Collaboration and Friendship: How My Creative Circle Helps Shape My Work
Writing is a solitary act—when you’re actually doing it. It’s exceptionally creative and, at times, intoxicating, especially when you’re in a state of flow. But the days when I sit at the screen, wondering where all my ideas and words have gone, well, that’s a different story.
My personal favorite part of writing (both this book and now my second one) isn’t the act of writing itself—it’s the thinking and talking about it.
My wife Nadine and I, when we lived in Reading, Massachusetts, often walked around Lake Quannapowitt in nearby Wakefield. It’s a small, picturesque pond surrounded by beautiful homes, a park, and plenty of walkers, runners, and bikers. It’s always been one of our favorite places to get some steps in and chat about everything. In the summer of 2019, when I was considering writing Cursed Gift, Nadine and I would walk and talk through ideas. It amazed me how much of the book was inspired by those conversations.
During one memorable walk, I turned to her and said, “I need to kill someone off.” That was a fun (albeit fictional!) conversation and one that wasn’t easy to resolve. Many walks later, we had a plan.
I also remember being halfway through the book and talking to my great pal, Tony. Tony’s the kind of friend who’s great at digging into the “why and how” of things. He asked questions like, “Why will people like this?” and “How can you make people more interested?” One time, he suggested leaving some mystery around the “gifts”—not explaining their origin too early. At first, I was ready to divulge everything, but after much thought, Tony’s suggestion felt brilliant. Creating tension within the characters and the readers, keeping some mysteries unresolved, got me (and hopefully everyone else!) even more invested in the plot.
These kinds of conversations happened with many people, and I’m sure I’ll talk more about them as I continue. Now, in book two, the question remains—who’s next on the chopping block?
Till next time!
Len
