MY FIRST NOVEL
February 10, 2015
By Olivene Godfrey
In the early 1960's, I decided I was going to write a novel. For years, I had written countless letters to friends and relatives, and also many short stories. I was an avid reader and decided I would start working on a novel. I had an idea of what I would write. I was a teenager during World War II and that era was unlike any other I had lived. I felt I could call on my war memories to depict the World War II home front in the United States.
The novel would center on Nickie, a young romantic girl and Chris, an older Navy man who fall in love during World War II.
Before I could write my novel, I needed an office. My late husband, Ralph and our young son, Barry and I were living in a small house in Chatsworth, Georgia, located in northwest Georgia, at the foot of Fort Mountain.
First, I needed a desk. I got out our card table and set it up at one end of the largest room in the house, the living room. Then, I borrowed an old Royal manual typewriter from a neighbor. I used a large cardboard box for a filing cabinet. I bought typing paper and was ready to "create".
Barry was in school and I did some writing during those hours. At that time, I was active in church and community offices. I had to ration my time. Then, I started writing after Ralph and Barry had retired for the night. I kept this schedule for months and finally finished the book. The problem was that I had over a 1,000 page typed manuscript.
I had studied books on the writing of various novels and knew I had to cut the novel to a more acceptable length. But, I was tired. So, I decided to take a break. I chose to write a feature article about Barry's first grade teacher. I submitted it to the Daily Citizen News in Dalton. To my surprise, the editor bought the article and it was published, with my by-line. Needless to say, I was thrilled. For a dozen years, I worked for newspapers. Fiction has always been my love. I had no formal writing training, writing seemed to come naturally for me.
We moved in 1978 to our large, spacious country home. I have a nice, large office with all the equipment that I need. So, after a period of rest, I slashed my novel to a shorter length. I had to cut one of my favorite characters out. Years later, I used him in another novel that I published under an assumed name.
My revised first novel, Catch The Brass Ring, may be purchased through Amazon, Kindle. On one level, the novel is a story of love and marriage. On another it symbolizes the struggle of Americans, mostly Southerners, during World War II and the post war years as they break out of roles that had been assigned to them by time, places and social class.
For the last 12 years I have written a weekly blog . See you next time. Comments welcome. (As told to Tam)
By Olivene Godfrey
In the early 1960's, I decided I was going to write a novel. For years, I had written countless letters to friends and relatives, and also many short stories. I was an avid reader and decided I would start working on a novel. I had an idea of what I would write. I was a teenager during World War II and that era was unlike any other I had lived. I felt I could call on my war memories to depict the World War II home front in the United States.
The novel would center on Nickie, a young romantic girl and Chris, an older Navy man who fall in love during World War II.
Before I could write my novel, I needed an office. My late husband, Ralph and our young son, Barry and I were living in a small house in Chatsworth, Georgia, located in northwest Georgia, at the foot of Fort Mountain.
First, I needed a desk. I got out our card table and set it up at one end of the largest room in the house, the living room. Then, I borrowed an old Royal manual typewriter from a neighbor. I used a large cardboard box for a filing cabinet. I bought typing paper and was ready to "create".
Barry was in school and I did some writing during those hours. At that time, I was active in church and community offices. I had to ration my time. Then, I started writing after Ralph and Barry had retired for the night. I kept this schedule for months and finally finished the book. The problem was that I had over a 1,000 page typed manuscript.
I had studied books on the writing of various novels and knew I had to cut the novel to a more acceptable length. But, I was tired. So, I decided to take a break. I chose to write a feature article about Barry's first grade teacher. I submitted it to the Daily Citizen News in Dalton. To my surprise, the editor bought the article and it was published, with my by-line. Needless to say, I was thrilled. For a dozen years, I worked for newspapers. Fiction has always been my love. I had no formal writing training, writing seemed to come naturally for me.
We moved in 1978 to our large, spacious country home. I have a nice, large office with all the equipment that I need. So, after a period of rest, I slashed my novel to a shorter length. I had to cut one of my favorite characters out. Years later, I used him in another novel that I published under an assumed name.
My revised first novel, Catch The Brass Ring, may be purchased through Amazon, Kindle. On one level, the novel is a story of love and marriage. On another it symbolizes the struggle of Americans, mostly Southerners, during World War II and the post war years as they break out of roles that had been assigned to them by time, places and social class.
For the last 12 years I have written a weekly blog . See you next time. Comments welcome. (As told to Tam)
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