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Melanie Dobson When and how did you decide to become a writer?
The bookmobile was my special place as a child. After carefully making my selections, I would pedal home and spend the next week immersed in these stories. As I grew older, I began creating adventures and mysteries of my own, but I stopped writing fiction in college to pursue a career in journalism and ultimately public relations. Not long before my 30th birthday, God sparked the desire to pour out a new story, and it has been an incredible experience for me to grow this dream over the past 20 years.
What motivates you to write?
Writing has become a form of worship for me. Through this process, I revel in the creativity of our Creator and savor our sweet time together as the pieces of story mold into a novel that I pray will encourage and inspire readers.
How do you come up with your ideas for plots, characters, and settings?
Since I write historical fiction, most of my ideas are founded in a unique historical event or a person that intrigues me. As I was researching Memories of Glass, for example, I discovered an article about an unusual group of leaders who rescued more than 600 Jewish children from a Nazi deportation center in Amsterdam. These types of stories fuel my imagination, and it’s pure joy for me to uncover the facts about a heroic feat and then fill in the unknown details through fiction.
Do you have any unusual writing techniques or strategies?
My characters are quite chatty at times, especially when I’m driving or trying to fall asleep at night. I have bits of dialogue on an assortment of devices and random pieces of papers around my house, so my process is often as scattered as my brain. I drink gallons of hot tea as I work and take long walks to recalibrate. And often I forget which decade I’m living in. On those days, it’s tough being my husband and kids . . . .
How long does it typically take for you to write a book?
I usually take a month to brainstorm and research for a historical novel and about four months to write it. Once I complete my first draft, it still needs significant editing, so I like to have another month for revisions. In the end, it’s about a six-month process.
Do you ever get writer’s block? If so, how do you work through it?
Fear is what blocks my writing. I begin to doubt my abilities and this gift of storytelling that God has called me to pursue. I love beginning a novel and writing the end, but the “messy middle” is extremely hard for me to push through. I have to pray against the doubts that I’m not really good enough to finish it, and then, by God’s grace, press through the middle one word at a time. The first round isn’t my best writing, but often a feast of words will follow the famine. I have this verse from 1 Chronicles hanging in my office: “Be strong and courageous and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged by the size of the task, for the Lord God, my God, is with you.” As long as God continues to gift me with the beginnings of a story, I believe it’s my job to be faithful in completing this work.
What advice would you give aspiring writers?
If God has given you a story, pray for persistence, courage, and the skills to pursue it. The journey may not be easy, but it will be an amazing, soul-inspiring one as you diligently listen and learn and write what He’s called you to write. Melanie Dobson is the award-winning author of 19 historical romance, suspense, and time-slip novels, including Hidden Among the Stars, Catching the Wind, Chateau of Secrets, and Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor. Four of her novels have won Carol Awards, Catching the Wind won the Audie Award for inspirational fiction, and The Black Cloister won the Foreword magazine Religious Fiction Book of the Year award. Melanie is the former corporate publicity manager at Focus on the Family and owner of the publicity firm Dobson Media Group. When she isn’t writing, Melanie enjoys teaching writing and public relations classes. Melanie and her husband, Jon, have two daughters. After moving numerous times with work, the Dobson family has settled near Portland, Oregon. They love to hike and camp in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest and along the Pacific Coast. Melanie also enjoys exploring ghost towns and abandoned homes, helping care for kids in her community, and reading stories with her girls. Visit Melanie online at www.melaniedobson.com. TODAYSCHRISTIANLIVING.ORG
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