My Writing Life

I was first drawn to history as a child, questioning my grandmother about her life in the decades before. One Sunday, a family outing took us to a homestead that is forever ingrained in my memory. The visit to Emu Bottom stoked something deep inside me; a magical sense of mystery and curiosity. I wandered rooms steeped in the stories of the lives of those gone before me and peppered my family with questions;

Who lived here? What happened to them? Where are they now?

What did the world look like in their time?

The homestead, built in traditional settler style, shone bright against the native Australian landscape. The locally hand made mud bricks were whitewashed and worn, but the homestead was as elegant as a castle as far as I was concerned. Set in a haven of ancient gumtrees, the scent of eucalyptus mingled with dampened soil in the fresh air.

I'm a sensory soul; the musty scent of the past fascinates me in an olfactory way I can almost taste. Inside the homestead was a curated display of colonial life; brass beds draped with items of embroidered children’s clothing; yellowed linen covering tables laden with books; cast iron household implements scattered across the rudimentary kitchen. Each piece ingrained with the memories of lives of those who handled them.

I informed my parents that I wished we lived there— the homestead was special— I longed to know its secrets. Perhaps that visit was the spark that lit my imagination. I'm sure my love of old homes began that day too. I tried to imagine living in the isolation of open bushland— far from the familiarity of suburban streets. Would I have been scared? What happened to these people? I was curious, even then.

While I've never researched the origins of the homestead or its settlers, over the years, the history of this country's colonisation has been revealed and it's apparent that the Wurundjeri Woiwurrung people of the Kulin nation endured tragic consequences as a result. But that's not my story to tell.

I wanted to learn more about the past. But it has taken a lifetime for me to write about it.

Apart from my family, writing and reading are my lifelong loves.

I wrote stories as soon as I was able, decorating the handwritten pages with crudely drawn illustrations. The pages of these handmade books were stuck together with tape or staples, the bold titles and headings copied from lettering books or calligraphy templates, ready to present to my parents. My early stories were about families, or children and their friends—daydreams based on the world that I knew. But tales steeped in superstitions, magic and folk held a certain allure for me too–tales of far away places where people lived more exciting and interesting lives than mine.

I realised early on that it was the romance of a story that I preferred.

And the mystery...

I never let a day go by without reading for pleasure. For escape.

As a teenager, I spent hours reading Mills and Boon romances with my friends and hiding them from our teachers inside the covers of our textbooks. Barbara Cartland was a firm favourite, interspersed with the intrigue of Agatha Christie. Then I was drawn to romantic suspense novels— Daphne du Maurier’s “Rebecca,” and the extensive works of Victoria Holt and Susan Howatch. These are the books that shaped my early writing voice.

I devoured the works of Maeve Binchy and Rosamunde Pilcher, and then dived into the contemporary stories of Cathy Kelly and Marian Keyes. When I discovered Maggie O’Farrell, Kate Morton and Lucinda Riley my interest in dual timelines was ignited. And so was my desire to write them.

My love of reading strongly influences my relationship with writing. It’s in the dreaming of a new story, the spark of inspiration, then the locations, the romance, the drama and the mystery. I love the flow of words. Perhaps I should I write gothic romance or romantic suspense? I have the freedom to write what I love and will continue on with the process until my figurative inkwell is dry. There are many great stories to tell. The one thing I have learned is that they take much longer to write than to read...

In my opinion, while the mark of a great story is heightened by its pace and tension, when I turn the last page, the enjoyment is in feeling uplifted. Despite pain and suffering, it's the growth of the characters that appeal—my character arcs and stories must finish on a high. I'm a romantic at heart, and hope is the thread that spurs me on to write, The End.

There are so many stories to tell. So many left untold.

Let's step into the past together...

x Chrissie