I have been working zealously trying to get my current manuscript (the one you’re probably tired of hearing about) ready to submit to editors and agents. In the process I’ve had to think about a question one agent asked me at the ACFW conference. She wanted to know what made my novel, which deals with spousal abuse, different from other stories on the same subject. I hadn’t thought much about how my story differed, but I did know without a doubt that the Lord led me to write this story, so there must be something in it He wants told.
I started writing the story a year ago. While I consider myself a romantic, I prefer stories with mystery, suspense, intrigue. So I started my second story with a young lady hiding in a closet. I didn’t know why she was in the closet or who she was hiding from, but it sounded sinister. Three lines later, I find out she is in an abusive relationship. Not quite the mystery and intrigue I wanted, but that was the story my character wanted to tell.
I didn’t know anything about domestic violence, not personally anyway. The story would call for a lot of research on my part. I had no idea when I started telling people the premise of the novel I’d have survivors offering to tell me their stories. These were not women who ‘knew someone’; these were women who preserved through abusive marriages and relationships.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. In honor of all of the women who shared their stories and in memory of those who never got the chance; take a few minutes to visit the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence website. There are events and projects all over the country where you can participate, donate or volunteer.
In Loving Memory of Laura (10-12-2006)
