#IrishWritersWed ‘A Scattering of Fairy Dust Helps’ by Laura Elliot @Elliot_Laura

Just in case you missed me on a Wednesday……..Irish Writers Wednesday is back!!!

I am absolutely delighted to welcome Laura Elliot, aka June Considine, author of many books from adult to YA to children, depending which hat she is wearing!!!

Today Laura has written a post that I just love….I’m a complete sucker for anything with fairies in the title and seriously…look at this one!!

‘A Scattering of Fairy Dust Helps’ 

‘Somewhere in this transition from the vaguest of concepts to the novel’s conclusion, there must be a scattering of fairy dust to aid us towards those two most magical words-The End’

Read on for more….

A Scattering of Fairy Dust Helps

by Laura Elliot

When the dreams begin, I know that a new book is fermenting in my unconscious mind. My conscious mind may argue otherwise. In fact, every time I finish a book, I’m determined to indulge in a long, leisurely break. I toy with the idea of taking up golf or tennis, joining a bridge club, and lunching regularly with friends, who claim I’ve fallen off the edge of their world. Even bog snorkelling seems preferable to switching on the computer in my lonely, silent writing room.

However, these ‘special dreams’ dictate otherwise. There’s always a similarity to such dreams. I see my hand holding a pen as it moves across blank pages and fills them with incredibly brilliant prose. My plot is clever and complex – yet has a strong, commercial appeal. I also write fluently in a foreign language. Nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs flow easily from my pen and my punctuation is an editor’s dream. The fact that I don’t speak this language is no deterrent, especially when, on occasions, I also, with great aplomb, read the words aloud. I awaken, starry-eyed with anticipation, only to realise I can’t remember a single word of my masterpiece…in any language. I’ve come to accept that such dreams are a precursor. A new book is on its way and I can forget about bog snorkelling for another year.

Once I begin to work on that book, my dreams return to their regular chaotic pattern and the ‘writerly’ ones are forgotten until the Muse decides to strike again.

I associate these dream with the magic of writing. I’m not sure if ‘magic’ is the right word to use. Sitting in a quiet room with just my imagination for company is far removed from wands, wings and ancient spells. Yet I often feel there’s magic in the air as soon as I write the opening sentences.

The signs are everywhere. I pick up a newspaper and read something on the front page that’s relevant to my story. It’s the same with radio and television, and it seems as if my idea –so ephemeral and insubstantial in the beginning – is waving its hands and exclaiming, ‘Look at me…watch me grow!’

I unexpectedly meet acquaintance whom I’ve haven’t seen in years and discover they have information I can use. Even politics has an impact. When I began my most recent novel Guilty – which is about the power of words to distort facts and destroy lives – such terms as ‘Fake news’ and ‘Alternative Facts’ had yet to enter the common vernacular. By the time I wrote The End they were stamped indelibly on our consciousness

Of course, there’s a logical reason why I become so attuned to outside forces. As Louis Pasteur once said, ‘Chance favours the prepared mind,’ but it’s more satisfying to believe that a creative magic is influencing me. I’ve also discovered that when I develop a new idea for a novel, another writer will have picked the exact same theme – or may already have beaten me to the finishing line with a book launch.

Coincidence? Magic? Does it matter? Inspiration has no fixed abode. I like to imagine our hands reaching upwards simultaneously to grasp that idea before it floats through the ether and out of sight. And, no matter how many authors tackle the same theme, each book will emerge with a distinctively different story line

I used to believe authors were ‘other people’ and found it difficult to claim that title in the early days of my career. Although I’ve moved on a lot since then, I still remain in awe of a creative process that turns the broad brush strokes of a synopsis into a full length novel. The magic of allowing characters– so sprite-like in the beginning–to develop personalities and colonise an imaginary landscape never fails to delight me. It seems, as I write my way into the heart of my story, that it is already all there, lurking in my unconscious from the beginning, ready to rise fully formed as soon as the right trigger is pressed.

You could say that this is achieved through hard work, discipline and redrafting. And that would be true…but, surely, somewhere in this transition from the vaguest of concepts to the novel’s conclusion, there must be a scattering of fairy dust to aid us towards those two most magical words –The End.

Laura, thank you so much for this gorgeous post today. Anything with fairy dust will always win me over!!

I do hope you all enjoyed….

About Laura Elliot

Laura Elliot was born in Dublin, Ireland. She lives in Malahide, a picturesque, coastal town on the north side of Dublin. Her six novels are: The Lost Sister, (originally titled The Prodigal Sister) Stolen Child, Fragile Lies, The Betrayal, Sleep Sister and Guilty.

AKA June Considine, she had written twelve books for children and young adults. Her short stories have appeared in a number of teenage anthologies, and also been broadcast on radio. She has also worked as a journalist and magazine editor.

Website ~ https://www.lauraelliotauthor.com/

Twitter ~ @Elliot_Laura 

Facebook ~ https://www.facebook.com/lauraelliotauthor/

Details of Laura’s latest book, Guilty, published with Bookouture, are as follows:

It begins with a phone call. It ends with a missing child.

On a warm summer’s morning, thirteen-year-old school girl Constance Lawson is reported missing.

A few days later, Constance’s uncle, Karl Lawson, suddenly finds himself swept up in a media frenzy created by journalist Amanda Bowe implying that he is the prime suspect.

Six years later …

Karl’s life is in ruins. His marriage is over, his family destroyed. But the woman who took everything away from him is thriving. With a successful career, husband and a gorgeous baby boy, Amanda’s world is complete.

Until the day she receives a phone call and in a heartbeat, she is plunged into every mother’s worst nightmare.

Purchase Link ~ Guilty