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On The Table Read Magazine, “the best entertainment eBook magazine UK“, author Margaret Dulaney shares the inspiration behind her fantastical new book, Whippoorwill Willingly, and writing a book designed to give people comfort during difficult times.
I interviewed Margaret Dulaney about the story of her new book, Whippoorwill Willingly, being inspired to write a book that would soothe people’s suffering in difficult times, and her creative writing process.
My roots were in the theater and my first piece of writing was a play. In 2000 I began writing essays and in 2010 I began to offer recorded ten minute essays on a spoken word website called ListenWell. (listenwell.org).
Having gathered an audience over many years I was able to publish my first book with some confidence of reaching readers. I have written and published three more since then. I am a one-man-band, with a lovely team of artists and designers and editors that work with me.
After writing about one hundred essays, I thought I would like to create a collection. This was my first book: To Hear the Forest Sing..
I began to write thirty-five years ago, when I picked up the pen to write my first play.
I would say my first book took about ten years to complete.
Whippoorwill Willingly took four years to complete.
I was busy writing a piece of nonfiction about watching the difficult struggle of a loved one who was going through a clinical depression. The book was about keeping one’s hope alive through hardship. And then the Pandemic rolled through our lives. I thought, I can’t give my readers this hard book. I need to write something that will lift them; I need to write a book that will soothe their suffering. It was then that Whippoorwill Willingly arrived in my mind. It came without effort and told itself to me whenever I sat to write.
This was not a challenging book to write. It felt almost downloaded.
My protagonist is a very practical eleven-year-old girl who relates a rather mystical story. I suppose I have both qualities in my psyche: practicality and mysticism.
There really isn’t an antagonist.
Whippoorwill receives an invitation to visit an enchanted lake deep in the heart of the Swiss Alps.
The need to learn generosity, in all of its forms, but mainly generosity of the heart.
I flew with this one.
I did have an editor and copy editor. Vital components.
Try, when you are writing, not to lift your head and wonder about the supposed response of the unknown reader. Write, as Emerson suggested, to the “unknown friend.” Imagine that your reader loves what you love, is passionate about what gives you joy.
I am waiting for direction on that one.
I love this book. It was a joy to work on, and seems to me to have a magical spell cast on it, which causes me only to love it. This is a rare treat for me.
Apple Books: https://apple.co/4fFyvGo
Kindle: https://amzn.to/3Cw8ESK
Paperback: https://amzn.to/3Zcl9fd
https://www.facebook.com/www.listenwell.org
https://www.instagram.com/listenwell.margaret/
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