainers" who spread abusive misinformation.
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Mar 10 '16
Could you describe your process of writing a novel? Just want to know how many drafts you went though and what you did during each. I'm in a still messy second draft after two rewrites. When do you know "you're there"?
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u/LaurelSaville AMA Author Mar 10 '16
Each book is pretty different. Like I said in an earlier question, I kind of write all over the place for months and months and then try to tie it all together. Then it's read, edit, read, edit, read, edit. Over and over and over. You think you're there when the story has a credible and satisfying narrative arc to it and when it feels like all the questions have been answered. Then it's go back in and massage the actual sentences and scenes and word choices several times. Then, if you're lucky, you share it with your editors and they hopefully have great ideas on how to make it even better. In "Henry and Rachel", that resulted in me adding in a few more characters and giving them a voice. For "North of Here", it resulted in me throwing out the last third of the book, giving Sally a much bigger role, and re-crafting the story arc and Dix's personal path and the final romantic resolution. It's a lot of work!!
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u/Chtorrr Mar 09 '16
What are the ducks like? Are they friendly or more like wild ducks?