Tess Gerritsen left a successful practice as an internist to raise her children and concentrate on her writing. She gained nationwide acclaim for her first novel of medical suspense, the New York Times bestseller Harvest. She is also the author of the bestsellers Life Support, Bloodstream, Gravity, and The Surgeon. Tess lives with her family in Maine. (PHOTO CREDIT: Paul D'Innocenzo) --as appeared her blog.
Write Your Passions
When young people ask me what’s the best course of study for an aspiring writer, I tell them two things.
First: “Live a life.” By this, I mean that stories come from our experiences, and to write those stories, we need to know what it means to be human. What it’s like to fall in love, fall out of love, have a child, hold down a job, lose a loved one.Second: “Cultivate your interests.” Because you never know where those interests will lead you. My fascination with Egyptology led to my book The Keepsake. My interest in the space program led me to write Gravity. Every time you immerse yourself in another world or another hobby, you are feeding that well of future plot ideas.
But sometimes, a hobby is just something you do because you love it.
Note from Kelly: Click the link if you want to read more of Tess's article about playing the fiddle.
I shared this post with my husband. We're both of Irish descent and love Celtic fiddling. I've also always wanted to visit Maine. Now he's finally interested in going! LOL Thank you, Tess, and I'm wondering if we'll see you in one of those pubs, playing yours.
ReplyDeleteHi Tess. I have a piano sitting in my house that I haven't played in over ten years. Maybe one of these days I'll try my hand at it again - hopefully when no one else is around for their sake!
ReplyDeleteI totally understand your love of Irish music. Next step: you'll be doing Irish jigs while fiddling!
ReplyDeleteOn a more scholarly note, yes, getting out and living enriches writing. Mine has benefited from past job, places I've traveled to overseas, books I've read, people I've met.... Things you might never stop to research can add fresh texture and realism to a story.