SueAnn Porter

I’ve started writing a time-travel, historical novel. There are lots of things floating around in my head, and there are various ways I need to put it on paper before it can be exposed to the “real world.”

I made a timeline, and obviously, since there is time travel, there will be a lot of points on the line that are of interest: when someone was born, what was happening in the world (Civil War), etc.

Then I sat down and started scribbling a map that will be of the 1862 world, where George my main character first finds himself away from home. Well, except for a couple of quick time travel experiments. Anyway, “the field”, “the big house”, and “The Tree”, are a few places that will be important.

I then remembered that I wanted to draw a little map of our current neighborhood–nothing to do with the book– and write in the neighbor’s names. I used to have an extremely sponge-like memory 40 years ago, but that ship has sailed. I’ve met the people in the surrounding houses, but can’t recall most of their names.  I drew the road and “boxes” alongside the road to represent the houses. I found myself identifying them as “German Shepherd family”, “Bella’s family”, “Annie Oakley’s Mom”, “The Decorators” (yes for every holiday), “Next door 17”, “The house the tree fell on”, and Eddie. Dogs’ names are easier to remember for some reason.

My son will be home from Mexico tomorrow. When I look at the map, it seems so far away. But thanks to technology and the invention of the airplane (!) it’s not too far after all.

Happy New Year to all, and I hope to be blogging more regularly again. But who knows!