Category: Contemporary Women Writers
Writing While Under the Influence of Emotions
As a child, I remember one of the worst chores I had was having to read out loud for 30 minutes every day. I hated it! I hated reading, let alone out loud. I think I must have had dyslexia because of how hard it was to go from one line to the next or […]
Iceland and Horses: How I Came to Write a Memoir
I didn’t set out to write a memoir. I knew I wanted to write something about a horse farm in the north of Iceland where I traveled every summer with a group of friends. My traveling mates were a lovable, kooky, lively, and voluble group of women worthy of a story. After many years of […]
Interview with Sigrid Nunez
Journalist Jenna Orkin interviews Nunez about the unusual level of intimacy she achieves in her work as well as the themes of the novel which range from suicide to writing teachers and students. In your latest novel, The Friend, you’ve said that you were striving for the intimate tone of a letter. You certainly achieved […]
Writing ELLIE AND THE HARPMAKER
It must be possible, I thought. One dream had already come true. Not without a good deal of stress and struggle, and it had taken years longer than I’d imagined, but still: I was a harpist! I’d managed to get myself a harp and learn how to play it. It was lovely and rewarding and […]
Why I Write, Maureen Joyce Connoly
If you ask an author why they write, you will get as many responses as the number you ask. The question implies choice, but for me, I’m no longer certain that I’m an active participant as to whether I write or not. My motivation, if you call it that, developed subconsciously and grew over time. […]
Finding Frances and the Serendipity of Characters
When she finished reading my novel A THREAD SO FINE, a friend asked me how I came to know so much about Frances Perkins, a real-life historical figure who enters the story in chapter ten. It wasn’t my friend’s first question – the novel has more to do with sisters and mothers and long-held, heart- […]
Research And Its Importance In Writing An Italian Affair
If you were to ask a totally sane individual why they would give up their day job as a moderately successful interior designer, to spend two years alone in their study getting down a story that would most likely never see the light of day ––the odds of gaining success are actually one in one […]
An event at Midlife: Crisis, Challenge, Breakthrough, or Opportunity?
When I was 26 years old, my 54-year-old mom received her doctorate. She had divorced my dad a few years prior, moved from Portland, Oregon to San Francisco, and enrolled in a Ph.D. program that seemed crazy to some of her friends: women who, like her, had married in the 50’s, living life as they […]
How to Stop Holding Yourself Back as a Writer
To succeed as an author, it’s important to know, understand, and own your unique writing and creative strengths. When you do that, you can build on those strengths and have a better chance of reaching your goals. It’s not always easy, though, to acknowledge that hey, you’re pretty good at some things! If you struggle […]
Authors Interviewing Their Characters: Renee Rosen
Millions of single girls would become her disciples. She inspired the creation of Carrie Bradshaw, Hannah Horvath, and Peggy Olson. Her name was Helen Gurley Brown. Told through the eyes of Helen Gurley Brown’s fictional assistant, Renee Rosen’s PARK AVENUE SUMMER (Berkley Trade Paperback Original; April 30, 2019) takes readers through the tumultuous beginning of […]
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