What is the date you began writing this piece of fiction and the date when you completely finished the piece of fiction? I began writing my picture book, “Alicia and the Hurricane: A Story of Puerto Rico/Alicia y el huracán: Un cuento de Puerto Rico” in September of 2017 right after Hurricane Maria devastated the island.
My spouse is from Puerto Rico and she was very concerned about the tiny coquís (native tree frogs) and what would happen to them during the storm. The coquís are a cultural symbol and very important to the people of Puerto Rico. I wrote the book to offer hope to Puerto Rican children and to children everywhere whose lives are disrupted by natural disasters.
Click below to listen to the coqui aka coquis sing in the Puerto Rico rainforest.
Where did you do most of your writing for this fiction work? And please describe in detail. And can you please include a photo? I wrote the book both at my desk in a writer’s collective called “The Writer’s Mill” and at home. (Because of COVID, I no longer work at the The Writer’s Mill; now I do all my writing in my home office.) At the Writer’s Mill, I had a cozy corner with a small chair, bookcase, and end table. I used a wooden board lying across two sawhorses as my desk.
What were your writing habits while writing this work- did you drink something as you wrote, listen to music, write in pen and paper, directly on laptop; specific time of day? I have been writing first thing in the morning for over 50 years. I like to drink a cup of decaffeinated French Vanilla or Hazelnut coffee, and have a cat by my side. No music. I need quiet (which is why I like to write first thing in the morning!). I write with a ballpoint pen in a spiral notebook. After something “takes” I move to the computer and type in what I’ve written. Then I print that out, mark it up, and start a new handwritten draft. This process has not changed much in half a century, except that I used to use a typewriter instead of a computer. Everything I write goes through between ten and thirty drafts.
Please include just one excerpt and include page numbers as reference. This one excerpt can be as short or as long as you prefer.
Here is an except from pages 14 -15. Originally, the text read as follows:
One day Papi said to Alicia, “A terrible hurricane is coming, mi hijita. We have to get ready to leave as fast as we can.”
While Papi boarded up the house, Alicia helped Mami pack clothes and food to bring to the shelter where they would spend the night.
My editor thought these paragraphs needed more emotion. Here is the final text, which appears in the book:
“One day Papi said to Alicia, “A terrible hurricane is coming mi hijita. After I finish up boarding the house, we have to leave as fast as we can.”
Alicia heard the fear in Papi’s voice. She also saw that he was trying to be brave. She tried to be brave, too, as she helped Mami pack clothes and food to bring to the shelter where they would spend the night.
Click on the link below to purchase Alicia and the Hurricane A story of Puerto Rico from Amazon
Click on the below link to visit the website of Elizabeth Erazo Baez
Click on the below link to visit the website of Leslea Newman
Why is this excerpt so emotional for you as a writer to write? And can you describe your own emotional experience of writing this specific excerpt? Adding these lines helped me feel more empathy for my characters who are in great danger and facing the unknown. It is heartbreaking to think of a young child like Alicia trying to be brave while feeling very afraid of the coming storm and of leaving her home to seek refuge in a shelter. And it is heartbreaking to think of her father who is also afraid but is acting with great courage as a way to reassure his daughter. I hope my readers feel this empathy as well.
Were there any deletions from this excerpt that you can share with us? And can you please include a photo of your marked up rough drafts of this excerpt. There were no deletions from this except; there was an addition, which I do believe improved the manuscript. I am very grateful to my editor, Louise May, who is very thorough, meticulous, and kind, and whose suggestions are always extremely helpful.
Click on the below link to visit the Facebook page of Louise May.
https://www.facebook.com/louise.may.7927/about_contact_and_basic_info
Most of the INSIDE THE EMOTION OF FICTION links can be found at the very end of the below feature:
http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2021/03/stephenson-holts-arranged-marriage-is.html