This week the Debs are to discuss the books & authors that most influenced us. And this is especially difficult, since I love to read, and I am fond of both fiction and non-fiction, poetry and prose, forms both hybrid and pure journalism. So many authors, so many books. So little time. But I will try to thank them and tell you why. With regard to my forthcoming debut novel,…
I really want to write a rant to all the devastations of the day: the Kavanaugh vote in the Senate, the FBI’s incomplete investigation, the senator from Maine’s weak speech justifying her vote against women, the Senate’s dismissal and nullification of Dr. Ford’s courage. But I have to write for the Debs, it’s that time of the week where the Debs must cull their thoughts for the topic at hand….
The Twice-Born Book: I wrote my first book because I wanted to read it – Toni Morrison I’m a voracious reader. I admit it. I started young – one of my favorite books came in to my possession when I turned nine. A friend of the family gave me Anthony B. Lake’s A Pleasury of Witticisms and Word Play. Inside those pages I learned all about anagrams and palindromes,…
As of this post, I’ve written four complete novels, six detailed synopses, and roughly one million poems and short stories. And I’m here to tell you that while first drafts do get easier, they never stop being messy, fickle beasts. In fact, I was just talking a friend about this very subject. My first (trunked) novel was an exercise in meandering. I had no deadlines, no critique partners, and I…
There are a great many people to whom I owe a hefty debt of gratitude for the fact that in just a few months I’ll be able to walk into my local indie and see a piece of my heart on the shelf. Each and every one of those people (Hopefully! Good glory, you would not believe the nightmares!) will be thanked in my acknowledgments. But there are a…
This week, in prep for Halloween, the Debs are writing about their biggest fears about publishing. The quote in the headline comes from Thomas Hardy in his “A Laodicean.” I found it apt for this post. Why? Because I’m a worry-wart. I probably should have added that to my confessions post,. I over-think nearly most every situation, prepping myself for what might come. I recently learned that the term for…
This week we’re writing about protagonists, in terms of conflict and drama. Do we make choices for them? Or let our characters lead the way? As a writer, I’m a mixture of a plotter and a seat-of-my-pants drafter. Considering I write historical fiction (and I don’t want to piss people off who study history…) I try to align with historical fact as much as possible. The beauty with BECOMING BONNIE is not…
I started my professional life in theater, specifically in the David Mamet school-of-thought, and Mamet reminded actors all the time that “character” is defined by what people do. It’s all about action. Throwing up, in my opinion, is a fabulous action. For some reason I love making my characters throw up. I’m not sure what that says about me or them, but there’s something about vomiting that appeals to me. In…
This week the Debs are talking about how they torture their characters, make choices for them, or how their characters lead the way. One of the most wonderful things about writing is how the mind seems to unravel the story from a place hidden deep inside. I can’t tell you how many times I have stopped writing after a few hours and sat back to re-read the words and thought,…
This week’s Deb topic is about Confessions! Each of us are sharing something unknown, something hidden about us, our books or our writing process. Today I am going to confess. All the sins of my past, the wayward thoughts and actions that led me astray. It might not be pretty. Feel free to turn your head away or cover up that smirk. I still managed to spit out a 418…
