Friday, January 29, 2010

Beeeeeautifuuuuuuul!

Sister! I touched your new book...Firy! Eye-catching! And your name right there! So much has happened for you in the last few years...all well earned. You brave brave woman. I admire you so much. Can't wait to get my own and jump into your story. There aren't enough !!!!!!!!!!!!! on the keyboard to tell you how great your book looks! All! Ashes of the Red Heifer.... buy it! A thousand !!!! And a thousand rounds of claps congratulations from the Inkpot (see you soon sister)

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Up One Side...

…and down the other.

Clearly amused, my husband wandered into my office yesterday, his copy of my novel, Soliloquy, in hand. He read this excerpt to me:

“I thought you did,” Daniel replied. He shifted into a lower gear to steer around the sharp curve in the road. “I visited the professor’s grave the other night, right after you and Mom were there, and Gerard praised your efforts up one side and down the other. He’s been wracking his brain, trying to figure out how to help you without endangering everyone else.”
I looked at Dick, waiting for the punch line. “Up one side and down the other!” he exclaimed. “That’s my line!” We both laughed. Dick does say that frequently, to describe an abundance or excess, and since I’ve never heard anyone else use it we agreed that he deserved credit for coining that particular phrase.

Writers are advised to “write what you know,” and that brief conversation with Dick made me reflect on our patterns of speech and use of favorite words or phrases as we write. I certainly try to give each character a unique voice, yet rhythms and phrases may be so ingrained that I now think I might need to study not only my own voice, but expend even more effort on the subtleties of my character’s voices. In other words, an effort that is up one side and down the other!

Folio

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Baby By The Side Of The Road.

Why, oh why, do pre-holiday preparations, holiday expectations, and post holiday recovery take so much time from writing? I feel like I've left my baby at the side of the road. This is one time when I can say without hesitation that I was too busy - not just avoiding the challenge of another chapter. This season was non-stop, rush-about trying to accomplish even 3/4 of what needed to be done. I'm hoping I can now relax and enjoy writing over lunches again, editing in the evenings, and wallowing in the nuturing presence of two sisters every Thursday again along with our out-of-town sister's spirit (in the chair next to us). Thank you sisters for being my super-duper, very bestest sisters. Now kick my butt if I don't get back to my suspense novel! In other words, if you see that baby by the side of the road, bring it home to me. Love from the Inkpot.