Why Gloria Ferris Writes

When I ask writers why they write, I'm never surprised at the long pause that follows as they struggle for an answer. It's a big question because, as Popeye the sailor says, "I yam what I yam an' tha's all I yam." Asking a writer to explain why they write is like asking them to explain why they exist or what the meaning of their life is!

We writers have an inner creative compulsion that yearns to not only be released, but shared with others so they too can savour and enjoy the adventures that take place in our minds. I'd go so far as to say it's not something we have much control over- a factor of our biology. Stories allow us to express not just our creative bent but our humanity. 

When I say, "I'm Marianne Scott, a mystery/thriller writer," I'm not just saying what I do. I'm saying who I am as a person. Those words are my equivalent of raising my arms in breathless triumph, like Rocky Balboa after climbing the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art after a strenuous workout. He does what he does because he must, and so do I.

Today's guest blogger is Gloria Ferris, a writer from Guelph, Ontario. Thank you Gloria for sharing your story in "Why Does Gloria Ferris Write?"

Marianne Scott, Author

Why Gloria Ferris Writes

"Good question. Why do I write? Hmmm. The easy answer is because I enjoy it and I feel compelled. That’s the long and short of it. I don’t believe any outside force made me a writer. I wrote stories when I was little, taking my inspiration from my mother’s Doubleday book-of-the-month offerings. My favourites were the Ellery Queen mysteries. Eight-year-old me fell a little in love with Ellery and I loved the mystery element but, it wasn’t until I re-read the novels in adulthood that I realized they were psychological suspense stories as well as mysteries. One of my most cherished books is the same hard cover edition of the first Ellery Queen I read, Cat of Many Tails.

I wrote short stories right through high school. Then I stopped. Job, marriage, kids, who had time to write? There was hardly time to read; certainly, no time to consider writing. I continued to pick books apart, knowing it would be far better if one of the characters went left instead of right, or if a different twist ended a certain chapter. I always had a book on the go but, if the book wasn’t satisfying by the end, I just knew how I could have written it better. Uh-huh.

This continued well into adulthood until the kids were older and out with their friends much of the time, the husband was invariably fishing, and I finally had time to myself. One day, I literally tossed a book over my shoulder in frustration. I had read so many books, it took a really engaging mystery to hold my interest, and this one fell very short of the mark. I swear I actually heard a voice in my head say, well, if you’re so smart, why don’t you write a better one?

Challenge accepted.

Ha. I hadn’t taken a single writing course or read one manual on how to write. In a time when not every home had a computer, I bought myself a word processor — a step up from the typewriter! — and started in. The spirit was willing but the skills were non-existent. It took me several years, writing in my spare time, but I finished the manuscript. What a disaster. I liked the characters and the setting. The plot wasn’t bad. But, oh wow. If something could be said in five words, I used twenty-five. This was strange as I worked as an operating procedure writer at a nuclear power plant where brevity was not only important, but essential.

Take my word for this, there isn’t time for an operator to read: If you don’t mind, locate the lovely, buttercup-coloured pushbutton labelled 42 on the middle panel and press it firmly. No, no, you say: Press PB42. No excuses.

My second big mistake was stifling my natural style which, it must be said, and often pointed out to me, is rather irreverent and sarcastic. I muted all that so my turn of the 21 st century female main character sounded like a maiden from the 18 th century with her corset pulled too tightly. I’ve read delightful books set in that era, but not what I was going for.

I still have that manuscript on a floppy disc and in paper format. So cringey. Many people would have dusted their hands and told themselves they tried and let go of the dream.

But I guess have a writer’s soul.

I attended seminars and conferences. I bought books on how to write. I dissected novels I enjoyed — how did the author put it together? What basics did I enjoy? I found a few authors who had a snarky style similar to mine and I read them all. Ah, validation that I could be me.

When I felt ready to start again, I began the story where my bomb (not to be confused with bombshell) left off. Cheat the Hangman was shortlisted for the Crime Writers of Canada Unhanged Arthur Award and the next year won the Bony Blithe Award. It was picked up by a small Canadian press. My second book won the Unhanged Arthur Award and was published by a larger press.

Three publishers have come and gone. I self-publish these days, having reached the age of doing my own thing and not adhering to someone else’s deadlines. I wrote a novella duet with my editor, and now I write a murder thriller series with two author friends under the pseudonym Ferris Tremain. It’s tremendous fun writing with two other people, blending voices in perfect harmony, but I enjoy the total control when flying solo on my mystery series. I believe I have the best of both worlds.

Did I digress from the question of why I write? Probably. I guess the short answer is — I write because I must. And, because I can.

Gloria Ferris, guest blogger.