Meredith EFken is the author of the critically acclaimed SAHM I Am series that traces the friendship of a group of stay-at-home mothers through their emails to each other. She has been a finalist for the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice award and the ACFW Book of the Year award, and critics use phrases like “charming,” “fresh,” and “pure delight” to describe her humorous yet insightful comedies. Her most recent novel, Lucky Baby, was published in the spring.
Meredith, thank you for stopping by to chat with us today! I enjoyed your Making Characters Come Alive course on ACFW a few months ago, thank you for giving back to the writing community. The birds are chirping. Pull up a seat and let’s chat:
1. What prompted you to write Lucky Baby?
In March of 1999, my husband and I became parents for the first time—to a 14 month old orphan in Kunming, China. The journey to that point and since then has been amazing, miraculous, difficult, and heart-wrenchingly beautiful. Lucky Baby is a fictional story (NOT autobiographical) and is my attempt to express the inexpressible experience of becoming a mother through adoption.
2. Plotting. Tell us how you plot your novels.
I find that I am becoming more and more of a plotter as I gain more writing experience. I think I like the control! For Lucky Baby as well as some of the books I currently have in production, I am using a modified “Heroine’s Journey” structure that I’ve merged with Michael Hague’s approach to film/novel structure. I start with the overall flow of the story, using the story stages as a guide, and I work out the climax of the story first. Then I figure out the conclusion, and then I start working back from there—adding in major turning points, etc. Next, I work out sub-plots in a similar way, only in smaller scope, and plot layers. I like to list out what scenes I think I’ll need, but often those get moved around or combined or deleted as I get into actually writing.
Before I start a scene, I often will sketch out the structure of the scene as well, to make sure it stays tight and doesn’t wander aimlessly. I’m sure to any non-plotter, this sounds like I’ve squeezed any spontaneity out of the work, but actually my plans usually change quite a bit as the story progresses and I see new opportunities that I didn’t notice at the beginning.
About two years ago, I started using a software program called Power Structure that lets me do all the plotting, note-taking, scene sketching, character development, and pitch creation for a novel—all in one spot. It has saved me SO much time and stress because now I don’t have to wonder where I saved a note and I don’t end up doing “goal, motivation, conflict” on a character three times because I kept forgetting I’d done it already!
3. I’m envious that you are part of a writing group that gets together in your community. Tell us what you would do at a normal meeting.
Well…this month, I spent the meeting munching on a treat from the Border’s café and checking my email on my laptop because I was *ahem, group members* the ONLY person who showed up! 🙂
But usually, we share all our latest writing news with each other, and then one of us on the steering team gives a workshop on a writing-related topic. It’s pretty casual. I think we’re going to try over the next few months choosing a writing book to work through and letting each group member present a chapter for the rest of the group.
4. Let’s have some fun. I see you live in a fixer-upper in Nebraska. If you could move into your dream home, tell us what that would be.
LOL! A house where the plaster walls aren’t crumbling around me would be a great start. But I have always loved old houses. I wouldn’t mind at all living at Mr. Darcy’s Pemberley estate. I have aristocratic tastes, and a peasant’s budget, unfortunately.
5. Tell us a bit about your Fiction Fix-It Shop.
FFS is the premiere editing and coaching service exclusively for adult and YA fiction writers. All of us who coach or do any substantive editing are multi-published novelists, so we know from experience what the current publishing standards are for fiction. We have a wide range of editing and coaching services to fit any experience level and budget. What I’m especially excited about is our coaching programs. Coaching gives writers a chance to work through any aspect of writing they choose with an experienced, published novelist—whether it’s a writing technique, or an area of the writer’s creative life. Coaching has been a growing service for executives the past several years, and we’re helping to bring this powerful relationship to the writing/creative world. Writers can find out more information at the FFS website.
6. Lucky Baby came out in April, tell us what your next release will be.
I am just finishing up a new proposal to send to my agent, so hopefully in the next several months I’ll be able to let everyone know what’s coming next.
Thanks for stopping by my blog to chat. I’ve enjoyed our time together! Heidi
Thanks for having me, Heidi. I enjoyed it very much. –Meredith