A writer digs deep, leaving no stone unturned…

In Memoir #98 of my Nonfiction Memoir Collection, 100 Wild Mushrooms: Memoirs of the ‘60s (2017), I allude to my father leaving no stone unturned for building three walls at the edge of our lawn. A part-time project he engaged in after work and during weekends, this summer endeavor stretched into autumn.

His venture evolved into an obsession which recruited the labor force of my mother, sister, and me to gather stones. Oftentimes, our family would be out for a leisurely drive in the countryside, and my father would stop if he espied a wall-worthy rock or two. He was a pushover for boulders too. Those he managed to pry loose from Mother Earth’s grip ended up in the back of our Plymouth station wagon.

In my capacity as a writer, no different from any other striving to blur the boundaries between fiction and nonfiction, regardless of genre—I’m leaving no stone unturned conducting research.

Every unturned stone has potential…

Halfway through my work in progress, a Contemporary set in my native state of Rhode Island, I’ve uncovered and incorporated historical facts and geographic entities pertaining to the rural town of Foster.

As I wend my way to the finish line, and not any time soon, here is a sampling of other stones I’ve overturned to authenticate every facet of my novel:

Freshwater fishing and appropriate sportswear

Sunsets in the month of July

The stages of human decomposition

Fashions, hit songs, and popular movies from 1949 – mid50s

Birthing practices during the ‘50s

Nuances of the ‘60s

An earnest writer must scavenge the earth, leaving no stone unturned to achieve authenticity in a literary endeavor conjured from imagination.

Happy scavenging!

Eva’s Authors Den Page: https://tinyurl.com/yycm7d2w