By Greg Nikkel
Weyburn author Anne Lazurko shared some insights into her process of writing, along with some details about the new novel she is currently working on, during a talk to the Weyburn Rotary Club at their luncheon meeting on Thursday at the Legion Hall.
It has been about two and a half years since she published her first novel, 鈥淒ollybird鈥�, a historical fiction story about a young woman who came out west to be a housekeeper for a homesteader. The book鈥檚 title refers to the term such young women were given, sometimes with a negative connotation.
鈥淲hen the book comes out, people are a bit surprised, and go, 鈥榯hat鈥檚 what you鈥檝e been doing? To me, it鈥檚 been kind of a sideline to farming and raising kids,鈥� she said, adding that she鈥檚 now writing more about half-time.
Sometimes it鈥檚 hard for her believe that she really has a title out there, and noted when she walks into a bookstore and sees the hundreds upon hundreds of titles, she thinks to herself, 鈥淒oes the world need another novel? How can your story be a part of this world of books?鈥�
She actually began her initial work on 鈥淒ollybird鈥� about 10 years ago, and found she had to put it aside once in a while, and then she needed to stop worrying about the publishing side of it and just write.
Once the book came out, one of the first presumptions people seem to make is that she鈥檚 wealthy as a result.
鈥淣o,鈥� was her simple answer, laughing and pointing out that in Canada, a book that sells over 5,000 copies is considered a bestseller, with the author only getting a small percentage of each copy sold.
鈥淚 do other writing besides fiction. I write for Country Guide and Sask. Business as a freelancer. It鈥檚 good because you get published once in a while and you get a paycheque from it,鈥� said Anne, noting that she has been able to meet several of Canada鈥檚 best writers, and quite a number of them work on the side, such as teaching or doing speaking dates.
Her idea for 鈥淒ollybird鈥� came up in part from a visit to a graveyard, and 鈥淚 sort of fell into it鈥� as she began doing research to find out more about who these young women were and what they went through to be housekeepers for homesteaders.
She has also found it gratifying to hear her own book being discussed, and noted one experience of going to the Festival of Words in Moose Jaw and hearing a long session on her novel as people picked it apart.
鈥淭hat was really interesting. You create these characters and these themes. Then, readers bring their own experiences and prejudices or whatever to the reading of a particular book,鈥� said Anne.
Since having her first book published, she is now a member of the board of publishing company, Coteau Books, and is on the board of the Sage Hill Writing Experience workshop that is held in Saskatchewan every summer.
For her as a writer, doing the first draft is the hardest part of the project.
鈥淚鈥檓 working on a new novel right now, and first drafts just kill me. It鈥檚 a painful struggle, and for me, it鈥檚 hard to write,鈥� said Anne, adding that she enjoys working on the subsequent drafts much more, as she can take the initial draft apart and play with words and phrases, and work with it like putting a puzzle together.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I enjoy. You want to show some insights in the theme or your characters. I think every one of us in this room has a lot of insight, whether it鈥檚 relationships or whatever it is. I just happen to write it down in a book,鈥� said Anne. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not that writers have an in on the human condition.鈥�
Her new novel is also historical fiction, and will be based loosely on her father鈥檚 experiences at the end of the Second World War in Holland.
She has completed about two-thirds of the first draft of the book, and is currently doing research to authenticate the historical details. She gave one example of a tiny detail in her story, as she looked into the situation where young women were accused of being collaborators and had their heads shaved for allegedly sleeping with the enemy. For her, the quest is to look behind that to find out why some of these women might have acted in this way.
Part of her father鈥檚 experience was also spending three years after the war in Indonesia with the Dutch forces during the Indonesian War of Independence. Her father talked very little about this time, but she has been asking him questions about it as her intent is to write her novel from the male point of view.
She was awarded a grant of $6,000 from the Saskatchewan Arts Board to travel to Indonesia in July to do first-hand research for her novel. Anne has set a goal to have her book finished by the fall of 2017.
Bob King asked if she starts at the beginning and writes through to the end, or if she writes the end first and then writes the rest of it later.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 write the end first. 鈥� I mostly try to be linear, although I might jump ahead once in a while. It鈥檚 a bit of both,鈥� she replied.
