About
Recently I decided to incorporate my creative side into all aspects of my life, including my work. This is quite a challenge, but I think it’s high time I tried it.
One suppressed aspect of my creativity turns out to be writing fiction. Wiregrass Country is my first attempt at fiction, but it has been a thoroughly enjoyable, if challenging, journey.
I began this process on a whim, really, in August of 2007. I had been studying my family’s roots in Georgia. (They settled here in 1827). I was chatting with my neighbor, whose family also came here in the early 1800s. She told me a fascinating story about her ancestress, who left home alone with her six sons and settled in the southern part of Georgia, when the Creek Indians were still present and the closest homestead was six miles away. She had her reasons, which are partially revealed in my story.
Not long after, I was passing by the area described in my book, and the thought occurred to me, ‘I wish I could just drive down one of these side roads and discover the past.’ Since that wasn’t possible, I did the next best thing. I began to write an imaginary past. I wrote 350 pages in just four months. It was awful. My friends read it and praised it, but – hey, they are my friends.
The project has now been re-written – count ‘em! – six times. Last year I submitted the fourth revision to an agent and she was complimentary, but pointed out where I needed to do some work. Last year I also took a very helpful course from Barbara Rogan, who has been an editor and currently is a published author and teacher of writing techniques.
Now, with the start of a new year, I am ready to hit the agent trail again. I feel GREAT about my book – at last.
Update: at the present, a publisher has requested the full manuscript. Wish me luck!
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I enjoyed reading this. I found my way here because I was looking for some references to caroline miller’s Lamb in His Bosom. But, I too have Georgia roots pre-Civil war. The Jumper family moved from South Carolina in 1827 and homesteaded land in Dawson, Georgia where my great-grandmother Amerette Gilpin was born. I wrote a novel, that now rests in dust in a box. Discouraged with editors, I put it aside and now write short stories. But I do remember being fascinated with the land near the Altamaha River and the fascinating time after the Civil War with interesting free blacks, one of whom I remember was a jeweler in Savannah. Nice blog.
That’s wonderful, Sandra. Thanks for sharing that. I’d like to correspond. BTW, are you familiar with the new publishing trends. Check out this website – offthebookshelf.com. I am seriously considering it, simply because I don’t have to devote to a career that won’t pay the rent! LOL
i like this page,its easy and simple this is the way it should be,
i have been trying to reach dale cox concerning our common ancestor ola avery cox,and our moore dickerson stringfellow and mccormick, ancestors i have done lots of resurch,got lots of information,seems were intermingled creek indain and irish and english ancestry,.i would like to know where he herd the storry of our familys hidding in florida caverns,i got that same storry about 36 years ago from my great uncle john dickerson,abought his perants lidia bethania moore.daughter of tabitha stringfellow moore father william n moore b 1835 houston co alabama.they lived in henry county and ashford alabama,during indain removal the fled to county line of what is now florida line ,that used to be spannish teritory,and andrew jacksons men wernt suposed to cross that boundry but they did any was,thats when the soldiers chased the seminoles down through florida,
Wow! Diane, I love the new clean look. This is so well put together, it’s a joy to navigate through it.
I’ll be stopping by often.
I’m crossing my fingers for you.