What has been challenging your writing career?
What I find most challenging balancing kids and writing. I’ve been a homeschooling mom since 1995 when I first started getting published. Two years ago we adopted a baby, who is now a very active toddler (and if you don’t believe me, just check out my Facebook page for constant updates about her). It’s challenging getting quiet time to write, but it’s a blessing, too. I have a lot of life experience to write about.
Another challenge for me was my discovery of myself as a writer. When writers first start writing, it’s about them and what’s inside—it’s a very emotional experience—and then along the way it becomes about producing what publishers want. The balance has been writing what’s inside in a way publishers want—and in a way that will impact and inspire readers.
What was the most difficult part of writing The Memory Jar?
The most challenging part is writing an Amish novel that’s different than the other Amish novels out there (and believe me, there are hundreds). They tend to have common themes: a non-Amish person coming into the community, or an Amish person is considering leaving the community. My novel doesn’t have either of those aspects. Instead it’s a story of an Amish woman, Sarah, paying more attention to the past and the friend she lost than her hopes for the future. Both Sarah and Jathan try to follow God’s call for their lives even when others believe want to hold them back from pushing the boundaries. (And you can pre-order the book for only $4.99 on Amazon!)
How did your book evolve as you wrote it?
The opening involves a scene where Sarah loses her best friend in an accident. As I explored Sarah’s character I realized that her past—and her relationship with her friend Patty—paved the way for her future healing and her relationship with Jathan. The more I explored, the more the past and the present tied together, and I included many scenes with Sarah and Patty over the years up to Patty’s death.
Flashbacks weren’t something I planned on including or using a lot of in The Memory Jar, but I love the way it turned out. I won’t give the end of the novel away, but the storyline from the past plays a special part in the end of the novel.
For more about Tricia’s novel and to see some Memory Jar-inspired DIY projects, click here!
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