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The Story Behind the Story: “It Began With a Lie”

September 7, 2018 by Michele Pariza Wacek 6 Comments

When I started It Began With a Lie, the timing was anything but convenient.

It was March of 2015. If you’ve been following my Writing Journey series, you’ll notice that was roughly midpoint between when I sat in ICU alone with my mother, convinced it was her last day on earth, and when she actually did pass on June 30, 2015.

When I look back at that (roughly) ten months of time, it feels like a grace period. My mother was alive, but quite sick, and I think deep down we all knew it was just a matter of time.

I hadn’t written any fiction in eight years. I hadn’t even looked at the two novels I had completed years earlier (The Stolen Twin and Mirror Image), much less published them. My book-writing focus (such as it was) was being poured into writing my nonfiction Love-Based Copy books.

Writing fiction was the last thing I felt I had the time or energy for. Yet I found I just couldn’t shake the mantra I had repeated over and over at my mother’s bedside:

I’m not going to die with my books inside me.

That March, Becca (the main character in It Began With a Lie) began to follow me around. Then she began talking to me.

At first, her voice was quiet, barely a whisper, but it soon grew louder and more incessant.

Write my story.

It had been years since my fictional characters had trailed me, asking (or demanding) me to write their stories. When I had decided it was too painful to keep writing fiction, I had shut off that part of me, refusing to listen to my characters’ pleas. Their voices because softer and softer until, eventually, they disappeared altogether.

It was easier that way, I told myself.

But, even then, I knew I was lying.

Finally, I sat down, opened a new word document, and started writing.

It was dreadful. I couldn’t reach Becca at all.

It took weeks and a half-dozen false starts before I even felt the beginnings of a connection with Becca. And even then, it was still an uphill battle as I slowly, painfully, shook the rust off, and taught myself to write fiction again.

It wasn’t an easy journey. I’ve lost count of how many times I stopped and started again.  I couldn’t tell you the number of rewrites (MAJOR rewrites) and hair-pulling moments I went through.

But, looking back, I see how necessary all of it—every step of the experience—really was. It was exactly what I needed to get myself back on my writer’s path.

I think that’s one of the reasons I named the town where the story takes place “Redemption” … because it  represents my own fiction-writing redemption, too.

Every story has its own story. The behind-the-scenes story of how it got written. This is the story of It Began With a Lie. Click To Tweet

You can check out It Began With a Lie right here.

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Filed Under: Books, Michele's Musings, News, Town of Redemption, Writing Journey Tagged With: ghost, haunted house, It Began With a Lie, mystery, paranormal, psychological thriller, psychological thrillers, romance, suspense, writing journey

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  1. "It Began With a Lie" Launch Day! And Excerpt - Michele Pariza Wacek says:
    September 10, 2018 at 7:57 am

    […] you want to read the full story behind the story, check it out here. And keep reading for an […]

    Reply
  2. The Story Behind The Story: "This Happened to Jessica" - Michele Pariza Wacek says:
    November 23, 2018 at 9:17 am

    […] the story around how I finally got myself to sit down and write “It Began With a Lie” here, but what I didn’t share was how that ended up being the seed for […]

    Reply
  3. The Story Behind the Story: “The Murder Before Christmas” - says:
    November 12, 2021 at 6:30 am

    […] later, while my mother was dying, the idea raised its head, insisting I tell the story. That’s when Aunt Charlie suddenly leaped into existence, a stronger character than I ever […]

    Reply
  4. Merry Christmas Butter Cookie Recipe - Michele Pariza Wacek says:
    November 26, 2021 at 7:10 am

    […] My mother died in 2015 after a long battle with cancer. Her death was what finally got me to start publishing fiction as I was determined not to die with my… […]

    Reply
  5. A Behind-the-Scenes Look at "The Murder Before Christmas" - says:
    March 3, 2022 at 11:50 am

    […] honestly, I thought it completely ridiculous to be starting a novel. I already felt stretched too thin between my copywriting company and seeing my mother. But the idea […]

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  6. The Story Behind the Story: "Ice Cold Murder" - Michele Pariza Wacek says:
    April 14, 2022 at 11:45 am

    […] six months in, I was despairing. It was SUCH a complicated storyline, which made me worry not only about the book ending up huge, […]

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