Good things take time, as they should. We shouldn’t expect good things to happen overnight. Actually, getting something too easily or too soon can cheapen the outcome.
John Woodenhead coach for the UCLA Bruins
So very true!
Because of the twenty-five year-long wait, I have spent the last year of my life exceedingly happy, full of energy and enthusiasm towards the future. It’s all because of Back to One. When a dream, especially one you have carried most of your life, is finally fulfilled there is a serene completeness which bubbles up into the ecstasy of joy. I have never been happier in my life. I wonder if I would have felt this unbridled bliss if it had happened twenty-four years ago when I first sought a publisher. Yes, I’d have been happy but the level of appreciation I feel would certainly not exist. So, time was my masked friend after all.
There is also a sense of awe as reader after reader tells me how much they love the story. More importantly, they say how they feel attached to Cate and Kyle like their best friends. Two characters who are as alive in my readers’ minds and hearts as they are in mine. There is a humble pride in that. I do mean humble. Because after so many years, it is a daily surprise to me.
So, I continue to write. Dialog first, sketching out the complete story before I “play it back” in my imagination and write down every smile, jerk of the head, crossing to the chair—every action I “see” in my mind’s-eye. My private screening.
The third installment of Back to One Series took a bit longer to write than the second which took about six weeks. Considering the first one took nearly a year, three or four months to write a book was pretty quick in my estimation. I struggled with the big issue. The big issue is the point of the story, the conflict perhaps, and it’s what makes the book stand out. The third manuscript took me through tax season. Another reason for the delay as it was critical to make a living which would allow me the pleasure of writing.
The fourth installment of Back to One Series was revelation personified! I awoke one beautiful summer morning with an idea tickling my brain. Six days later the book was complete. Bones and muscle—dialogue, and action! Honestly, I did little else than write for those days, including eating and sleeping. I was carried away by the adventure. That book is forthcoming fall of 2024.
Secret Weapon
As I venture to edit all my work, what keeps me motivated and fresh as I reread the same lines and sections for the 100th time is music.
For each manuscript, I create its own playlist. It suits the tone, time period and vitality of each story. Some of those songs end up in the book. Most do not. They are my personal driving force to keep inventive. Often a turn of a music phrase will be the key to relieving me of writer’s block.
Some music is so significant it draws the emotion out of me to allow it to flow on the page. Joy William’s cover of Don’t Let Me Down was an example of that in Back to One in the chapter called Endings. But when I decided to move Back to One to 2005, I realized that Joy William’s version of the song had not been recorded yet. So, the song was replaced with Tori Amos’ Winter. Equally moving and heart wrenching but for a different reason taking the story into an altered course.
I consider the music that ultimately garners a special place in each Back to One book in the series, the soundtrack of each book. The music, the playlist I use strictly for writing can often be more extensive and inspirational.
Take a peek at the song list from Back to One which is in order of when each tune appears in the story. If you aren’t familiar with a song or an artist, please listen and enjoy.
Conclusion
That’s a little about me, Antonia Gavrihel—my writing style and how Cate and Kyle came into being. Their journey is certainly not complete with Back to One…it’s just the beginning—the first in the series.
I hope this gives you a glimpse into my writing world. Please let me know if there are other topics or ideas you’d like me to share in future articles.