A Visit with Grandpa
Last weekend I visited my Grandpa Mike, a main character in my book. In January I gave him his copy of my book (My Lost Summer about my recovery from a coma), and I’ve stopped to see him several times since, but I just this weekend asked him how he liked it.
He looked at me drop-jawed and wide-eyed and asked, “How’d you do it?”
I didn’t know what he meant by “it” so remained quiet, and he continued: “How’d you write it? A book’s a lot o' stuff. How’d you know how to write it? I didn’t think you could do it.”
I still didn’t know if he meant How could I have written with such detail, considering I, the protagonist, lay unconscious for about half the book, or How did I get the skills to write such an interesting, readable, engaging book.
Grandpa is not one to cut down another’s abilities, so when he said he didn’t think I could do it, I thought, “He didn’t think I could write the story so completely.” But my answer to that question would have been simply, “In interviewing you, Mom, Dad, and Mike (my brother) and using the journal Grandma kept, I was able to piece it all together.” Seemed like too easy of an answer. How else could I have done it? Grandpa was the first one I interviewed for the book. He knew that was the only way I could have done it. So I chose to answer the other possibility: Basically, How did I piece the story together into such an easily readable book.
“In grad school I learned different methods and ways to tell a story. Do you remember those travel articles I wrote for the school paper? They were great practice for story telling. I also read a lot and steal tricks from other authors. A good writer has to be a good reader too.”
And Grandpa said to me, “I hadn’t thought about that, but I guess you would need to be a good reader.
“Well, it was a real good book. I didn’t think you could do it, but it was real good.”
It pleased me that Grandpa liked the book. Sales are slow but steady. I hope others like it as well.
He looked at me drop-jawed and wide-eyed and asked, “How’d you do it?”
I didn’t know what he meant by “it” so remained quiet, and he continued: “How’d you write it? A book’s a lot o' stuff. How’d you know how to write it? I didn’t think you could do it.”
I still didn’t know if he meant How could I have written with such detail, considering I, the protagonist, lay unconscious for about half the book, or How did I get the skills to write such an interesting, readable, engaging book.
Grandpa is not one to cut down another’s abilities, so when he said he didn’t think I could do it, I thought, “He didn’t think I could write the story so completely.” But my answer to that question would have been simply, “In interviewing you, Mom, Dad, and Mike (my brother) and using the journal Grandma kept, I was able to piece it all together.” Seemed like too easy of an answer. How else could I have done it? Grandpa was the first one I interviewed for the book. He knew that was the only way I could have done it. So I chose to answer the other possibility: Basically, How did I piece the story together into such an easily readable book.
“In grad school I learned different methods and ways to tell a story. Do you remember those travel articles I wrote for the school paper? They were great practice for story telling. I also read a lot and steal tricks from other authors. A good writer has to be a good reader too.”
And Grandpa said to me, “I hadn’t thought about that, but I guess you would need to be a good reader.
“Well, it was a real good book. I didn’t think you could do it, but it was real good.”
It pleased me that Grandpa liked the book. Sales are slow but steady. I hope others like it as well.
posted by Elizabeth Evans Fryer at 7:18 AM
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