Jacqueline’s Comments (group member since Feb 25, 2013)

Jacqueline’s comments from the Ask Jacqueline Winspear - March 12, 2013 group.

Aimee wrote: "Though I have missed the discussion, I would just like to say that the Maisie Dobbs series is one of my absolute favorites of all times. I have enjoyed sharing them with friends who have also fall..."

Dear Aimee - thank you so much for your message - I really appreciate it. And to everyone else, this is my final check-in today, so again, thank you for being part of the conversation, I feel honored by your interest in my work.

Jacqueline

I think we're coming to the end of the day here, so at this point, while I can still catch some of you, I wanted to thank you all for your thoughtful questions and for turning up here for my day on Goodreads - it's been really good fun and a great opportunity to communicate with you all. Thank you, and good reading!

Many blessings,
Jacqueline

NC wrote: "Your method sounds not unlike the case maps that Maisie uses. How fun to hear about it. Thanks for sharing!"

Well, some of my methods came about by necessity. I had written about a third, maybe only a quarter, of Maisie Dobbs, when I had a really bad riding accident. My right shoulder was crushed, my arm badly broken just below the shoulder and I sustained vascular damage to the arm. Luckily, it was not a compound fracture, though it was very close. Following major surgery to sort things out (that's putting it mildly), I faced six months at home, not able to do much - it was a challenging time as we lived in a very rural area with no public transport and I couldn't drive. On one occasion, my husband took me into San Francisco to visit a friend while he was at work, and she told me that convalescence was the best time to finish my book. I pointed to my wrapped arm in its scaffolding, to which she replied, "You've got a left hand, haven't you?" The very next day I started work on Maisie Dobbs again, using my left hand on the keyboard. The trouble was, I cannot write very well with my left hand, and to make any notes, I had to use a very big felt marker on poster-paper, which I stuck around the room - and drawing was easier for me anyway. I have stuck with that method to this day - three big posters around the room, one with the arc of my story, one a running commentary on character, and one for rough notes and "research needs" - it works for me! Three and a half months after my surgery, I had a finished manuscript and 85% use of my arm back (they had predicted I would only get 75% back at most) - I was so anxious to get the other hand on the keyboard that I was really good about PT. Now as I write this note, I am again attached to a polar ice machine having had knee surgery - and by the same surgeon! I remember the head of HR at the company where I was working, saying to me, "There must have been a really big reason for you to have this accident." I guess there was - I had always wanted to be a full-time writer, and that dream came true, though I am sure there are easier, less painful ways to finish a book!

Kathy wrote: "This discussion has been fascinating and I appreciate the way you explain your writing process. You have a well-developed process for creating the journey of your characters all the while weaving a..."

Oh dear, Kathy, I must say, I think the whole business of plotting is my weakest skill as a writer, so I leave it very much to "feel" - I have a series of plot turning points in my mind, and I weave them into the story in a manner that feels smooth and organic to me. It truly is like weaving a tapestry - I studied textile art for several years and loved working on the big looms - to the extent that my approach to weaving in all aspects of the story is done very much in an intuitive way. I pay attention to how I feel about a certain point in the story, and if it doesn't feel right, then it probably isn't.

Courtney wrote: "Hello Jacqueline,
I’d like to add my thanks for your wonderful series—my parents have read them all and are eagerly awaiting the next; I’m on #3. This question sort of parallels your answer about ..."

Thank you for your question, Courtney. One of the things I do - almost unwittingly - is draw upon my own interests and experiences. For example, I learned about the White Feather movement while I was in school - I was eleven at the time, and it was part of our history lesson. An elderly lady from our town came in and described seeing a young man given a feather by a woman, pressing him to go to war. What that woman did not know, was that the man had been to war and had been awarded a medal for gallantry. In my newsletters to readers of the series, I often describe the influences and experiences which feed into my stories - you can read past newsletters on my website and also sign up for more in the future.

Diana wrote: "Ms. Winspear, when I read that Maisie Dobbs was a nurse during the first world war, I was reminded that Agatha Christie also was a nurse during the same war."

I didn't know that.

Jacqueline wrote: "Ms. Winspear--Thank you for your answer (message 112). As a writer working on revising a first novel, I appreciate how you have presented your writing process in artistic words. Is every book a new..."

Every book has to be an adventure for me, otherwise it would be a really boring job. One of the keys is that I move Maisie through time - each book is different in that regard - plus I throw new challenges at her. Maurice dying was a very sad piece to write - I cried for ages afterwards. And having little Lizzie Beale die was an important step - I could have drawn back and made everyone happier, but the fact is that one in five children were killed by sickness in those years. So, every book is an adventure because I take a series of characters, each with their own experiences of life, each with a history that reflects their culture and their understanding of the world, and I set them at a time where they are impacted by events on a local, national and international level (as we all are affected by these elements), then into that I throw a mystery - the archetypal journey through chaos to resolution (or not, as the case may be). The key is not what the sleuth and her associates do with the case, but what does this whole experience do to them - that's the adventure. That's why my books are character and not plot driven, to the extent that time and place are key characters in the books. Hmmm, hope that helps!

Julie wrote: "Dear Jacqueline,

As all others here today, I am a great fan of Maisie Dobbs ... so thank you for bringing her into the world, as it were.

My comment and question here today is that Maisie Dobbs ..."

Hi Julie,

That's a good question, and certainly I read Brittain's memoirs (actually, years ago, when I was 22!), but that did not inspire me to create the character of Maisie Dobbs. A good number of years before I turned to writing Maisie Dobbs, I had read THE ROSES OF NO MAN'S LAND by Lyn MacDonald, which I found very compelling - MacDonald was one of the earlier historians chronicling the war via the voices of those who had served - her books remain among the very best of WW1 history. I turned to the archives of the Imperial War Museum for deeper research into the life of women serving overseas.

Joyce wrote: "How or when do we get to hear or see Jaqueline's response to all of these wonderful questions? I'm not familiar with this format on Goodreads, but today is March 12th."

Well, I'm here, Joyce!!!

Vchb wrote: "I, too, would like to see a novel -- or two -- take place in Canada, with James conducting his business and Billy helping him and Maisie. Some appropriate Canadian history would be welcomed also."

I've always enjoyed Canadian history, especially more modern history. I first went to Toronto when the old Simpsons and Eatons were there, and I thought they were lovely. I became friends with the woman who ran the "downstairs" part of The Grange, which is at the back of the art museum, and learned so much about the history of the house and the area. And of course, like most Brits, I have close relatives in Canada (that massive post WW2 migration from the bomb-sites and rationing of post-war Britain, to the promise of a better life in Canada on the ten quid assisted passage took kin thousands of miles away from thousands of families).

Sarah wrote: "How did you choose to name her "Maisie" and does she have a middle name?

I recently named my daughter Maisie after your Miss Dobbs. But first, I had to read Henry James' "What Maisie Knew" to ..."

The name "Maisie" just came to me, with the character. I don't know anyone called Maisie, nor was the name inspired by any other character. She does have a middle name, but it hasn't been mentioned yet.

Peggy wrote: "Love, love, love Maisie! I work at a library and saw folks with similar reading tastes checking the books out, after reading the 1st one I was definitely hooked I don't really have a question, just..."

You know, I had never thought of Michael Kitchen as Maurice, but that would be an excellent choice! The US narrator gives him a French accent in the audio version, but that would have been barely distinguishable, given that his mother was Scottish and he was educated in England - Kitchen would be very good indeed! I have always liked him, since he was in Enchanted April (one of my favorite films).

Alexis(Andra) wrote: "I love this series and I agree with the other posts that the series is rich in detail and story line. I have not read the latest book. My question is: How can you maintain her life experience in ..."

How do you know I'm moving her to North America?

Krista wrote: "I love all the Maysie books. The one hole in the realism for me is the question of birth control. Maysie's sentiments towards relationships have many of the issues of "modern women" (career vs fa..."

Good question, Krista - but I wonder why people often think there was absolutely no birth control in the earlier part of the 20th century. During WW1 soldiers were provided with prophylactics (although at the outset of WW1 the German Army was much more forward thinking in this provision) - essentially to curb the spread of venereal disease in the armies. But birth control - from earliest times - was generally more available to the middle and upper classes. The British birth control campaigner, Marie Stopes, published her book, "Married Love" in 1918, and with women such as Margaret Sanger was a vocal supporter of birth control for women (this at a time when so many women died in childbirth). She opened her first London clinic in 1921, advising mothers on birth control (and not to bore you with the details, there were several forms by then). In 1930 in Britain, the National Birth Control Council was formed. So you see, we tend to think the 1960's invented birth control - but really it was the most convenient form of birth control - the Pill - that came into widespread public use. I think it is still the case that all birth control is available free of charge to women in Britain. And the Marie Stopes Clinic - well, the organization now serves some 40 countries in all matters of women's health - and in Maisie's day the closest would have been on Whitfield Street, just around the corner from Fitzroy Square.

Emily wrote: "Jacqueline, What method do you use to outline Maisie's adventures before you start the actual writing? Or do you dive right into the writing? Do tell...

I am a mother of five children with one mo..."

Emily, I am not a big planner, so to speak. I often use a large poster-sized Post-it note to draw the arc of the story - a bit like the standard mean in stats, but skewed to the right - and note landing points along the way, then I just get going and write the story. Another poster has a list of characters, as I tend to change names as I go along - sometimes a character doesn't get the name that fits until quite near the end. I NEVER edit as I go along, as I see the processes as quite different. In the first draft I am a storyteller telling a story that's in my head and has probably been in my head for some time. All that gives me, when I reach The End, is the clay on the wheel - a big lump of clay that needs to be moulded, fashioned, worked on, detailed. In that second process I am a different kind of artist. I've created the sketch, now I have to bring in color, texture, nuance ... that's how I work.

Donna wrote: "Ms. Winspear, The Maisie Dobbs & Inspector Rutledge series discuss a variety similar subject matter, for example, class and shell shock. Have you read any of the Todd's work. Would you comment on t..."


I have made a point of never reading other fiction based at the same time as my fiction (though I read huge amounts of non-fiction), so I have never read the Todds' work (there are two of them, a mother-and-son writing team) and can't really comment on their novels.

Michelle wrote: "Are there any particular places or physical objects that you get the most inspiration from when writing the Maisie Dobbs novels? If so, where or what are they?"

My inspiration comes from history and from my characters, so no physical objects in the mix, I'm afraid.

Kathy wrote: "My sister the librarian tuned me into Maisie and we continue to spread the word among our friends and fellow readers. Our question to Jacqueline would be: Will Maisie ever travel to the USA? Okay..."

Hi Kathy, Thanks for your question - I think I am answering quite a few questions of the same nature here: Watch this space! I can't tell you what's coming down the road, can I????

Jennifer wrote: "Hi :) I'm Jen and I'm an American Expat who has been living in England for 11 years. I adore the Maisie Dobbs books and love being able to recognise London landmarks, etc. I can't wait for Maisie's..."

Hi Jennifer, Thank you for taking the time to post a comment. Well, I travel to the UK several times each year, as I have family there - in fact last year I was in Sussex for some six months, as my Dad was very ill and, sadly, passed away. So, I am not exactly a distant ex-pat. As to living in the UK again - well, that's tricky, because America is my home now, and going back to the UK would entail bringing one husband, two horses, one dog and several Alps of books (an Alp being my measurement of a great number of books). I may make more extended visits though, which would be lovely

Erikka wrote: "Hi, Jacqueline! I absolutely love Maisie. My husband has heard me go on and on about the plot of every book--how Maisie solved the crime, how great Billy and his family are, how fabulous I think Ja..."

Hi Erikka, Thank you for your question - which is a big one. What makes anyone happy? According to a recent book on the subject, it's not what we think - the closest thing is "the absence of worry." As far as Maisie is concerned, we'll see what happens as her story unfolds ....