Behind the Scenes of Dive

Behind the Scenes gives you a closer look at the process of writing a manuscript. This edition features Lauren Spieller and her story, Dive. Lauren (@laurenspieller) is a writer in Los Angeles, California. She is an editorial intern at P.S. Literary Agency as well as a contributor/moderator on Shelf Pleasure. Visit Lauren's website to learn more about her writing and editorial services.

Inspiration for Dive:

cliff divers, islands, the part in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows when the deluminator goes into Ron's chest and he follows Hermione; Hawaiian luaus, Lauren's relationship with her little sister and how she'll do anything for her, spear hunting, Fern Gully, the jungle in Kauai, a list of colors on Wikipedia, & her grandmother's stories of boar hunting in the Salinas Valley of California

About Dive:

"I just finished the first draft of my YA manuscript, Dive. Set in the late 1700s/early 1800s on a fictional island in the Pacific, Dive combines literary prose with a touch of magical realism. Here's the logline from my website: Fourteen-year-old Kiro has been training to become a cliff diver since he was small, but his dream of completing this male rite of passage is put on hold when a strange girl washes up on the beach... and demands to dive.

Not enough? Here's a sneak peak at the first paragraph:

The edge of the cliff drops off so suddenly that you could miss it in the dark. My people say that many did, upon a time, but we've since learned to be mindful of the way the earth feels beneath our feet. The sharp dig of a jagged rock, the cool brush of a tall reed: they mean more to you when they are the last thing you feel before you take the dive."

A piece of Lauren's writing process:

"I finished the second draft of my first book around Christmas of last year. As I was putting the finishing tocuhes on the draft, I was struck with a sense of panic: what if I never came up with another idea? What if I wasn't really a writer, just a hack with one silly old idea? I had heard other writers talk about getting inspiration from images, but I had never tried it - I'm not typically a visual person - but I was desperate. I immediately opened up my laptop (on Christmas Eve, mind you) and started scrolling through all of the pictures on Pinterest. It didn't take long before I came across the image [of the cliff diver, above]. Something about the way the man is jumping with abandon really spoke to me. Within minutes, the basic premise for Dive was born. 

While Pinterest may not work for everyone, I think the lesson here is a good one: inspiration can come from anywhere, so never stop looking!"