Today, we are less than four months away from publication of The Man in the Red Paisley Suit, and I’d like to share a bit about why I wrote this novel.
There are actually several “whys” behind Paisley Suit. Here they are, probably in the wrong order. But also maybe in the right order.
My First Novel Just Wasn’t Working
The first reason this novel came to be is more practical. I started writing Paisley Suit because I was so overwhelmed and in the weeds with my first novel that I really needed to start fresh with another project.
You see, from 2013 to late 2020/early 2021, I was working on a sci-fi novel called Evolution. During that time, I wrote at least ten drafts of that novel (probably more, but I lost count at some point), totalling hundreds and hundreds of thousands of words, if not more. I even went on a retreat at one point to focus on writing it. Later, I got a professional manuscript critique done to see if Evolution was ready for querying. (It wasn’t.)
And no matter how much I tried to incorporate the notes from the manuscript critique (and there were plenty, rightfully so), I just could not figure out that novel at that time. Nor any of the other times over those almost eight years that I was trying to figure out that story. For more on that, read this blog post.
So I knew I needed to put Evolution away, possibly indefinitely. I was too in the weeds with it, having worked on it for so long, that I just had no idea what I was doing with it anymore.
And since I decided to put Evolution in the proverbial desk drawer, I needed a new writing project.
As such, in early 2021 I turned my attention back to The Man in the Red Paisley Suit, a short story I’d written a couple years prior. I wanted to finish editing that story, but during the process realized that Paisley Suit could be my next novel project. I went about expanding the short story and revising it multiple times, with the help of the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet. The novel as it is today is a completely different story than that original short.
So that’s the practical reason I wrote the novel.
And Also I Had A Nightmare
The second, and also first, reason I wrote Paisley Suit is more romantic à la the writing life. I originally conceived of the story after having a nightmare (I have a lot of those) in which a figure with red hair in a red paisley suit jacket hovered outside my apartment window. It could have been a plain red suit jacket, but I’m fairly certain it was a paisley-patterned jacket (otherwise I’m not sure where I got the paisley idea from). The figure was reminiscent of the character of Jerome Valeska from the show Gotham, which I was watching at that time. Jerome is a kind of spiritual predecessor to the Joker.
In the nightmare, the figure hovered outside my living room window while I was in the kitchen area and my then-husband was in our bedroom sleeping. I was trying to hide from the figure while shouting for my husband to help but no sound escaped my lips. I was shouting and shouting but…nothing. I had no voice. (Don’t ask me how that relates to that particular relationship.)
So, inspired by this nightmare, I wrote a short story about a woman who was traumatized and institutionalized (à la Arkham Asylum) because of this demonic figure, and the reporter trying to understand what exactly happened all those years ago. That short story was much more fantastical than the novel is today. And the character of Olivia Mason was much more of a main character in it (though she is still extremely significant in the final novel.)
In fact, the short story actually started with Lucy interviewing Olivia about the night she first encountered the Man. This scene, though much changed in its details, is now a few chapters into the novel.
As mentioned, I revised the novel version of Paisley Suit several times, such that the only similarities it now bears to the original short story are the characters of Lucy, Olivia, and the demon. And of course the fact of having to destroy said demon. The plot, and everything in it, is totally different.
As an aside, in the early drafts of the novel I did include that nightmare scene that inspired the story in the first place. Unfortunately, as writing goes, we must kill our darlings. Eventually, I had to delete that scene as it no longer fit the story. (Though the scene that replaced it bears a few of those original fingerprints.)
And Then Some Magic Happened
So why did Paisley Suit turn out the crazy way that it did? Well, that’s the third reason I wrote this novel.
I figured that since the story was about how a woman must destroy a demon, an obvious theme for such a story would be facing one’s fears. How do you face your fears when what you’re afraid of is a literal demon? That you helped summon as a child? And that is now back to wreak havoc (and more) on your life? I really wanted to explore these questions and follow the path the story was leading me down.
And due to the alchemical, magical nature of storytelling, many other questions and themes and motifs emerged from this one idea. What does it mean to face your fears when that includes facing your past? Facing your choices and actions? Facing emotions you don’t want to face? Facing trauma you don’t want to face?
When you focus on one primary theme for your novel, many more naturally sprout. As the writer, you are both aware and unaware of this phenomenon.
As Neil Gaiman once said, “If someone tells you what a story is about, they are almost certainly right. If they tell you that’s all the story is about, they are almost certainly wrong.”
And even though we’re talking about demons here, I still wanted the story to be realistic and take evil and faith seriously. After all, demons must be exorcised!
As I wrote and wrote, themes of grief, guilt, anger, and regret emerged, and the rest of the trilogy began to take shape as well. I don’t want to give away Lucy’s character arc, but Paisley Suit is just the beginning for her.
I’m also pretty obsessed with time. The passing of time. The existential crisis that is time. Learning to live with the past and the choices we’ve made. The unbelievable weight of the forward-facing grief that constantly reminds us that this moment is already over and everyone we love will be dead one day. You know, normal time-related stuff like that. So there’s some of that in the novel too.
So Paisley Suit is about a woman who must face her fears, face malevolence with courage, and face everything that comes with that. And I wrote it because I wanted to write a story about a woman who must destroy a demon. And how it turned out is how it turned out, so we’re all just going to have to deal with that. Finishing the novel felt a bit like coming out of a fugue state.
Anyhoo, on that fun note, that’s all for now!