Finding My Own Way Into Stones River ~ M. F. (Mimi) Jones
a guest post and giveaway
Recently I read through my journals going back to the ‘70s when I was in college, and the major theme in them, along with a quest for true love, was my longing to write. The problem was, I didn’t know what to write. Truisms like Write what you know, show don’t tell, talent can’t be learned, were wet blankets I threw on my early efforts, stifling them.
So I became an editor, and loved helping writers develop their visions. In 2005 the magazine I worked for laid me off, along with most of the other “old guard,” and I told myself it was now or never to take a shot at my own work. The unacceptable alternative was to live the rest of my days with regret. And so I began writing. And inspiration found me, and over the next 20 years Stones River and its two sequels, along with two other novels and a memoir, emerged.
What advice would I give myself if I could go back to encourage the yearning, blocked me of yesteryear?
No judgment.
Even the most successful writers talk about the “[excremental] first draft” as a necessary step. Just get down the rough outline of story and characters. Don’t judge, don’t edit, put placeholder notes where you need a better word or a fact, and just keep going. Break the log jam and liberate the flow, and you’ll find yourself swept along. (Quite possibly to a place you hadn’t expected!)
You don’t have to know everything.
“Write what you know” is one of the most common bits of advice offered to new writers. For years I let it daunt me: What did I know from my uneventful, conventional life? Then I realized that “write what you want to know” was a much more productive approach. By following my curiosity and devoting the time and effort to in-depth research, I could write from the point of view of a Civil War soldier, a ghost, an Iraq war veteran, a nurse in a Civil War hospital, and many other characters in a variety of settings, situations, and time periods.
Be where the muse can find you.
Keep a regular writing practice. The muse is fickle and if she swings by and doesn’t see you working away, she’s likely to flit to the next person who’s busy creating. Even if you feel uninspired, write anything—freewriting, journal entry, character sketch, a scene, a response to a prompt. You’re almost sure to find your way into a story.
The buddy system.
Good writing and critique partners are invaluable. Do everything you can to find them, in real life or online. But keep in mind that writing tastes are highly subjective, and you have to be the ultimate authority on your work. I had a novel go awry because I tried to honor the preferences (and prejudices) of everyone who read it. Be open to well-meaning suggestions, but act on them only if they strike a deep chord of rightness within you. As for negativity and unkindness, reject them utterly—from anyone else, or yourself.
It was a joyous moment for me when I held Stones River, my first published book, in my hands, the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. But even more rewarding is living the writing life I always wanted—once I dared to find my own way.
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When Jessie Gibbs meets Lemuel Sanders, she thinks she has finally found her ideal man—until she discovers that he is the ghost of a Civil War soldier. For 144 years, Lem has kept vigil at his unmarked battlefield grave, seeking someone to complete a personal mission so he can go to his final rest. As love grows between them, Jessie is torn. If she succeeds in fulfilling Lem’s wish, she’ll lose him when he passes into the afterlife. But if she fails and he remains in the world, she’ll never be free to find intimacy with a living man.
A riveting story of faith, passion, and selfless devotion, STONES RIVER shows the power of love to overcome all obstacles—even death itself.
STONES RIVER is Book I of The Sentinel Heart Trilogy, with Book II, SOLDIER’S JOY, coming out in 2026!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Before beginning to write full-time in 2008, M. F. (Mimi) Jones was an editor at Viking Press, where she discovered Judith Guest’s bestseller ORDINARY PEOPLE in the slush pile and became its editor. She went on to senior editorial positions at Redbook, Family Circle, and Reader’s Digest magazines. In addition to writing, she’s a devotee of reading, knitting (while listening to audiobooks), choral singing, and hiking with her rescue dog, Ruby. She lives in Tennessee with her husband, composer Douglas Hedwig.
Connect with the author: Website ~ goodreads
Click here to ENTER THE GIVEAWAY
An author-signed copy of Stones River: A Civil War Story of Courage, Sacrifice, and an Otherworldly Love (one winner) (USA only) (ends Oct 21)