by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
Something about the strong character development of Mare of Easttown lingers in my mind as I work on this first novel in the series I’m developing and writing. I have a hunch why — it’s a story about family in a small, tightknit community.
Given that this first novel is more about character than some sort of fast paced thriller, I find myself dwelling upon what made Mare of Easttown so compelling. If I can just crack the nut of creating, not just characters but people, then I will at least not embarrass myself.
Anyway. At this point, it’s all about focus. No one believes in me, but me. I don’t have anyone to tell me “no,” so I can do whatever the fuck I want. I can’t even get relatives to help me out with this project. They give me lip service support, but sometimes, I wonder if they even believe me when I say I’m hard at work on this.
If I had someone, anyone, in my life who cared about me, I might not have even started this thing because they would have told me to “just write a short story” and I would have gotten mad.
