In early spring, I kept hearing a voice say, "Find that story. Find that story."
I ignored the voice because I knew if I found the story, I might have to finish it.
The story has an interesting origin. In 2010, I went to see a psychic medium. When I walked in, she said, "Two spirits are coming through and they're so excited because they know you're a writer and they want you to tell their story."
I was like, "Seriously? I was really hoping my Granny would show up."
The medium told me about a 1960 murder in Wisconsin near a town that began with an O. She said the victim was 12 and she was sexually abused and that her murder was tied to other murders in the area and that the sheriff never investigated because he didn't want people to think something like that could happen in his town. She also said there was a lighthouse nearby and a beachy area. I actually went back to her with a map and she pointed to Oliver Wisconsin. She said the girl was buried in an old overgrown cemetery. So, I started researching area cemeteries and I came across the grave of a girl who died at 12 in 1960. Unlike the well manicured cemeteries in the area, the one she was in was overgrown.
At the time, I wrote 13 pages broken into three chapters told from three different points of view. Then I guess I got distracted and forgot about it.
Until that little voice urged me to find that story.
I re-read it and it's really good. What surprised me most was that I only remembered one line from it. The rest was like reading it for the first time. It was one of those moments when writers reread their work and say, "Wow! I wrote that?"
So, while I'm shopping agents for ALL THE MOMENTS IN BETWEEN and enjoying book sales of FINGERPRINTS and CHOOSING TALLY, I might as well write some more pages of this ghost story and see what evolves.
I kind of have to or that little voice will drive me nuts.
Have you ever heard a little voice tell you what to do? If so, did you listen?
