Writer Advice
Thank you for your support and for the value you bring to our subscribers!
 |
When Rhonda sees a six foot white rabbit grabbing a little girl, she is frozen. The “rabbit” is driving away before Rhonda realizes she’s witnessed a kidnapping in this dreamlike beginning of Jennifer McMahon’s Island of the Lost Girls.
Plagued with guilt, Rhonda becomes a determined assistant on the team of volunteers searching for kidnap victim, Ernie Florucci. As the story flips between Ernie’s disappearance in 2006 and Rhonda’s memories of the summer of 1993, we discover that her capture is ensconced in a much older mystery, the disappearance of a neighbor, Daniel, and his daughter, Lizzy, who was once Rhonda’s best friend.
As this tightly plotted mystery flips between past and present, disturbing undercurrents build. It becomes increasingly clear that Ernie’s kidnapping is related to the disappearances of Daniel and Lizzy. As more is revealed and the facts twist in Rhonda’s mind, she no longer knows whom she can trust.
Author Jennifer McMahon does a splendid job of hooking her readers into two seemingly unrelated tales. She probes her character’s backgrounds, revealing startling secrets with escalating intensity. The more we learn, the more we care, and the results are mesmerizing. In the Q & A below, she talks about her writing journey with candor and insight.
LG: Tell us about yourself. How did you discover you were a writer? How did your MFA program develop your skills?
JM: I wrote my first short story, about a haunted meatball, in third grade, and have pretty much been writing ever since. I studied poetry in college and for a year in an MFA program before turning to fiction. Poetry taught me a lot about language, word choice, imagery and sound. When I sat down struggling with my first novel, I knew nothing about plot and that's been the thing I've ad to work hardest at.
LG: How did you tackle that problem?
JM: The more you practice, the better you get. Books like The Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell, The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler, and Story by Robert McKee really taught me a lot about structure.
LG: What is the difference between a YA novel and a coming of age novel? Do you think of Island of Lost Girls as coming of age mry?
JM: I've been told that a YA novel is told entirely from the point of view of a young narrator, where a coming of age novel is often told from an adult looking back. That said, there are many books out there that don't fit that rule. I think it's a blurry line. I don't write books with any particular audience in mind, I just write the best story I can manage and hope it will appeal to readers. Like my first novel, Promise Not to Tell, Island of Lost Girls has elements of both mystery and coming of age novels. Because of this mix, it's reaching a wider audience.
LG: Both Island of Lost Girls and Promise Not To Tell blend stories from the past and the present. What inspired this style?
JM: Trial and error. When I was working on both books, I came to a point where I had a lot of the story down, but wasn't sure the way to tell it. I laid the book down, chapter-by-chapter, on my living room floor and rearranged until things felt right. To be honest, I fought with myself over doing the same back and forth structure with Island of Lost Girls -- I didn't want readers to think I could only write in one cookie-cutter style. But in the end, I had to do what was best for the book.
LG: How did you find your unique voice?
JM: Honestly, I'm not sure. It's not something I've ever really consciously worked on. I think it's probably the result of years of practice and learning to just let things flow naturally.
LG: You build tension very effectively. Any hints for doing that?
JM: You can write a book full of very compelling characters, but if nothing interesting happens, the book is doomed. My rule of thumb is that I try to make sure something interesting happens, something that moves the story along or increases tension, every ten pages or so. I do a lot to build on tension when I'm revising, when I know the ending.
LG: How long did Island of the Lost Girls percolate before you knew you had a story that was ready to tell?
JM: I tend to start a book with a single image or character or idea, then just start writing and see where it takes me. With Island, I began with the kidnapping and went from there, letting the story build itself and allowing the characters to develop as they seemed to nt to.
LG:What preparation is required to blend two stories as you did?
JM: I find that when I'm fighting with a book and things just aren't working, that means I'm doing something wrong. This is what happened with Island of Lost Girls until I played around with it and got the back and forth structure in place -- then it flowed very naturally. I'm not sure that for me it required any anything more than giving myself permission to experiment with a wide range of ways to tell the story.
LG: How do you know the right sequence for adding clues?
JM: Because I often don't have key elements of the plot worked out beforehand, I end up going back to add clues when I'm revising. I don't want to hit readers over the head, but at the same time, I want everything to make sense in the end. I tend to play around with where and when to add clues until it feels right.
LG: What does a writing week look like?
JM: I write in the mornings when my daughter is in preschool.
LG: How long did it take you to write the first draft?
JM: The first draft of Island was a long, rambling mess. It probably took about six months to write, but it was so bad, that even after I revised, I shoved it in a drawer and considered it a lost cause. Finally, after we got the deal for Promise Not to Tell, I gathered up the courage to show it to my agent and he had some wonderful ideas for ways to save it. I ended up throwing about half of the original story away.
LG: Your book is living proof that rambling messes can be salvaged. When did you know you were ready for readers?
JM: My general rule is that when I've done all I can think of to do, then I share it with a small circle of trusted readers, including my agent. I listen to the feedback I get from those folks, revise again, then it goes to my editor who is absolutely wonderful and always brings fresh insight to the book.
LG: What did you look for as you revised?
JM: I focused on making sure the plot worked, adding the little details and clues that would make the mystery make sense. I also worked on character development. In the early drafts, Lizzy, Rhonda's childhood friend, was not fully developed. She was an important character and deserved a stronger role.
LG: On your webpage, www.jennifer-mcmahon.com , an article from the Baltimore Sun calls you the new Laura Lippman. How do she and other writers influence your work?
JM: I love Laura Lippman and was honored by the comparison. I try to read a wide range of stuff when I'm writing -- poetry, non-fiction, literary fiction, YA, as well as mysteries. I think I have my own style and voice and while I'm inspired by writers like Lippman, I wouldn't say I'm influenced (at least not on a conscious level).
LG: How did you find your agent and when did you know you were ready for an agent?
JM: I found my first agent after finishing my first, as yet unpublished, novel. I did the usual thing -- researched agents who'd represented books I felt were similar to mine, wrote the best query letter I could and crossed my fingers.
An agent from the first batch of query letters I sent out wanted to represent me, to my amazement. That first agent eventually dumped me after reading an early draft of Promise Not to Tell and after a short period of feeling very sorry for myself, I revised the book and started sending out queries again.
I lucked into finding an amazing agent, Dan Lazar of Writers House. He's brilliant. I wouldn't be where I am today without him.
LG: What are you working on now and when will we be able to read it?
JM: I'm finishing up edits on my next novel, Dismantled, due out in May 2009. It's about a group of college students who form an outlaw art collective called the Compassionate Dismantlers. Their passion for taking things apart spirals out of control, culminating in a terrible event one summer night. Ten years later, each of them has done their best to move on with their lives, but someone seems intent on reminding them of their crimes.
LG: So the past and present will meet up again. I love the way you explore characters at two times in their lives. Thanks for sharing so much with us.
If you like coming of age stories, check out Jennifer McMahon’s work. When I finished Island of the Lost Girls, I went looking for other books by her, found Promise Not To Tell, and hurried out to pick up a copy. It’s another great read. Her honesty and deepening tension keep me turning pages. I can’t wait for Dismantled to come out.
++++
If you would like to be added to the list for future WriterAdvice announcements, including contests and requests for submissions, send Lgood67334@comcast.net an e-mail with “subscribe” in the subject box.
If you want to share your talents, click on the Guidelines button.
To explore the whole site, please double click on each of the buttons above before leaving Writer Advice.
|
A homeless man is threatening to jump. A blind man must talk him down. From the very first paragraph of James Grippando’s thriller, When Darkness Falls, readers are swept into action and high stakes. Falcon, the jumper, wants to talk to Alicia Mendoza, the mayor’s daughter. Her father will go to any lengths to stop that meeting.
When the courts ask for $10,000 in bail, Falcon, who lives in a rusty, old car under a bridge, posts it, amazing Miami criminal defense attorney Jack Swyteck. Then he barricades himself in a hotel room with hostage Theo Knight, who is Jack’s best friend.
We learn more about Theo Knight in Grippando’s new thriller, Last Call. Theo grew up in one of Miami’s roughest neighborhoods and watched his mother die on the street. When an escaped convict offers to name his mother’s murderer in Last Call, Theo finds his own life in danger.
Grippando, a former attorney, opens up the edgy world of justice in his fourteen novels. High stakes, mystery and escalating tension meet gutsy characters in every one. Learn his secrets in the Q & A below.
LG: Tell us about yourself. What skills transferred from your legal practice into your writing practice? What motivated you to switch careers?
JG: Becoming a writer was never a goal for me—it was a life-long dream.
In 1988, I was five years into the practice of law and tired of the fact that no one—including judges—seemed to be interested in any of the legal stuff I was writing. I also noted that the hottest show on television was L.A. Law, and the hottest book in the country was Scott Turow’s Presumed Innocent. There seemed to be this insatiable public appetite for stories about lawyers written by lawyers. So, I started writing, nights and weekends, still practicing law full time.
Finally, after four years, I had a 250,000-word monster in the box that no publisher wanted. But my agent assured me that I had received—get this—the most encouraging rejection letters he had ever seen. With his encouragement, I wrote The Pardon over the next seven months, and it sold to HarperCollins in a weekend. It’s now all over the world in 26 languages. Don’t you love happy endings?
LG: How does a thriller differ from mystery?
JG: After my first novel (The Pardon) sold to HarperCollins in 1993, my new editor sent me a thirty-five page, single-spaced letter describing “the six essential elements of a suspense thriller.” I still use those guideposts, and I share them with readers when I lecture about writing: 1) a sympathetic lead character, 2) a problem or conflict that commands immediate attention, 3) a worthy adversary in the form of a compelling villain, 4) every-escalating peril, 5) a dramatic, clear climax, and 6) a satisfying conclusion.
Or you might subscribe to my agent’s view. The key to a good thriller, he used to say, is in the first ten pages, with the test of a great ten pages being simply this: “Do you want to get to page eleven?”
LG: Good answer. Your books have several simultaneous stories. Any tips for keeping track of story lines?
JG: Outlining helps, but honestly I think your brain works this way or it doesn’t.
LG: Jack Swyteck and Theo Knight intrigue me. Did they come from your experiences as an attorney or straight out of your imagination? What ingredients make a character appeal to readers?
A lot of people think that because five of my novels are about Jack Swyteck, Jack must be me. That’s not at all the case. Jack’s father is Florida’s governor, and my dad is a retired stripper (I kid you not: he was a printer, and the technical term for his job was “stripper”). Jack’s love life could fill an entire chapter in Cupid's Rules of Love and War (Idiot's Edition), and I’m married 12 years to the love of my life. Jack’s best friend was once on death row, and my friends—well, maybe some of them do belong in jail. But cloning myself or my friends or my former clients is not what makes a character work. It’s about complexity.
My bad guys are never all bad, and my good guys are never all good. They have a past that makes you understand their contradictions, their flaws, and their motivations. They surprise you, too.
When I outline a story, I never outline beyond the point of conflict, where good clashes with evil. The ending always works itself out in the writing, which is to say that the characters show me the way. And if they have dark secrets they’re trying to hide, even better.
My characters are like my second family (dysfunctional, I admit, but still family), and their problems feel like my own. I know Jack Swyteck—my serial protagonist—better than I know myself.
LG: Did the idea for a hostage situation in When Darkness Falls come from one of your characters or somewhere else?
JG: It’s the first novel I’ve written where the plot unfolds in such a compressed time frame, and there is a lot of plot to unfold. I’ve long wanted to write a novel with that kind of tension, and a hostage situation seemed to be the most believed format.
LG: Last Call is described as a “bullet-fast thriller.” You do a wonderful job of building tension. How do you write such tight, tense scenes?
JG: Early on in my career my agent told me to make sure every chapter ends with a cliffhanger. He used to represent James Patterson, so you can see where that advice comes from. It has helped me make sure that every scene in the book adds suspense
LG: Tell us a bit about your process.
JG: I live in south Florida, so I write in my backyard. My outdoor office has these essentials: a patio table and chair, a big shade umbrella, a laptop computer, a hammock, a hot tub, and a swimming pool. The cell phone is optional.
For me a “normal” workday means putting on my oldest pair of shorts and favorite T-shirt, visiting the refrigerator every half hour, and explaining to my youngest daughter—who speaks more Spanish than English—that she can’t bang on the keyboard while daddy is trying to write a book.
It’s hard to say how long ideas percolate before you’re ready to write. My first published novel hit me like a proverbial lightning bolt. One night in October 1992, tired of staring at a blank computer screen, I went for a walk before going to bed. I got about three blocks from my house when, seemingly out of nowhere, a police car pulled up onto the grassy part of the curb in front of me. A cop jumped out and demanded to know where I was going. I told him that I was just out for a walk that I lived in the neighborhood. "There's been a report of a peeping tom," he said. "I need to check this out."
I stood helplessly beside the squad car and listened as the officer called in on his radio for a description of the prowler. "Under six feet tall," I heard the dispatcher say, "early to mid-thirties, brown hair, brown eyes, wearing blue shorts and a white t shirt."
I panicked inside. I was completely innocent, but it was exactly me! "And a mustache," the dispatcher finally added. I sighed with relief. I had no mustache.
As I walked home, I could only think of how close I'd come to disaster. Even though I was innocent, my arrest would have been a media event.
It was almost 2 a.m. by the time I returned home, but I decided that I needed to write about this. I took the feeling of being wrongly accused to the most dramatic extreme I could think of. I wrote about a man hours away from execution for a crime he may not have committed. What I wrote that night became the opening scene of The Pardon.
On the other extreme, there are books that seem to take forever. Your characters tell you when it’s time to let go.
LG: Your acknowledgements say that you have had the same agent since “day one of your literary career.” How did you find this gem?
JG: It’s actually a father son team, Artie and Richard Pine. A King's Ransom is dedicated to Artie, who passed away in 200l. I would never have become a published author if it weren't for Artie.
I spent four years writing a novel while practicing law full time, writing nights and weekends. Artie believed in that book, pitched it hard for an entire summer, but not a single publisher would touch it. Not many people could have persuaded me to start all over again with a new idea, page one, chapter one. But Artie had a way of making you believe that rejection was just another step along the road to success. Artie the optimist, I called him.
Seven months later, I had a new book written, and in two weeks, he sold it to HarperCollins. I continue to be represented by Artie’s son, Richard. Now, you’re going to die when I tell you how I found them. Cold query.
LG: That last line has punch and offers enough frustration to set up reader tension. Your style is wonderful. What advice would you give to people who want to write suspense?
JG: Have fun, and accept the fact that it is going to take some amount of luck to make it—the way I just described finding my agent is pretty good evidence of that. People tell me that I have talent, and I know I work hard. But so do a lot of aspiring writers. The difference between them and me is that I found my first break. My advice to them is to keep looking. So maybe it’s luck and perseverance.
I think you also have to able to answer this question: why do you write. For me, it’s simple: I love it. I keep an “idea file” in my closet, and I’ll never live long enough to write all the stories I want to write. It blows my mind that I actually get paid to do this. Truly.
LG: What are you working on right now?
JG: I have a huge year ahead of me. I’m finishing up the publicity for Last Call. I have a stand-alone thriller coming as an exclusive release to the book clubs this summer called “Intent to Kill,” which will be in bookstores in June 2009. For the next two months I’ll be busy putting the finishing touches on the January 2009 Swyteck novel (Born to Run), and I have to deliver the 2010 release by January 2009. As time permits, I will be visiting schools and libraries across the country to promote my first young adult novel, Leapholes.
LG: Wonderful. You are a prolific writer with a great voice for interviews as well as thrillers. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and turning your advice into stories.
To learn more about James Grippando, visit http://www.jamesgrippando.com/. You’ll find a fascinating biography and a wonderful story about his “office mate,” Sam, the family’s Golden Retriever, who “assisted” with eleven novels.
Let Jack Swyteck and Theo Knight guide you through the seamier side of Miami and some amazing searches for justice. The James Grippando collection keeps growing and they are all wonderful reads.
++++
If you would like to be added to the list for future WriterAdvice announcements, including contests and requests for submissions, send Lgood67334@comcast.net an e-mail with “subscribe” in the subject box.
If you want to share your talents, click on the Guidelines button.
To explore the whole site, please double click on each of the buttons above before leaving Writer Advice.
Do memories of algebra class make you cringe? Is algebra anything more than a step on the road to graduation? You may rethink your answers once you've read Wendy Lichtman's wonderful, new novel, Do The Math: Secrets, Lies, and Algebra. It will make you look at math, life and the relationship between them in a whole new way.
The story's heroine, Tess, is a curious, vulnerable eighth grader who sees connections between math and life that some teachers miss. In the first chapter, she says, "We're spending a lot of time studying inequalities now, which makes sense, since who you're greater than (>) and who you're less than is kind of the point of eighth grade." Graphs, Tangents, Percentages, Prime Numbers, Imaginary Numbers, and Infinity are a few of the topics explored as life mirrors math.
In Do The Math: Secrets, Lies, and Algebra, Tess faces up to a story that haunted Lichtman for years. Lichtman said, "When I was a teenager, an acquaintance of my mother's committed suicide. When I learned that my mother suspected that the victim's husband was involved, I was shocked that she didn't go to the police. The mystery for me was not only if, in fact, the guy had killed his wife, but more importantly, why my mom -- whom I always saw as doing the right thing -- wasn't insisting upon an investigation," in her recent article for Powell Books,
She struggled as she tried to figure out how to tell this story until she attended a lecture in San Francisco by Dr. Robert Moses, the founder of The Algebra Project. "Bob Moses has a lot of impressive credentials," she said in the article, "including earning a PhD. in mathematics from Harvard, leading voter registration drives in Mississippi in the 1960s, winning a MacArthur "genius" grant, and being listed in U.S. News & World Report as one of America's Best Leaders of 2006 -- but the only thing I knew was that Dr. Moses had written Radical Equations, a book about math and social change that had blown my mind.
"Dr. Moses argued that algebra was developmentally appropriate for all eighth graders, not just the strongest students, because when the concept of the unknown -- for example, the letter x-- enters the picture, it changes everything; it changes the way you can process information, mathematically and metaphorically.
" 'There's my story ,' I thought. That's exactly how I'd felt in eighth grade -- as if the unknown x had been placed in my life and it had changed everything."
Lichtman realized that in math -- and in life -- some questions had more than one correct answer, and other questions, like why her mother decided not to report a possible murder, might never be answered. She tells Tess's story with originality. While she was writing the book, Lichtman volunteered to tutor eighth grade algebra in the public schools of Oakland, CA. Her experiences there enhanced the immediate, honest voice in the book.
Lichtmanholds a degree in mathematics andhas written personal essays for the Washington Post, New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and Good Housekeeping, among other national publications. In the Q & A below, she shares her experience creating this original and immediate story, Do The Math.
LG: Did your background with personal essays or your experiences as a parent help Tess tell her story?
WL: I suspect both helped. My experience with personal essays helped me bring a narrative arc to every chapter as well as the whole book. I'm used to writing in a thousand word framework and it forced me to move the story along quickly. I supposed that being a mother helps in that, although I tell the story from the 13-year-old girl's perspective, I've come to understand the adult view as well.
LG: I love that Tess is bright, astute, curious, and vulnerable without being edgy. She is very different from many contemporary YA heroines. What makes her conflicts and coping so believable?
WL: You know I think it might be that when I began writing this book, I also began tutoring eighth grade algebra. I did this to help me stay in touch with not only present-day algebra curriculum, but also with the students that age. I think that hanging out with the kids helped me understand their conflicts and coping skills, and I'm very glad you felt it seemed so believable.
LG: You say the idea for the story crystallized during a lecture by Dr. Robert Moses. How do you know when a story is ready to put on paper?
WL: At a certain point it moves to the front burner and I find myself preoccupied with only that story. Good clues: I pull off the highway to make notes and I start thinking of it while I'm swimming.
LG: I love that algebraic unknowns are a metaphor for life. What a great concept! Any tips for finding and extending a metaphor in a story?
WL: Once I decided to use algebra as the metaphor, I got involved in learning more. One of the joys of working with kids around this is that I think the metaphor works both ways: that is, the math metaphor deepens their understanding of interpersonal relationships, and the understanding of interpersonal relationships deepens their understanding of math.
LG: Are any of the characters or incidents taken from what you heard and saw in the math classrooms?
WL: About six moths after I first began working with the kids at Westlake School, I began reading them scenes from my book every week and getting their responses. They were very interested to see how I'd taken a recent lesson and turned it into fiction.
LG: I'll bet. This story resonates for both kids and adults. What, in addition to the narrator's honesty, makes this work?
WL: Perhaps it's that the characters--both the adolescent and the adult characters--are three-dimensional: the mom is a decent, loving mother, and yet is not reporting a possible murder to the police; the friends are close and intimate and yet betray the main character by telling her secret. I suspect the character development is why it resonates with readers.
LG: How long did this book live in your head after you got the idea
for presentation in Dr. Moses' workshop?
WL: The next day, I believe.
LG: How long did it take you to get a completed first draft?
WL: About a year and a half.
LG: What was your writing schedule?
WL: I write daily. The time of day changes, but I rarely miss a weekday of work.
LG: That's inspiring. Did the story turn out as you envisioned it or did Tess take over and redirect it?
WL: It's all Tess's.
LG: Did the advice of your readers ever alter the outcome of future chapters?
WL: Sure--when my readers didn't understand something or felt it didn't ring true, that affected my writing.
LG: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
WL: I think "research" takes a lot of different forms. I never thought I'd find myself re-studying algebra and hanging out in eighth grade algebra classes.
LG: I'll bet. What are you working on now?
WL: This is book one of a series. I've just completed the second book, ( Do the Math: The Writing on the Wall)--with Tess and all the gang and am pitching a third one to my publisher.
LG: I'm so glad this has become a series. I can't wait to read Do the Math: The Writing on the Wall and find out what happens next.
Though Do The Math: Secrets, Lies, and Algebra is classified as a young adult novel, math fans, mystery fans, and readers of all ages should check out the way math takes on a life of its own in Wendy Lichtman's enlightening and entertaining story, Do The Math. To learn more about the book, visit http://www.wendylichtman.com/.
In her blog, Gayle Brandeis says that “Yes” plays a big role in her new novel, Self Storage. Narrator Fran Parker buys the motley and memorable contents of abandoned storage lockers and sells them at garage sales and on eBay. The auctions, which make her wonder where her personal self is stored, are a fascinating look at American discards. In one auction, the unit she buys contains a single box, painted in swirls, with the word “yes” inside. Its message makes her mind reel.
Overcome with curiosity, she takes her six-year-old son Noodle, her toddler Nori, her treasured copy of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, and sets out to find the owner of the box. She wants to ask about its message. By the end of her journey, she wants to “find out what [will make] her say Yes inside.”
Life intervenes. Her burqa-clad Afghanistani neighbor, already the target of prejudice, complicates the Parker family’s life when she is involved in a car accident that escalates tensions and redefines priorities.
Self Storage flows from calm to chaos and back. Throughout, Brandeis sprinkles her pose with eloquent images that force the reader to take another look at neighborhoods with a “second hand feel” and the evolution of relationships. Her characters are well-drawn, deep, and completely accessible. In Brandeis’s skillful hands, the improbable seem real, the poetic become accessible, and the philosophical appears intriguing. All the while, high stakes keep us turning pages.
Learn how she crafted this inventive story in the Q & A below.
LG: Tell us about yourself. When did you first fall in love with writing? Do you prefer fiction or poetry?
GB: I can't remember not being in love with writing. I taught myself to read when I was three, and started writing poems when I was four, so writing has always been at the center of my life. Poetry was my first love as a writer, and is the heartbeat I keep returning to in my work, but I'm crazy about fiction, as well. They both nourish me.
LG: What event, character, or concept inspired you to write Self Storage?
GB: Self Storage was inspired by a conversation I had on an airplane (on a flight I wasn't originally scheduled to be on--I changed my itinerary because of a family emergency.) My seat mate told me she went to self storage auctions and sold the winnings at yard sales to supplement her income; she described the quirkiness of the auction world, and it sparked something inside of me.
LG: What a great answer. Isn’t fate amazing? Self Storage does a wonderful job of balancing action, character, culture, and message. Any tips for finding that balance?
GB: Thank you! I wish I had some tips, but I tend to weave everything together in a pretty subconscious way. I think that revision is the time when I do start to think about balance. I try to read scenes out loud so I can feel whether or not they're alive. And I try to make sure that a scene doesn't blare at the reader like a bullhorn. Any sentences that feel soap-boxy to me get cut.
LG: What is your writing process?
GB: Self Storage started out as a National Novel Writing Month novel (you can find out more about it at www.nanowrimo.org--essentially, you just try to write 50,000 words in 30 days. I tend to try to write fast first drafts, although usually not that fast!) This was my second time participating in NaNoWriMo--I find it very liberating; because you have to write so quickly, it keeps you moving forward without giving your inner editor, your inner critic, any time to rear their crabby heads.
When I sat down to write that November 1st, I had no idea what I was going to write, other than the fact that I wanted to explore the self storage auction world. Everything that unfolded was completely unplanned.
The first draft was essentially a mess; after I gave it (and myself) some time to cool off, The first draft was very idea based, very theoretical (in that draft, Flan was doing an independent study of the Self, and it read more like a thesis than a novel) so in the future drafts, I focused on the characters and tried to make the ideas more of a bass note than the melody.
Walt Whitman really came into the fray in the second draft (he had only made a brief appearance in the first), and it took another couple of drafts to find the right balance between his words and my own.
I believe I shared the manuscript with my agent after I finished the second draft, and she (along with some other trusted readers) helped shape my continuing revision process. I love getting feedback--it helps me see my own work so much more clearly--but I like to wait until I have at least a draft finished and have a clear vision for the story before I open it up to outside eyes.
LG: What is your favorite part of the writing process?
GB: My favorite part is when the characters take over, when I fall into the current of writing and am swept along for the ride. I love the discovery and surprise that emerge when I get out of my own way.
LG: Your descriptions and images are amazing. I know you are a poet. How has poetry helped you write novels?
GB: Poetry reminds me that every word counts. That every word has muscle.
That the sounds of words are often as important as their meaning. Because poems tend to capture small moments, poetry reminds me to pay close attention to the world of my characters and try to bring some of their small moments to life.
LG: What do you learn from aspiring writers when you teach?
GB: I learn so much from my students--they remind me how important it is to take creative risks, to enter work bravely, to push past resistance and get to the juicy stuff waiting below. They reinvigorate my excitement about writing, and help me remember how lucky we are to get to play with words.
LG: Flan is looking for what makes her say Yes inside. Did you ask yourself the same question, and if so, how did you answer yourself?
GB: Writing is definitely a source of Yes in my life. So is dance. Both have been my main passions since I was a little girl. And I've been neglecting the dancer side of myself because my writer self has been so busy. Writing this book and asking myself what makes me say Yes inside has reminded me that I need to find a way to bring dance back into my life. Hopefully this will be the year for it!
LG: What would you most like readers to know about the writing process?
GB: Be true to your own writing process; trust your own judgment as a writer. Sometimes it can take a while to find your own best process, so it's good to try different things (writing at the same time every day, or doing some sort of ritual--lighting a candle, etc.--before you start writing) until you find what works best for you.
I am not a disciplined writer--I pretty much write when I feel like writing, which luckily happens to be quite often. If I go for too long without writing and start to feel sluggish, though, or if I have a deadline coming up, I'll give myself a daily word count to keep the words moving along, but otherwise, I just try to follow the ebb and flow of inspiration.
The main thing I encourage people to do is open yourself as much as possible--keep your senses open, your mind open, your heart open. Keep yourself open to unexpected sources of inspiration. Keep yourself open to new experiences, to exploring new subjects in your work.
Don't be afraid to address issues that scare you, because that's often where our most powerful work lies. Don't be afraid to tear your work apart to make it better (but save the earlier version in case you want to return to it). Don't let yourself shut down because of rejection from an agent or because of doubt--this is a wide-open world and there is room for all of our voices.
All our voices are important. Do whatever you can to set yours free!
LG: What a wonderful answer. Thank you. What are you working on now? What is your website?
GB: I am working on a new novel, tentatively titled My Life With the Lincolns, which should be out Summer, 2008. You can keep up to date with that, and all of my work, at www.gaylebrandeis.com (and my blog, gaylebrandeis.blogspot.com).
Thank you so much for this interview--it was a real pleasure!
LG: The pleasure is mine. Thank you so much for your responses. Your answers are outstanding.
Self Storage is such a treat that I reread it, drenching myself in beauty and chaos, in distance and immediacy. Walt Whitman’s followers are in for a special treat. Self Storage is available in bookstores and online. Its author, Gayle Brandeis is well worth watching.
Queen for a Day is the archetype for Reality TV. Today, shows like American Idol capture millions of viewers, who root for their favorites as the stakes escalate week after week. Participants eat up the opportunity to earn fifteen minutes of fame, while also seeking adoration and cash.
What would happen if murder were added into the mix? Dying To Be Famous, set on a show like American Idol, is David Hiltbrand’s entertaining exploration of that question.
Private investigator Jim McNamara is summoned to L.A. after a talented blond singer is found smothered in his hotel room. He teams up with fellow AA member, Whitey. Together they pool their knowledge to try to unearth motives and solve this sleazy murderer.
Regular mystery readers will find the hero, Jim McNamara, fresh, gutsy, and appropriately flawed. This earthy, edgy story digs into the dirt beneath the glamour of Hollywood’s latest craze. Learn how Hiltbrand created his latest story in the Q & A below.
LG: How did your years of reporting on music and celebrities prepare you to write Dying To Be Famous? What drew you to writing about today’s pop music world?
DH: Celebrity has become the modern royalty. Entertainers today are the people to whom nothing is denied. Of course, this warps their personalities in powerful ways. That in turn coupled with the money and freedom to do anything they want makes them fascinating to write about, both as a journalist and as a novelist.
All the Jim McNamara mysteries are about the music business in one way or another, but Dying to Be Famous really grew out of my professional experience. I've covered American Idol for the Philadelphia Inquirer since it debuted and watched in wonder and horror as it grew bigger and bigger each season.
It was a show crying out to be spoofed. And I figured for all the countless hours I've spent watching this show, I deserved to at least get a book out of it.
LG: What prompted you to create Jim McNamara?
DH: The character of Jim McNamara is both inspiration and homage. The concept of a "rock n' roll detective" came to me fully formed. It was a gift.
I took the name from an old friend who died tragically young, a college friend who later introduced me to my wife. Jim was in the music business, as owner and booker for the Chicago club Tuts. He was one of the funniest guys I ever knew. In part, the books are a way of keeping his memory alive.
LG: How has he changed and grown since he appeared in Killer Solo?
DH: Since his first outing in Killer Solo he has a lot more experience under his belt. There's a growing confidence and maturity to him. He's learned to listen to his instincts and that makes him better at his job. Some readers find him cynical but I don't think of him that way. In fact, what I enjoy most about him is that he has a sense of humor about himself and his own foibles.
LG: How does his AA affiliation affect his detective work?
DH: I think being in AA grounds Jim, who tends to be a bit of a hothead and fairly impetuous. It gives him patience and perspective he otherwise wouldn't have. Not to mention the fact that it saved his life. Had he continued to abuse booze and drugs, I suspect he would now be dead.
LG: Some readers may wonder if this is the inside scoop on Reality TV. How authentic would people in the industry find your story?
DH: I've had numerous comments from people in the TV industry about how spot on it is. What is amazing to me is how many more things have happened recently on American Idol that were just as I wrote them in Dying to be Famous more than two years ago.
LG: That verifies your authenticity. Is money or fame the bigger lure for contestants?
DH: It's hard to separate the two. Fame I suppose is the lure, but only because it leads as night to day to untold riches.
LG: What motivates viewers to follow the contestants?
DH: I think viewers identify with the contestants. Thanks to shows like The Real World, we've raised a generation of kids who all think they could be stars if only they could get a little camera time. Programs like American Idol (and my book's Star Maker) feed into that fantasy.
LG: How did your background in journalism prepare you to write such a crisp, tight, edgy mystery?
DH: Thanks for the compliment. Journalism teaches you a number of skills. But one is the importance of writing succinctly and clearly. I also wrote soap operas for a while which helped me polish my dialogue chops.
LG: Do you prefer being a columnist, a soap opera writer, or mystery writer?
DH: I like all of them. (For what I'm getting paid, I better.) I enjoy writing journalism because it gives you the ability to react quickly to things and disseminate your ideas to a wide audience. Soap operas are hard work but lucrative. I might still be doing it if I had more of a flair for romantic scenes. It's no coincidence that soap opera writers, almost without exception, are women or gay. I got frustrated with the pace of it. Not much happens on a soap and you end up writing essentially the same scenes between the same characters over and over. They chew on the bone too long to suit me. As for books, it was always my dream to be a paperback writer. I'm delighted to have achieved that. I only wish my mysteries would find a larger audience because I think they're fun reads.
LG: Maybe this interview will entice new readers. Deader Than Disco came out a few months ago and now Dying To Be Famous is available. Any tips for drafting and developing stories so quickly?
DH: Notch it up to journalism. I've always prided myself on generating story ideas for whatever publication I worked for (most of my career TV Guide and People). It's the same with books. If you gave me five minutes, I bet I could come up with five promising plots. Unfortunately, they take so long to bring to market.
LG: What are you working on now?
DH: My day job is soaking up all my waking hours at the moment. I write a Saturday TV column, “Dave on Demand,” for the Philadelphia Inquirer that readers might enjoy. http://go.philly.com/columnists/david_Hiltbrand. (There's an underscore between my first and last name.)
LG: Do you have a website where people can learn more about your work?
DH: My website is http://www.daveondemand.com/. It contains an American Idol blog (daveondemand.com/dodblog) which I guarantee will have you looking at the show in a whole new way. And laughing the entire time. It's wicked.
LG: Great website. This is a very down-to-earth success story. You seem to have a talent for using the material at hand and you’ve found a great niche in both music and journalism.
Dying To Be Famous is tightly written, with tense, revealing scenes and no spare details. The hard-boiled detective is accessible and entertaining. The setting will grab you. Hiltbrand’s writing is tight, well crafted and designed to keep readers guessing right up to the end. Pick up a copy of Dying To Be Famous at your local bookstore today.
In the last issue of Writer Advice, Rachel Sarah shared the experience of writing as a single mom. This month, we’re hearing from Carl Lennertz, the happily married dad of an adolescent daughter. Children of any age give us wonderful stories and make us reflect on who we are, where we came from, and where we are going in this world.
Parenting is a thankless, heartwarming, eye-opening job. Carl Lennertz knows that the little moments in life often leave the biggest impression. He reflects on such moments from his own youth and shares them in Cursed by a Happy Childhood, Letters from a Dad to a Daughter.
Whether he’s talking about music, memory, siblings, directions, teachers, dances, stereotypes, loyalty or a first job, his specificity and style are wonderful. This book is an uplifting blend of story, insight and time capsule. His daughter is a lucky young woman.
In the interview below, he says, “The essential aspect of a good book is universality. And I find it’s the thing most often missing in memoirs that don’t get published.” He goes on to explain why, and identifies the reason so many memoirs miss. His insights are universal and often missed. Read them in our Q & A below.
LG: What kinds of writing did you do before this book?
CL: All my writing before I wrote my book was in the form of newsletters to bookstore owners, mostly about the business end of things but also about books I loved, as well as those from other publishers. In the newsletters, I also wrote about food, wine, the city…and my newborn daughter!
LG: How did having a daughter change your writing life?
CL: I never thought I would end up writing a book.
LG: Which was the first piece you wrote and what prompted it?
CL: After 9/11, I started a nostalgic diary for my daughter about my supposedly idyllic life in a small town in the Sixties, and the first fully-formed piece for the book came after George Harrison died and I wrote about buying my first record in the local hardware store – Magical Mystery Tour – as my hometown was too small for a record store.
As I kept writing about my childhood and my daughter’s, I came around from despair to joy that life is BETTER now for most kids now, despite 9/11….and that my nostalgia, while interesting, was only a means to appreciating what we have now.
Over time, each diary entry became a springboard to a short essay, and once I got rolling, I kept adding based on things going on her life: peer pressure, first dance, money and more.
LG: I know your background is in publishing. What exactly do you do? How did it feel to turn the tables and become a writer?
CL: I am currently a VP of marketing, working with independent bookstores. I’ve always been in Sales & Marketing, so I knew going in that most books do not do as well as expected. That’s just the nature of the business and the number of books being published every year.
LG: How did your background help you?
CL: I didn’t think about [the statistics] and just enjoyed the process of working with an agent and editor for the first time. That was wonderful. They both were so generous with their time and guidance, and they brought the finished book out of me in ways I didn’t expect.
Still, it is scary to be on deadline, to know that the thing you’ve been quietly working away on in solitude will actually be read by friends and strangers alike, who will judge you in someway…or just hate the book and not say anything!
I never wrote with my ‘marketing hat’ on. I wrote the best I could and let the chips fall where they may.
LG: What age was your daughter when the book came out? How did she react?
CL: She was ten and she got to vet the manuscript. She didn’t change a thing and she was very happy about it. She still faces the book out when she’s in stores, the rascal.
LG: You mention getting up at 6 a.m. to work on this. Tell us about your writing practice.
CL: Because I work full time, I only wrote weekend mornings. Early with a pot of coffee until my wife and daughter woke up. And these were short pieces so I could start a new one or fix an earlier one each weekend morning. (A novel, forget it. Not in me time-wise.) I may have had a new idea during the week that I’d dive into on Saturday, or warm up by going back and polishing a previous piece. And over the year of writing and rewriting, neat things were going on in my daughter’s life that added to the book.
The sequence of pieces changed several times, from chronological to thematic and back again. In the end, it was a mix of chronological with a pacing of serious and light, short and longer. Since so much of my growing up and this book was effected by music, I thought about how an album might be paced.
LG: Which pieces are your favorites and why?
CL: My favorites change with time. I like the serious ones somedays and the lighter ones others.
LG: What message would you like readers to take from the book?
CL: It’s a calm, peaceful book in a way, and I would be happiest if someone, while reading, just said “Aha, that happened to me, too, and it all worked out ok” or “My dad was like that” or, most important: “Kids turn out okay despite all our worrying; trust our kids to raise us!”
LG: Did you get a contract from a book proposal? Tell us about the process of preparing a proposal and finding an agent.
I’m sure some of your readers are thinking, “Oh yeah, he’s in the business so of course it’s who you know.” And they would be right to say that, up to a point. I was able to get to an agent quickly, but she could very easily have said, “Look, you’re a nice guy, this is a sweet book, but it’s not all the great.” And that’s what I expected to hear, so I was floored when she said she’d like to represent me.
She took months working with me, cajoling me to dig deeper in some places, split longer pieces into two, and have an overall theme in mind. “Where’s the arc?” she would say over and over. And based on a cover letter outlining my overall themes, the best 50 pages I had written so far, my agent’s work, and the luck of my story connecting with a willing editor, I did get a modest publishing contract.
Here’s the most important thing I will say in this entire interview: The essential aspect of a good book is universality. And I find it’s the thing most often missing in memoirs that don’t get published. Yes, everyone has a story in them, but does it have a greater meaning to others? No, I’m not talking about world peace or the origin of the big bang, but do your own themes have something that others can relate to, while still being unique to your experience? It’s a delicate balance, but both must be there: Personal passion and some universal meaning.
The same is true of any nonfiction and even fiction – a specificity combined with greater themes. Even my modest little book about growing up would have no meaning to anyone else if I had not touched on things a variety of readers of many ages could relate to in some way, and I had to find a way to be specific to my story while looking outward and making enough of it to be relevant and universal.
LG: What should aspiring writers know about publishing?
CL: ONE- That everyone in the process is crazy busy, too busy at times, and that delays in hearing back, while so so so frustrating, are just what’s it always been and going to be. Things do not happen quickly.
TWO – That more than ever, the first few pages of a proposal/manuscript must get one’s attention, and I don’t mean that things have to blow up on page one, but that some intangible and real qualities of good writing and dramatic storytelling must be evident very, very early on.
LG: What are you working on now? Where can people find copies of Cursed by a Happy Childhood?
CL: I am working on a sequel, sort of. I’m going to let her teen years be and I’m writing about my growing ‘old’ in a young world. It’s called I’m Not Dead Yet, written tongue-in-check, pissed off at everything, but again, the joke is on me.
I don’t have a contract for it and that’s fine; I’m enjoying it just for the writing for now. I’ll get it all down on paper, tinker, add, delete, and see where it goes.
In addition, I've actually taken what I learned by being edited to edit someone else's book. It's a wonderful novel set in Montana - Lone Creek, by Neil McMahon - and it's coming out from Harper this April. I loved having this experience from a different perspective.
As for Cursed, it did come out in paperback in April ’06 but it may not be on many shelves now, alas. I’m sure Powells.com has some, probably cheap!
LG: It’s also available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Thanks for sharing all these wonderful insights.
Here are Carl Lennertz’s ten simple rules for parents kids according to Cursed by a Happy Childhood.
- Tattoos are forever.
- Burping is only funny the first time.
- You snooze, you lose.
- “Please” and “thank you” matter.
- Our friends are your friends.
- Be a kid—except at restaurants.
- Whatever is bothering you is usually better the next morning.
- A kiss is essential every time we meet or part.
- You can be anything you want to be—after the college loans are paid off.
- Don’t worry about what others think of you—except us.
You don’t have to be a parent to appreciate this book. Buy or order it today and watch for his next one. Lennertz’s optimism will make you glow.
|
Single Mom Seeking is a verbal self-portrait. Author Rachel Sarah embraces the roller coaster of life, seeks happiness, and examines her actions and motives in this wonderfully honest memoir. She discovers that being a single mom is a tough, rewarding challenge when her alcoholic partner walks out seven months into fatherhood.
She balances a crush on the UPS man and other hormonal urges, with the needs of a nursing toddler and freelance writing. Hot, sexy scenes with that UPS man and others are blended with warm parenting, a failed reunion with her daughter’s father, a reconstructed relationship with her own father, and finally a stream of online dates.
Parenting tips and dating tips co-exist in Single Mom Seeking. Sarah blends her expertise as a single mom, and her desire for the fantasy happily-ever-after into a wonderfully specific tale of hope.
Regardless of your age, you’ll find yourself drawn to her frank self-exploration. She digs deeply to the core of her hopes, fears, needs, urges, and frustrations, and makes her experience totally accessible to the reader. In the Q & A below, she explains how this book came to be and gives advice about writing non-fiction and putting your work and your life out into the world.
LG: Tell us about yourself. When did you first know you were a writer?
RS: You hear every writer say it: I've been writing since I first learned how to put the pencil on the paper.
This amazes me now, as I watch my own daughter write. She struggles to hold the pencil between her thumb and her index finger. She's a writer for sure. Whenever she's upset at me she writes a note -- like "No Mommy Alowd [sic]" -- and tapes it to her bedroom door.
As a kid, my mom, who is a poet, played word games with my sister and me.
My very first poem was a haiku. I still remember it:
A Dandelion
Feathers tied in a bundle
Waiting to be blown
LG: When did you first get the idea to turn your Literary Mama articles into a book?
RS: I'm a memoir junky. I swallow up any kind of first-person candor. There are quite a few self-help guides for single moms who are dating, but I'm really drawn to the juicy first-person narrative.
The idea to turn my Literary Mama column, http://www.literarymama.com/columns/singlemomseeking/ , into a book came after I searched high and low for first-person dating stories from a single mom -- - and came up dry.
LG: What is it like to write about such a personal subject?
RS: As I say in SINGLE MOM SEEKING: "I wrote this book because it helped me figure out exactly what I want in life, and how to go about getting it. I wrote this book to stay sane while dating as a single parent. I wrote this book because it helped pull me out of my dating pitfalls."
LG: Did you have to censor yourself?
RS: That’s a good after-thought. I try to go for hardcore honesty, although sometimes I guess you could say that I reveal way too much.
LG: Did you worry about reactions to your hardcore honesty?
RS : When I was writing, my daughter wasn't even school-age, so I didn't worry about her looking over my shoulder. When I got my author's copy, she was excited to find her name on every page. She's also autographing the books, and giving them to her first-grade friends. Uh oh.
Negative response to the book has surprised me a bit. When I wrote a piece at WashingtonPost.com, http://blog.washingtonpost.com/onbalance/2006/07/single_mom_seeks_playdates_bli_1.html -- readers who called me "pathetic" and a "loser," and said that I should've given up my daughter for adoption.
LG: Maybe those reactions will give you more material. Tell us about the process of drafting a book proposal.
RS: Researching the market was a natural process since I was drawn to memoirs -- and often searched bookstores and the library to find anything I could about single moms.
I was driven to show people that I was a sexy, heartfelt, determined human being. Most single moms are.
To quote J.K. Rowling -- Harry Potter author-extraordinaire and a single mother! -- in a Guardian interview, http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/childrenandteens/story/0,6000,474412,00.html :
"It's this universal human desire we have through history: if we demonize them (single moms), we don't have to help them. It's much easier for certain sections of society to say, 'You've brought this on yourself by your fecklessness; you sort it out,' than to say, 'You've been a victim of circumstances,' or 'Hey, marriages break up ... but how are we going to help you help yourself?'
LG: How did you find Seal Press?
RS: A couple of my amazing writing colleagues from Literary Mama -- Heidi Raykiel, http://www.thenaughtymommy.blogspot.com/, and Andrea Buchanan, http://www.andibuchanan.com/, had recently published mother-memoirs. They had glowing things to say about Seal Press and their editor.
So, I actually did what you're NOT supposed to do: I contacted their editor first. And after she showed some interest, I called my agent.
In my life, I've done many things backwards.
LG: How did you weave the scenes you drafted in our “live” free writing group into the story? How did you know an experience was part of the story?
RS:I feel so fortunate to have been involved with a "live" writing group. Once a month, I get together with six other women-writers in the Bay Area: we sit in a circle and write, and then we read out loud. There is no feedback or criticism. This group has broken me open in the most invigorating ways.
When I first drafted the proposal for Single Mom Seeking, it was going to be a dating memoir about a single mom who set out looking for her Mr. Right. In the end, however, after years of dating, she had NOT found him. But you know what? She realized that she did NOT need a man to be happy or fulfilled. She was doing just fine on her own -- and so was her kid.
LG: When did you know how you wanted the book to end?
RS: I don't want to give away the ending of Single Mom Seeking, but let's just say that I didn't really expect to meet this charming man at the end who…
LG: You do a wonderful job of participating in a scene and reflecting on it. Any tips for doing that?
RS: That's so kind of you!...
Maybe it's the Jewish over-analytical side of me coming out? I think too much sometimes.
LG: How did you find time to write this book, find and do freelance jobs, and be a mom?
RS: I return to J.K. Rowling again, who put it really well in a Salon.com interview she did, http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/1999/03/cov_31featureb.html
Rowling says:
"I had to make full use of all the time that my then-baby daughter slept. This meant writing in the evenings and during nap times. I used to put her into the pushchair and walk her around Edinburgh, wait until she nodded off and then hurry to a cafe and write as fast as I could. It's amazing how much you can get done when you know you have very limited time."
In order to finish the book, I was up 6 a.m. every morning, and back to the book-writing after my daughter fell asleep at 9 p.m.
I still try to steal moments on the weekend to write. But I need to be careful. My daughter has said, "I hate your computer."
LG: I hope her hatred is a phase.
What are you working on now?
RS: Book Number 2: And Boyfriend Makes Three. (Get it? Instead of "And Baby Makes Three"?)
LG: Where can people find your book and where can they learn more about you?
RS: You can learn more about me at: www.singlemomseeking.com.
Please buy my book at your local independent bookstore. If it's not there yet, I'd be most grateful to you for ordering it!
You can also buy it online at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1580051669/ref=cm_arms_pdp_dp/002-4335001-6241662
LG: Rachel, thanks so much for sharing your insights and some wonderful resources.
Single Mom Seeking is hot, contemporary, and insightful. For an optimistic look at single moms grabbing the most out of life, visit the website, www.singlemomseeking.com. Then get a copy of Single Mom Seeking and revel in Rachel Sarah’s journey.
****
Under the vast skies of Colorado and Wyoming, Augusta “Gussie” Locke carves a unique path in William Haywood Henderson’s exquisite saga Augusta Locke. Gussie is an independent, self-reliant survivor. Though she is often skittish around others, her love of the land takes her where she should be.
Whether she is working on a road crew, hauling supplies, or wandering through the vast terrain with only her daughter for company, she is gutsy, gritty, and sensitive to the poetry of the seasons . She embraces the breadth and nuances of nature, and becomes tender when the circumstances warrant it. In a time and place where life was particularly hard for women, Gussie endures loneliness and fearsome hardships to avoid traditional female roles.
Henderson’s evocative descriptions of rugged Western terrain resonate with depth and splendor. Packed with sensory details, his descriptions read like prose poetry. Sample a page or two and see for yourself.
Henderson sets a high standard and shares his process and experiences with Augusta Locke in the Q & A below.
LG: Tell us about yourself. When did you know you were a writer? Why did you decide to focus on the American West?
WHH: I knew from a young age that I was interested in writing, but I didn’t really consider myself a writer until graduate school, when I could focus fulltime on my writing. Then I began to think that maybe I had something to say, and the things that I had to say, the things that set me apart from other writers, all seemed to be centered somehow on Wyoming.
I had lived alone on a ranch in Wyoming for a year when I was twenty-two, and the beauty of the landscape, coupled with the extreme loneliness of the remote ranch, gave rise to most of the stories I’ve told so far.
LG: How did the idea for the story come to you?
WHH: I saw a man working on a windmill below the lower gate on our ranch outside the town of Dubois, Wyoming, in the Wind River Valley. I asked people who it was, and they said it was no man, it was Gussie Anderson. She was a pretty rough looking character.
Later, while reading a history of Dubois, I learned that Gussie Anderson had entered Wyoming from Colorado with a child in tow, that she had worked a lot of jobs considered men’s jobs, including driving freight over Togwotee Pass with a wagon and team of horses, and working on road construction crews. So I took the real Gussie as a starting point, with just the bare facts of her life, and tried to explore the life of a single woman with a child in early 20 th century Wyoming.
LG: What kinds of research did you do to write about the West in such intimate detail?
WHH: I grew up in the West and lived in the Wind River Valley, where a lot of my writing takes place. Even though I was born in Syracuse, New York, I’d say that the West has been in my blood from a very young age. I derive a lot of my details from personal experience, and when I need to sharpen my knowledge I travel, take photographs, find old maps, and read non-fiction and first-person accounts of the old West. I also rely on field guides on plants and animals.
LG: Gussie is a wonderful protagonist. Did your concept of her change as the novel progressed?
WHH: As the novel progressed, Gussie drifted farther and farther from what little I knew of the real Gussie, and she became an individual with her own obsessions. Maybe she became a little more like me, as my own obsessions bubbled up through her life.
LG: How do you write so honestly from a woman’s POV?
WHH: I don’t see there being a huge leap to be made from a man’s point of view to a woman’s. I just tried to make Gussie’s desires and vision consistent. But there were times when I wasn’t quite sure if I was getting the female life right, so I would ask various female friends. For example, I had to learn a different focus through which to express female sexuality, and (surprisingly) I didn’t know anything about what childbirth felt like, what the aftereffects of giving birth were, and so on. I tried very hard to get all of this accurate, though of course I got varying answers from the different women I consulted. Finally, I just settled on what seemed to work best for my particular character.
LG: How did you determine the story’s starting moment?
WHH: I started the novel exactly where it ended up starting, which, in the timeline of the novel, is far toward the end of the action. It just seemed to be a good place to start, setting up the end point and then trying to work out the puzzle of Gussie’s life that would lead to that end point. I used the format of Love in the Time of Cholera as inspiration.
LG: What did you add after the first draft was complete?
WHH: I don’t write a draft straight through and then go back and add things. I work on a chapter, get it close to done, and then move on to the next chapter. This allows me to get all of the various elements of the text working, like setting, imagery, action, and character, so that when I start the next chapter I already have a fairly well-realized world in place.
LG: How many drafts did you do before you shared it with readers and your agent?
WHH: My process involves countless handwritten drafts, and then I type the text, print it, dissect it with scissors, write it out again longhand, and on and on. The ideas mostly create themselves out of the characters and the choices they make, and then I work to sharpen the ideas or make them consistent with the ideas in earlier chapters.
LG: I love the detail with which you describe your process. Thank you. You write evocative, exquisite description. Can you share any tips for doing that?
WHH: Examine closely whatever you plan to describe. Then take your time to create emotion through your description. If it helps, write long lists of nouns and adjectives that could be used in your description, then choose the nouns and adjectives that seem to work best for the mood or idea you’re trying to evoke. Remember that all the aspects of your writing need to be working toward creating a complex whole, and description can do a lot more than just provide simple information.
LG: That’s probably the best answer I’ve ever gotten to that question. I know you teach for the Lighthouse Writers Workshop and other places. What can a writer learn in a class? What can’t be learned except by experience?
WHH: In workshop a writer can learn to be a much better reader, and the hope is that the writer can then apply that skill to his or her own writing, finding the places in his or her manuscript that for whatever reason don’t work. A workshop can help sharpen a writer’s vision, but it’s up to the writer to find a way to present that vision in a clear and unique way.
LG: Does any part of the writing process become easier once you have published several novels?
WHH: I would hope that practice would make perfect, but my process is still fairly haphazard. I write when the muse hits, take time away from the page, do research, and slowly cobble together a novel, “slowly” being the operative word. Certainly, though, over the years I’ve learned enough that my first drafts are much better than they used to be.
LG: What are you working on now?
WHH: I’m working on a new novel set in California and Wyoming. I can’t seem to get away from the West.
LG: Where can people find copies of Augusta Locke?
WHH: Augusta Locke is available at bookstores, and you can also find it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online bookstores.
LG: What is your website?
WHH: My website is www.williamhaywoodhenderson.com.
LG: Thanks so much for your answers. I love the idea of cobbling a novel together.
Check out the Henderson’s website. Better still, check out his books. Augusta Locke is a book you should not miss.****
|
“When women began claiming their independence in the seventies, men often asked, “What do women want?” Answers differed, but respect, fun, and a strongly grounded sense of self were important components.
Today, as the number of vibrant, active, eligible women over 40 is growing, women are looking at the question from a new place. What do women want now, 30 years after the question first spread through our culture?
You can read 29 different answers from women over 40 in the essays collected by Jane Ganahl for her anthology, Single Woman of a Certain Age. This contemporary collection explores romantic escapades, heavy petting, empty nests, shifting shapes, and serene independence. It is an open, honest exploration of women aging out of the Cinderella legend.
Joyce Maynard discovers that the man who quoted song lyrics online turned out to be “as empty as a drum shell” in “Chai With Woodstock.” Ms. Gonick becomes a “caregiver slut” when she moves to a ranch to help her octogenarian parents and discovered romance in “Beak Benedict.” Wendy Merrill discovers that “beauty lives in the eye of the beholder and the beholder that matters is me,” in “Falling Into Manholes.”
Subjects range from men at a middle-aged mixer, to dating as a single-mom, to an unmarried aunt among new parents. Spike Gillespie discovers that being single fits “just fine” in her essay, “Nothing Like Harold and Maude.”
Regardless of your age or gender, these humorous, honest, immediate essays will stir you. Individual voices ring out with authenticity as these single women of a certain age show readers how many different ways we can embrace life.
Ganahl started writing when she was a student in Spain. She fell in love with the process and resolved to become a writer as soon as she was able. “It took me until my 30s,” Ganahl said.
She began her career at the Chronicle while she was working on Bay to Breakers for the Examiner. The San Francisco Chronicle and the San Francisco Examiner merged in 1999.
San Francisco’s Bay to Breakers is a 12K, 7.46-mile race run from the San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. It includes an 11.15% grade between Fillmore and Steiner Streets and has been a major Bay Area event for 95 years.
After reporting on Bay to Breakers, Ganahl accepted a variety of assignments including beginning with work on marketing copy and copyediting. Well versed in journalism, Ganahl was a reporter and a pop music critic before she became a columnist. She had extensive experience with multiple voices and deadlines. Learn how she put the book together in the Q & A below.
LG: How did you decide to create Single Women of a Certain Age?
JG: A publisher pitched the idea to me. I thought I was not an editor but a writer. I learned I was both.
LG: When you put a collection like this together, what are you looking for in the essays and how do you select your writers?
JG: It was totally haphazard, and I was amazed that it worked out as well as it did!
LG: How do you find the right blend of voices?
JG: I tried to find a blend of ethnicities and backgrounds.
LG: What was your process for putting together this collection of essays? Did people write articles for the section titles or did you group the material after reading the essays?
JG: I grouped the essays after receiving them.
LG: What was your editorial process like?
JG: I read the essay first and made some basic decisions like whether it made its point in the strongest way possible.
LG: What problems face the editor of a collection that do not affect a writer working alone on a novel?
JG: Working with lots of fragile egos!
LG: What do you hope women will gain from the book?
JG: A realization that if they are single, they are not alone! And that the life we can have is a good one.
LG: What do you hope men might gain from it?
JG: A glimpse into the female brain. J
LG: What advice, in addition to writing daily and reading in your genre, would you give to aspiring writers?
JG: Push yourself and don’t give up and don’t be polite.
LG: “Litquake is a San Francisco literary festival with heart, guts and a taste for the wilder side of the literary world,” according to the website. I know you are an active participant. For people in the San Francisco Bay Area or those who might be visiting, what can you tell us about Litquake, 2006?
JG: Our website is now up and running! Litquake.org. It’s going to kick major butt this year. J
LG: Looking at the website, I can see why you say that. The site says, “Litquake represents a lively overview of San Francisco’s thriving literary scene. Our live events embrace the Bay Area writing community, and give fans the opportunity to hear quality literature straight from the author’s mouth.” It appears to be thriving, growing, and improving every year. Visit Litquake.org, even if you cannot visit the events.
What are you working on now?
JG: I’m working on a new book proposal and actually leaving the Chronicle soon! After 24 years, I’d say it’s time. J
LG: Congratulations. Moving on might open up even more opportunities for you. Where can people find your Chronicle columns online?
JG: They can find my columns at sfgate.com. Search for last name ganahl.
LG: Thanks so much for sharing your experience as the editor of Single Woman of a Certain Age. Though the title suggests a specific demographic, the collection of essays should reach a much bigger audience.
Read wonderful authors recounting amazing situations in a sometimes edgy and often insightful way. Single Woman of a Certain Age is available in all kinds of bookstores—retail and online. Get your copy today.
****
|
“Pucker rocks!” That’s what a thirteen year old is likely to say about Melanie Gideon’s new novel, Pucker... Set partly on Earth and partly in the world of Isuara, the tale is an imaginative combination of fantasy and coming of age. The unexpected story, sometimes magical and always honest, will appeal to teens and adults alike.
Though no reader can possibly wear Thomas Quicksilver’s shoes, since he is a native of an alternate world called Isaura, readers will identify with his fears, frustrations, and feelings of isolation. They’ll sympathize with the overwhelming choices he faces and applaud his efforts to takes control of his fate.
The story is cleverly crafted and beautifully told. Melanie Gideon is an impressive writer, and I was pleased to be able to interview her for WriterAdvice.
LG: When did you become interested in writing? How did you train to write YA?
MG: I was one of those kids who knew I wanted to be a writer from the time I was eight years old. The books I read as a child made me who I am. They taught me to be brave. I didn’t do any special training to write for young adults, besides reading everything I could my hands on!
Writing for kids isn’t much different then writing for adults, except that in some ways kids are more demanding readers then adults. If you don’t hook them immediately you lose them. This forces you to really hone your craft as a storyteller.
LG: True. This is such an imaginative story. Where did the idea of Isaura and Seerskins and two Worlds first come from? How did it grow?
MG: I started with the character of Thomas. I wanted to tell a story about skin—how we judge each other based on how we look. I thought this would be especially relevant for teens.
The world of Isaura came after I had decided to pursue skin as my primary theme, thus the Seerskins. I’m fascinated with the idea of growing a second skin. There have been so many times in my life that I’ve wished for another skin to slip on top of my own.
LG: Pucker feels like a blend of fantasy and coming of age. Is one style preferred over the other for YA right now? What makes YA stories unique?
MG: Wow, Lynn, I feel like you completely “got” what I’ve tried to do with Pucker. It is a fantasy and coming of age story. I’ve written three books, one for adults, one for middle grade readers and one for YA and they’ve all been this quirky blend of contemporary fantasy and literary fiction. I intentionally use fantasy to blur the lines of reality in order to bring the reader to a new awareness, to startle them out of their skin in other words.
As far as what makes YA stories unique—I would say they are more muscular then adult fiction. You can see the skeleton, the bones of the story poking through. There’s less flesh. I mean this in a positive way. I think that’s why so many YA books are being optioned for movies right now. The story is so accessible.
LG: How do you know what ideas and dialogue will resonate with both teens and adults?
MG: I don’t consciously write to any age group. I just try and write a good book. My hope is that Pucker will resonate with both adults and teens. Good, evil, right, wrong and suffering exist on the play ground, in the cafeteria and in the boardroom—it doesn’t matter what age you are.
Stories heal. They are medicine. That’s why I write and that’s why I read.
LG: Tell us about your writing process.
MG: Story and messages come together on their own, once characters are in place.
LG: How did you keep track of the different worlds and the past and present?
MG: I had a wonderful editor who was great at pointing out my numerous flaws in logic.
LG: What does a typical writing week look like for you?
MG: When I’m working on a first draft I’ll write from 9am to 1pm, five days a week.
LG: How long did it take you to draft this (from the time you got the idea through sharing it with your agent)?
MG: Five months, but I was under a deadline and that was brutally fast. I was working seven days a week to get it done.
LG: Do you have a writing group or readers and how did they help you?
MG: Yes, I was in a writing group with two other writers while I was working on Pucker. My editor at Razorbill (a YA imprint at Penguin Books) was involved in the process from the very beginning.
LG: When did you know the manuscript was ready for an agent?
MG: Since Pucker is my third book I already had an agent, Charlotte Sheedy, before I wrote Pucker. Charlotte got me a two-book contract with Penguin and I developed Pucker for Penguin.
LG: Your images sing. Do you ever struggle to find the right word or phrase and, if so, how do you get past it?
MG: Yes, I struggle! I seem to be on or off when it comes to writing. Either it completely flows or it’s like trying to get blood out of a stone. On the days when it’s not flowing, I do other things. That said, I don’t believe in writer’s block. I believe in getting my butt in the chair.
LG: Do you have any tips for sharing basic, universal truths about the world, fear, and coping with adults? You do it so skillfully and with no preaching.
MG: Thank you, Lynn! That’s a great compliment. I try and write from the heart, not my head. For me that’s how I write true. Stay simple.
LG: Sounds like a great approach. What advice would you offer writers other than read in your genre and write daily?
MG: Write what you feel passionate about. If there’s no urgency in you to write this book, your readers will feel no urgency to read it.
LG: What are you working on now? Where can people find copies of Pucker?
MG: I’m in the idea stage of my next book and it’s too unwieldy to talk about specifics yet. You can find Pucker at your local independent bookstore, on Amazon and Powell’s and Barnes and Nobles and Border’s. Also please visit my website, www.melaniegideon.com.
Thanks so much Lynn. This has been fun!