Challenges of writing "The Portrait of Isabella Simmons"

The Portrait of Isabella Simmons was certainly a challenge to write and not only did it compose of multiple drafts but it also went through a major restructure of the story from the point of view of location. Originally to be based in the region of Catalonia, Spain, the location moved to Connemara and Dublin, Ireland. With the change of location, came about rewrites for the landscape, cultural differences, and change of names.

Despite all of that, I continued with the complex character driven story, employing different techniques and styles to enhance the telling of the story, using, photos, journal entries, flashbacks, foreshadowing, setups, payoffs, etc.

Both the characters of Johanna Cahill and Francesco Romano, were challenging, especially Francesco, the Italian artist who at the age of seventy-nine is crippled with arthritis. It was certainly a challenge to get inside his head and more importantly, his body. The physical inabilities had to be overcome in order for him to investigate his host, Johanna Cahill and attempt his escape from being held under house arrest. I must admit, I did have a massive blockage concerning a few chapters, of how Francesco’s character could actually move the story forward, considering his incapacitated state. Journal entries have been used to explore the life of Francesco and are a good technique to use when informing the reader of a character’s back story. This makes for an interesting read and it is told through the first person point of view. The use of photographs is a powerful tool to help Francesco in his investigation.

Johanna Cahill on the other hand was equally challenging. From the creation of her strong, disciplined state of mind to her emotional breakdown, along with how she planned and carried out her murders. Each murder was cold, devoid of empathy, never deviating from her intended path. I found the research fascinating on discovering multiple different ways one can murder someone, whether it is silently, quickly, or slowly. Research can be fun and should never be overlooked, adding authenticity to the story.

Another major challenge in writing The Portrait of Isabella Simmons, was in keeping many aspects of the character’s past lives hidden from each character and additionally keeping the reader in the dark about many aspects concerning both characters. Having a well laid out plan to follow and detailed character profiles assists when writing complex interwoven story lines.

Character development is something I really enjoy and a big part of that is getting inside the head of the character, to understand the thought process. Johanna proved unique and enjoyable at the same time as I ventured inside her dark thoughts to understand why she takes the actions she does. She takes calculated risks with her decision making, and I had to ensure that her actions relate to her character traits and with her plans of deception.

Despite their challenges, I have found both characters to be complex and interesting in their own right, each perhaps complementing each other in ways they would never have expected.

Discover more on The Portrait of Isabella Simmons on its Home Page:

www.benkesp.com