The Nature of Remains

Photo Album

If you’ve landed on this page, you’re doing a deep dive! I’m glad you’re here.

When I write anything that takes longer than a few days, I end up with images taped to the wall beside my desk. Many of these are torn from magazines or thrifted books. Lots of words are added to the wall too. Words might be scribbled on a piece of paper, neatly typed and printed, clipped from another work, or found during one of my walks.

This wall is an altar, and it’s one way I communicate with the Spirit of My Work in Progress. I wish I had images of my altar wall as The Nature of Remains evolved, but I didn’t realize then that the practice would interest others. (Now I teach this process!)

I do have copies of the pictures that I collected while I was researching the book. These are taken from the areas that I merged into the fictional town of Flyshoals.

A couple of notes of personal interest: the fish camp trailer on the bottom left belongs to my folks. I didn’t grow up going there—they bought it after I was grown—but my son has spent many summer days there. The lake to the right of the trailer is Lake Oconee, where the fish camp sits.