Renting To Own –
Writing Outside the Box
Somewhere along the way in this writing gig, I heard the
directive: Write what you know. Not being one to adhere to rules and directives
but, rather, finding it much more fun to go against that flow, I like to push
the boundaries. Never more so than when I wrote Renting To Own. The story is that of twenty-three year old Lily
Champion who became a single mother at the age of nineteen. Her mother died
when Lily was seven and she and her brother were raised (loosely translated) by
her father who turned to alcohol to stave off his grief. Lily had to grow up
faster than others her age and pretty much on her own. There is nothing thus
far in Lily’s story that matches my own life experience. Well, with the
exception of two things: I know about loss and I know about the struggle to
claim one’s own life. But certainly not with a child in tow.
I started this book the way I start many stories—with a
title that can provide a metaphor for something else in the story. I love metaphor.
Perhaps that goes back to my days of working as a psychotherapist and using
metaphor as a way to help clients gain clarity about their lives. In any case, Renting To Own relates to the house Lily
is finally able to obtain on a rent-to-own basis and that is symbolic of her
struggle to create a stable life for herself and Chelsea. It also refers to the
way Lily has lived her life, as if she doesn’t quite own it, but has to work to
own it.
When you write outside of that box of ‘what you know,’ how
do you know you got it right? When readers say, “You nailed the whole
single-parent thing.” “Lily’s story gave me hope that I’ll have the same
strength and wisdom when my baby’s born in two months. I’ll be on my own, too.”
“I could have sworn you were writing about me and my son.”
I was fortunate to have friends who have ‘been there’ in
Lily’s shoes and who agreed to read sections of the book and give me feedback.
What I learned was that, basically, when you are a single parent, your child is
also your permanent appendage. He or she goes where you go. He or she is always
the first consideration when faced with a decision. This is, to some extent
true when there are two parents, I realize. But Lily can’t make plans to do
anything without first considering Chelsea.
Parenting is an awesome task. Single-parenting doubly so.
Since romance is a very strong sub-plot to Renting To Own, I had to ask what a
woman in this position would look for in a guy. After all, she and Chelsea are
a packaged deal. Lily meets both Rick and Beau. As her relationship with each
man progresses, she has to consider which man is right for her and for her
daughter. (You’ll have to read the book to see who wins her heart and why.)
I fell in love with the characters in this story. I hope you
will, too.
Blurb: Renting To Own not only describes Lily Champion’s rental
arrangement, it describes her life. But Lily’s learned that sometimes when the
ground shifts beneath you, it moves you to where you need to be.
Linda Rettstatt is an award-winning author who discovered her passion
for writing after years of working in the human services field. When she’s not
writing, Linda loves travel, nature photography, and figuring out what makes
people tick. Her fantasy is to win the lottery, buy an old Victorian home on
the eastern shore and open a writer’s retreat. While she waits for that fantasy
to materialize, she continues to live and work in NW Mississippi and to write
under the constant observation of her tuxedo cat, Binky.
Facebook page: Linda Rettstatt, Writing for Women
Twitter: @linda_rettstatt
Book links:
