The Journey, Part I

"It is such a pleasure to watch you think!"

I know that quote may seem somewhat self-centered and self-serving, but let me explain its origin. It was said to me two years ago by a paraprofessional, who shared my classroom as a result of a student with whom she worked, after observing a lesson and watching the light bulb in her student's head turn on. In the years I've worked in education, it was one of the nicest compliments I have received and will never forget it!

Being inspired by that quote, from time to time, I will give some insight how I went about the planning and writing of my 8 month writing project that has come to be known as The Calling to Lead. Each "Journey" post will deal with a different aspect that went into planning/writing.

One common question that has been asked of me follows:

"How did you come up with all the characters?"

Planning for the main character, Michael Buonocore (his surname means "Good Heart" in Italian), I thought of qualities I have, I strive to perfect, as well as qualities I believe educators, pundits/journalists and politicians should have: hard-working, a person of strong character, loyalty, honesty, optimism, a positive/hands-on leader, intelligence, open-mindedness, the possession of strong interpersonal, as well as strong intra-personal skills. Michael is a strong speaker, passionate about his beliefs, is willing to roll up his sleeves to make sure a problem is solved and has successfully utilized, applied and implemented the leadership skills those from parents to superiors have taught him, in his own leadership positions.

Supporting characters were built around Michael and have worked with him or known him in his various roles or at different times in his life. As one will see when they read the book, the shared loyalty between the supporting characters and Michael has allowed many of the characters to stay in Michael's life in different roles.

These supporting characters have been inspired by and based on some good friends, as well as family. My family is one of the most supportive around and I am very grateful for them, hence, it's only right that they have inspired characters within The Calling to Lead. When writing about Michael's professional journey through college, education, media/journalism and politics, I also thought about people who I met along the way on my own personal journey. Colleagues who have become friends, friends with whom I have stayed friends through the years, students with whom I have stayed in contact long after they left my classroom, mentors and superiors who have reinforced what my parents have taught me. These people, in some form or another, have inspired me, supported me or touched my life in some fashion and the most appropriate remembrance of their respective roles was to include them within The Calling to Lead. It makes me quite happy the reactions of those who I told have inspired characters! In addition, you, the reader, will see some familiar faces from politics and will even see some supporting characters based on those familiar faces as I have blended fiction with current events and history.

I look forward to the next insight post and will also let you all know the progress of getting The Calling to Lead published. As always, if you know of anyone that is a literary agent or in publishing, do not hesitate to let me know! In the meantime, thanks again for reading, "The 'Right' Solutions!"