Category: On Writing
Finding My Voice
I lost my voice during my second year of college. And then I found it again after the plane crash. Wait. That’s not exactly right. I didn’t find it again until YEARS after the plane crash. And to be accurate, I didn’t “lose” anything. I put aside my voice in a valiant effort to pursue […]
Reading Wuthering Heights With Juvenile Offenders
The idea that literature changes people’s lives is the premise of a program I facilitate through Fairfax County Public Library. It’s called Changing Lives Through Literature (CLTL) and it’s run in partnership with Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court and Fairfax Library Foundation. I work with first time offenders and girls in a […]
How to make the truth Palatable
Toni Morrison said, “If there’s a book you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” Those words gave me the kick-start. I’d read some second generation Polish fiction (mainly from the U.S.) and a vital ingredient was missing – Europe 1939-1945. Could I manage to depict those years […]
A Day in the Life of an Editor
When you, the tired, withdrawn author, come to me, the fresh-eyed, enthusiastic editor, and say, ‘I need help’ or ‘Something’s not working, but I don’t know what’ or ‘I’m receiving countless rejections’ or ‘I keep getting 2 star reviews’ or ‘I CAN’T GO ON!’, I’m quick to offer you a virtual hug because I recognise […]
Older Writers
I am what the French so delicately call, femmes d’une certaine age, somewhere between middle age and Social Security—much closer to Social Security, if I’m being honest. And I just had my debut novel published as an ebook, with a paperback to come out later this year. I’m also in the process of having an […]
Women and Myths in Storytelling
I recently wrote a blog post for my group of fellow authors, Novelistas Ink, about my previous incarnation running storytelling workshop based on myths. Writing the post made me think again about the role of myths in storytelling, and in storytelling about women in particular. (You can find the original post here) The ancient myths […]
Q&A With Author Bethany Chase
I can’t recall how Bethany and I became friends, but I am sure that the name of her blog (“It’s Better With Bangs”) and her spunky twitter profile (“I’m a women’s fiction author, interior designer, and eternally hopeful A-cup.”) had something to do with it. That same voice – spunky, quick, bold – is what […]
What Book Clubs Are Teaching Me About Writing
I’ll let you in on a little secret. I always wanted to be in a Book Club. I couldn’t articulate why because from the outside I couldn’t be sure exactly what occurred there – food, wine, maybe even some discussion about a, you know, book – but it just seemed to me from the way […]
Up the Ante on Exposing Yourself
The retreat leader, a New York Times bestselling author, had scribbled those six daunting words in blue ink and all caps across the back of page seven. I already felt plenty exposed. Not only had I laid bare the first ten pages of my fledgling memoir, I was revealing my work to eight strangers who, […]
“This Is How It Goes.”
Allow me to set the scene – You recently completed writing the most difficult story of your career. You pulled it off! Your exhaustive research came through. The ending poured out of you like liquid diamonds. You redid the ending of your last novel a dozen times. This time, it felt like the story was […]
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