The Tools and Process of Writer Renée Moffett Thompson

Renée Thompson’s stories have appeared in Narrative Magazine, Literal Latte, Arcadia, Animal: A Beast of a Literary Magazine, 10,000 Tons of Black Ink (where her story “Twelve Pencils” was named “Best Of,” Vol. II, Spring 2012), and Chiron Review. She has stories forthcoming from Crossborder and Chiron Review, and has placed as a finalist in competitions sponsored by Narrative, Literal Latte, Glimmer Train, and Writer’s Digest. She is the author of two novels, THE PLUME HUNTER (Torrey House Press, 2011) and THE BRIDGE AT VALENTINE (Tres Picos Press, 2010), which Larry McMurtry called “…very original and very appealing,” and which was recently selected as the 2014 community book for Woodland Reads. She lives in Northern California.

Renée, thanks for talking with us. For starters, can you describe your tools — the things you like to use when you write, and what you have to have in place. Music? Coffee? What makes you feel comfortable when you begin writing?

Renée Thompson

 Lucy, first, thank you so much for inviting me to chat with you on your blog — I’m honored to visit!

As for tools, I’m sort of promiscuous. I love to write in longhand, using a pencil — a Blackwing 602 (so much so, I wrote a story featuring a protagonist who can’t even think using a pen), but I write on my laptop too. It depends very much on my mood, and my joints, frankly. If I wake up feeling a little stiff, I usually print the prior day’s work, then sit at the kitchen table and edit in pencil while my bones warm up. When I’m working on a novel, I start at 9 a.m., treating my work as a job, coffee at hand and no sound whatsoever. (Even as a kid, I couldn’t work on homework with my radio on; I needed silence then, and still do.)

I like to work near a window. I’m a very slow writer, and tend to think a lot; I’ll gaze into the yard, watch the northern flickers, acorn woodpeckers, and cedar waxwings skim the trees as I dissect a problem. Walking helps too. Almost always, I can resolve a plot or character issue while walking a mile or two.

I agree: nothing better than a nice long walk. What about your process? Do you use index cards for plotting or scribble notes all over a single sheet of paper? Do you find yourself talking in all parts of a scene as you're turning it over in your mind?

Often, my short stories and novels are inspired by photographs, and when that happens, I’m able to identify my protagonist right away — usually the setting too. Plot, though, is something else. With my first two novels, I knew what the ending was before I started, but this time I don’t know how my story will end. I have a map — an outline — but no “X marks the spot,” so this newest endeavor is a leap of faith, and it’s a little scary.

I’ve never been an index-card scribbler, although I do have an idea file, where I’ve stashed appealing names, photos, snippets of dialogue I’ve overheard, and descriptions of landscapes. You might appreciate this one, written on a paper napkin in red ink, dated 3/16/01: Duluth, GA:

·  Redbuds just coming out

·  Daffs about done; tulips emerging

·  Warm, breezy, few clouds in sky

·  Magnolias done; leaves budding

·  (And then at lunch, in a nearby pizza joint): Two teenaged boys playing chess at table. Short hair, white tee-shirts. One boy wears a metal bead necklace. Girls sit next to them – boys totally ignore

·  Little girl with red-juice mustache

I haven’t yet used these details, but I will someday. And I’ll use the photo of Jeff Bridges, too, as he appeared in True Grit. He’ll make an A+ character. 

Renée, best of luck with all your writing projects, and thanks for giving us some of your time.