Thoughts from Dawn: The Release of One Way to Grace

It's here. It exists. It's out there in the world.

One Way to Grace has been released by our lovely publishers Ambassador International. You can buy it and everything. Somewhere right now, in all likelihood, a person I've never met, never seen, never conceived of, is reading the words I wrapped around the incredible stories of David Daly. Perhaps he or she feels less alone, less desperate, a little closer to a relationship with God. 

Two years, three composition notebooks, and more hours than I can count on Skype. It sounds like a lot, but in truth the whole production came down to one moment. One sentence... 

How Google Maps Set the Scene

I've never been to the UK.

While I have a vivid imagination, it takes more than strong descriptive language to accurately capture the streets of Belfast, the rural roads of Downpatrick, and the unique paint color of a corner pub. A trip across the pond to the many locations David experienced, lived, and worked was pretty much out of the question and I needed a way to actually see the world I was attempting to write about.

Then, I remembered finding my old apartment complex on Google Maps and zooming to street view as a way to kill time back when I was a call center worker. (Sorry, old bosses!) During a productive meeting with David in which I was collecting sensory memories for the opening chapter, I decided to type "Mt. Crescent, Downpatrick, UK" into a Google Maps search. One click later, I was taking a tour of one of the most important backdrops of One Way to Grace.

Thanks to the Google Maps technology, I've been able to explore the streets David walked as a child, "stand" in front of the pub where he met the mother of his son, witness the landmarks in Israel that changed David's life forever, and take a tour of the English city he calls home today.

Here is an example of the prose assisted by Google Maps Street Views:

"Red brick buildings were adorned with full color murals declaring neighborhood allegiances. Haunting images of fallen heroes, hated figure heads or gun wielding gang members let those passing through know whether the inhabitants were loyal to the Union Jack or the Green White and Gold, to the Catholic or Protestant interests." 

 -Chapter One, One Way to Grace

Those murals are still there. Archive photos of Belfast in the 1960's and 70's paint a vivid picture of the city and how the visual representations of the civil and religious unrest affected its residents. Yet, looking at street view images of the actual murals that, though faded, still tell those stories really drives home how intense growing in that time, in that place was for David and everyone else really was.

"My mother and stepfather Larry took over The Railway public house on Wells Road, right down the road from where Davina and I had shared a home. The yellowish building hugged the corner of Wells Road in Radstock where I had considered ending my life in a car crash. The Railway itself had been the scene of many drunken nights."

 -Chapter 10, One Way to Grace

It wasn't until David and I opened the street view of The Railway during a meeting that it really sunk in how close the pub was to so many important places in his life. This small bit of technology has entirely transformed the way I interact with my writing.

So, thanks Google, for allowing me to describe places I've never been.

Trust Me: Building Trust Across an Ocean

Click for Larger Image

As the writer portion of the One Way to Grace partnership, trust plays a huge role in my ability to complete my work.

Why Trust Was a Must

The first half of One Way to Grace deals with David's childhood and the details of his alcoholism. It is not always easy to rehash the most painful and embarrassing moments in your life with someone you've never seen in person. Actually, it's never all that easy. The only way to make it work, and end up with a fully genuine final product, is to cultivate a deep sense of trust.

Earning Trust

Prior to conducting any official interviews, David and I simply had conversations. I got to know the man who lived the life I was so passionate about writing. We are all more than the content of our personal timeline. David's personality, his soul, shape the way he perceives the things he has experienced. The trust that comes from open and honest conversations sheds light on who David truly is, what his inner voice sounds like.

Maintaining Trust

Once a strong bond of trust existed between David and me, it was important to maintain that valuable trust throughout the writing process. Especially now, as we begin the business portion of bringing a memoir to the reading world, we need to rely on each other's honesty.

"Trust me, I know what I'm doing," needs to go without saying sometimes, and that's what a balance of business and personal trust can allow.

Utilizing Trust

The trust between David and I strengthens the friendship behind the One Way to Grace partnership. It is also an important tool I utilize in my writing. When our chapter meetings are over and I go off on my own to turn my interview notes into readable work, I rely on David's trust in me to make vital artistic choices. If I felt as though David did not trust me to create a true interpretation of his innermost memories, emotions and demons, I would be unable to make the big leaps of Faith that go into some of the best prose.

My implicit trust in David as a business partner makes me comfortable sharing my ideas freely. I know he'll tell me exactly what he thinks, correct me when I'm wrong, and support me when I'm right. For example, when David said something about our most recently completed chapter didn't feel right. I trusted his perception and spent hours re-reading the piece. Eventually, I realized there was a pacing issue that was easy to fix but hard to spot.

Trust is essential. When you all finally get a chance to read David's story, I hope that trust is evident. Correction, I know it will be. 

Ghostwriter to Partner: The Writer Behind the Curtain

The definition for a ghostwriter is:
"...a writer who writes books, articles, stories, reports, or other texts that are officially credited to another person." -Wikipedia

You've most likely seen some of my work on web portals, blogs, and other informational online sources without even knowing I wrote it. Many freelance writers spend a lot of time producing work that never bears their name. It's a fun and interesting way to gain experience writing professionally. I have written hundreds of articles that have helped me hone my skills and pay a bill here or there.

Dawn's "office"

When I proposed helping David turn his incredible life story into a moving testimonial memoir, I envisioned my role as,at most, ghostwriter; the lady behind the curtain, if you will. As you can see, the curtain has been drawn back and I am a named, visible writing partner on One Way to Grace. How did that happen?

David wanted to be open and honest about the creation of this book. He expressed to me that by taking my name off of the project, he would be ignoring the contributions I've made. I told him the only recognition I needed was the knowledge that his story was being shared with you all. But, he's the boss! He put his foot down on the matter and I went from the unseen ghostwriter to a co-writer.

My Role

So, you may ask this question--- If this is David's memoir, his life story, why does he need a writing partner?

After expressing to David the real potential I saw in his story, I sent him a small proposal containing some of my ideas for the look, feel, and overall message of the memoir. As a friend, I wanted him to have a good running head start on the project. In my head, the proposal could get him fired up about his ability to reach out to people. Maybe he could use me as a consultant, a small service I've provided to one or two other writers. I didn't want David's money, never wanted to charge him a fee for the help I could provide. I saw the impact David could make by telling his story, and wanted to be a part of all that good in any way possible.

David took one look at the proposal and emailed me back that he would need more than the occasional proofread or consultation. His storytelling skills are impressive; I could listen to him talk for hours. What he was unsure of was his ability to transform his stories into a readable memoir, into a work of art that can best share the beautiful message of faith and redemption his life represents. He saw my vision for the work, saw how many people my words and his story could touch.

My Words, David's Story

Next, I explained to David about the ghostwriting process. It would take a while, but through a series of conversations and pointed interviews, I was sure I could absorb the details of his life and reproduce them in a compelling manner. All of the elements of a page-turning plot are right there in the timeline of David's life. A writer couldn't have constructed a better main character. To truly capture the tension of Northern Ireland in the 1970's, the desperation of alcoholism, the struggle of a broken marriage, and the eventual surrender to Christ...this was a challenge and privilege to take on. I was thrilled to become David's ghostwriter.

Then, one day David and I were talking about publishers and book promotion. I brought up how he would need to get to know his readers. (Hi, readers!) To this point he said:
"Yeah, but you'll be there with me, so it'll be fine."

I was silent for a couple seconds. I said I was the ghostwriter, you can't see ghosts. That's what makes them ghosts. The readers won't know who I am, won't know I wrote a word of the book. It's David's memoir, after all. Plenty of memoirs are written with a ghostwriter. Celebrities and businessmen do it all the time. Nothing wrong with it. David was not happy with that arrangement. And, like I said earlier...he's the boss. So, now my name will be on the cover with his. I'll be a credited writer.
Super cool, if you ask me, and very unexpected. It's been an honor to work on this project, it'll be an honor to stand beside David as the world gets to know his life story.

That's how I went from ghostwriter to partner, how the curtain got pulled back, how a hopeful agnostic from the U.S. wound up co-writing the memoir of a born-again Christian man from the U.K.