10Qs for Brenda Sorrels. Brenda loves to write short stories set in the Midwest of the USA. Having lived there, I get that. At the moment, Brenda is very busy writing a second book. However, she did have time for these few questions.
Questions:
1. When you started to write your first book did you make a decision about the story to be a stand alone book or to make it part of a series?
I had two bachelor uncles in my mother’s large farming family (fifteen kids) who always intrigued me. They were young, cool, rode horses, worked as farm hands but neither one of them ever married. I wanted to write a love story involving two brothers like these, and I wanted to set it in a beautiful place. Since I was raised in the Midwest, northern Minnesota came to mind.
I began with a short story and eventually I expanded it into a novel. The intention was always for a stand-alone work, but after writing The Bachelor Farmers and getting feedback, I plan on writing a sequel. I don’t intend it to be part of a series, but I will write a sequel.
2. Lately a lot of prequels have popped up on both the book and movie marked. Have you considered writing one?
No, but it’s an interesting idea. The idea of adding on to the beginning of the original rather than to the end is intriguing and I would never say never. It would depend on whether or not I had a big enough story to tell – one that could stand on its own.
3. Have you ever considered writing a teen book?
I am writing women’s fiction which is also historical fiction since my stories so far are set in the past (1930’s and 40’s) My new book, The Way Back ’Round is a story that could also be appropriate for teenagers or young adults. I didn’t specifically start out to write a YA novel, but the story involves a boy, Jake, who makes an innocent, but terrible choice that haunts him for the rest of his life. Rejected by his mother and wracked with guilt, he hops a train joining the thousands of men and boys riding the rails during the depression era. He meets Franz, another runaway and they become friends. The story is about how Jake confronts his past and finds his way back.
4. When you start your research for a book, do you use pen & paper to jot down thoughts or do you use a computer?
When I begin to write a story, I start out with pen and paper. I will write a two page or so draft of the beginning of the story I want to tell. I’ll fill in whatever details I have in my mind. After that, I read it through and expand as much as I can. When I feel I have enough of an outline on paper, I will go to the computer leaving spaces where I will have to research and fill in, etc. I do a lot of research on line with Google, but I will also read and order books that I think will help or inspire me. For The Bachelor Farmers, I read several Voices of America books on MN and ND just to get the flavor of the immigrants and what life was like for the people who settled there. I also read a wonderful book by Norman Maclean called A River Runs Through It. This is a pretty famous book and there was a movie make about it too. It was wonderful inspiration. I read a couple of Sigurd Olson books, Spirit of the North and The Lonely Land. I was also influenced by Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton. I must have read that story at least six times! I read countless articles as well on how the land up north was settled, immigrants and native Americans who lived there and what happened.
5. Do you have any specific writing rituals?
Yes! I love this question because I think it’s so important for a writer to have a sacred space. My first blog post was about this. I always light a candle before I begin writing. Sometimes, it’s just a small votive candle, but I love seasonal scented candles too. There is something devotional about the candle flame that calms my spirit and inspires me. It’s my signal that it’s okay to let the creative juices roll!
6. Movies based on a book can be great to visualize the story but they can also be a disappointment. What movie based on a book disappointed you?
Great question! I just posted a quote on Facebook that said “Never Judge a Book by its Movie.” As a storyteller, I love movies as much as books. I believe that many times the movies that are based on books are awesome. It’s a bummer when they disappoint. One disappointment that comes to mind is a book published in 1992, The Bridges of Madison County by James Waller. The premise is really captivating … two grown children open a box of their mother’s old keepsakes after she has passed away and discover that she has had an affair. She is a lonely farm woman of Italian descent and her lover is a photographer with National Geographic who happens to be shooting covered bridges in Wisconsin where they meet. It’s a great story and would have been perfect for a movie. However, Meryl Streep, as much as I love her, did not meet my expectations as this Italian farm wife. There was no real chemistry between her and Clint Eastwood who played the photographer. Nothing sizzled in this movie whereas the books was so believable. I just thought the movie did not do justice to this wonderful story.
7. Have you ever used characteristics from someone you know in one of your books?
Yes, all the time! Sometimes, I even combine characteristics from more than one person. Many times I will begin a character with a characteristic, trait or way of doing something based on a real person. Of course, the characters develop their own personalities and act accordingly with the narrative, but they have to start from something, and I believe that for most writers, it is from someone they know or have met.
8. What inspires you most to write? Nature? People? History?
Another great question! I wrote a blog about this one too: Family Intangibles. As a young girl I was often transfixed by the stories I would hear around the dinner table of my large extended family. When I began to write seriously I took several writing classes and they always told us to “write what you know.” I never fully understood what that meant because, what did I really know about anything? I sat down to write my own stories and it was fragments of this family lore that triggered my imagination. That’s when I got it. The stories of our lives, our families are felt in a deeply personal way and this was certainly true for me. It only takes a fragment inspire a larger story. I would have to say that is it the people and stories in my own family that have inspired me the most.
9. What was your favorite subject in school?
In the younger years I really enjoyed history. When I got to college, English Literature was by far my favorite subject. I loved reading books from different era’s and with different topics and then analyzing the stories in class. There was so much variety from the classics to modern fiction, biography and even a little poetry. One class I remember was titled: “death and dying in literature, and it was fascinating. We read the novel, Memento Mori by Muriel Spark, and I would highly recommend it to this day. A group of elderly people begin receiving phone calls telling them to remember that they must die. It opens all kinds of secrets and stages a lot of intrigue. Analyzing books is great training for writers because you learn every aspect of the story (characters, themes, plots, etc.) which is useful in your own work.
10. A billionaire gives you a million dollars, on the condition that you may spend it but not gain any assets. (Like the movie “Brewster’s Millions”) How would you spend your million?
So fun! I would pay off all debt of course … I think that was allowed in the movie! I would give the 5% to charity, Special Olympics. After that I would have fun! I’d remodel my kitchen. Lol! Buy my sister a condo and a new car. I’d hire a publicist for my books and spend $100,000 promoting them. If there was anything left, I would take several trips to France, Italy, Spain and stay in five star hotels! AMEN.