Breathing life into pages from her Journals

 

“It is the job of the novelist to touch the reader.” – Elizabeth George

 

Susan “Elizabeth” George, born in Ohio on this date in 1949, writes about “ordinary and extraordinary” days in the life of British Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley utilizing a technique called “journaling” as the foundation for her work. 

 

“I’ve always liked creating a journal.  It’s like the way I clear my throat,” she said.  “I write a page every day, maybe 500 words (that’s two pages double-spaced).  It could be about something I’m specifically worried about in a new novel; it could be a question I want answered; it could be something that’s going on in my personal life.  I just use it as an exercise.”

 

George holds two degrees - one in teaching and one in counseling/psychology - as well as an honorary doctorate in humane letters, presented to her after she became a worldwide celebrity from her books about Detective Lynley. 

 

Twice named Teacher of the Year in California’s largest county, she started taking bits and pieces from her journals, including from travels to England, to begin her writing.   She's now published 28 books – 21 in the “Lynley” series, which also has adapted for the BBC’s The Inspector Lynley Mysteries.

 

For George, each story itself becomes a character.  “If you don't understand that story is character and not just idea,” she said,  “you will not be able to breathe life into even the most intriguing flash of inspiration.”