I’m happy to share with you this guest post from Sherry Shahan on how she came to write her YA novel, Purple Daze: A Far Out Trip, 1965. Sherry is an author and fellow member of the Central/Coastal California region of the SCBWI. --Lynn
by Sherry Shahan
My novel in verse Purple Daze: A Far Out Trip, 1965 was inspired when I found an old shoebox in my closet. Inside were letters from a friend who had served in Vietnam during the 1960s. I remember sitting on the floor and rereading the gut-wrenching accounts of his time in that living hell. I still can’t believe I’d kept his letters more than 50 years.
A short time later, I began writing character sketches about other high school friends. Once I began scribbling, memories slammed me twenty-four-seven. I let myself tap into the emotions triggered by that crazy time—from happiness (our wild antics) to rage (over a senseless war) and sorrow (teen angst). It was like being in a constant flashback.
Since my friend’s letters inspired the novel, I decided to use that form of expression for his character. I experimented with other styles for other characters—notes, journal entries, free verse and traditional poetry. I wanted the story’s emotional layer to be as true to life as possible, although I never considered portraying events as they really happened.
Experimenting with a nontraditional form definitely had its challenges. Each of the six viewpoint characters required his or her own story arc, yet I had to weave the individual stories smoothly into the whole.
I suddenly became aware of ‘white space’ and its role in shaping emotional context. In certain instances, white space reflected the power of a thought or idea in a way that solid text could not.
This piece is only four lines:
A short time later, I began writing character sketches about other high school friends. Once I began scribbling, memories slammed me twenty-four-seven. I let myself tap into the emotions triggered by that crazy time—from happiness (our wild antics) to rage (over a senseless war) and sorrow (teen angst). It was like being in a constant flashback.
Experimenting with a nontraditional form definitely had its challenges. Each of the six viewpoint characters required his or her own story arc, yet I had to weave the individual stories smoothly into the whole.
I suddenly became aware of ‘white space’ and its role in shaping emotional context. In certain instances, white space reflected the power of a thought or idea in a way that solid text could not.
This piece is only four lines:
Love is like sticking
your car keys in a pocket with
your sunglasses and thinking
your glasses won’t get scratched
your car keys in a pocket with
your sunglasses and thinking
your glasses won’t get scratched
In later drafts, I added descriptive entries about historical events in 1965, such as the Pentagon’s authorization of Napalm, the assassination of Malcolm X, and the FBI’s all-out war to discredit Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. These pieces are juxtaposed against musical references: rock concerts and the true story behind Arlo Guthrie's song “Alice's Restaurant.”
Ultimately, though, I wanted Purple Daze to be a story about six high school friends and their sometimes crazy, often troublesome, and ultimately dramatic lives. To me, verse mirrors the pulse of adolescent life. Condensed metaphoric language on a single page is an apt reflection of their dramatic, tightly-packed world.
Ultimately, though, I wanted Purple Daze to be a story about six high school friends and their sometimes crazy, often troublesome, and ultimately dramatic lives. To me, verse mirrors the pulse of adolescent life. Condensed metaphoric language on a single page is an apt reflection of their dramatic, tightly-packed world.
