I wrote The Offering in the Spring of last year–almost exactly a year ago, as a matter of fact (yes, it can take that long for a book to hit the stores. I usually hand a book in and then wait about a year for it to finally it the shelves). Writing it involved the usual long hours in the chair, but it also involved calling in some help–a friend whose family speaks Spanish at home, another friend who’s a lawyer, and probably my most used friend, Google. I googled terms and maps and tidbits of
information until finally the story fell into place. My calendar says I worked on THE OFFERING from January 1 until May 30, so in that time I produced five drafts, each one more polished–and longer–than the first. I tend to write thin, then as I work through drafts I had more “flesh” to my supporting plot skeleton. My first draft may be only 45,000 words, but the final book is closer to 100,000. The characters deepen and grow, as do the conflicts and the plot, as I progress through the story.
Anyway, I took a couple of weeks to do revisions after hearing from my agent and my editor, but that’s a topic for tomorrow. 🙂
~~Angie
Angie, as always, I find the story history fascinating. And this one has me anxious to read!
Was your research so thorough that you learned surrogacy is not legal in France or was that a tidbit you already knew from other reading? (I’m amazed at that detail!)
I devour your fiction. And I’m wondering if finding a publisher for these “far out” story lines is challenging? As a newbie, I hear a lot of comments that discourage such creative plots–sadly, I think.
Thanks for sharing, I’m very encouraged to hear some of your experiences. Especially that I’m not alone in writing a 45,000 word first draft! 🙂