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Posts Tagged ‘Writing’

The Art of Racing in the Rain

Posted in Books, tagged , , , , , on 09 Dec 2013| Leave a Comment »

Though they show no particular affinity for me, I love dogs.

At my core, I’m a cat person, but I adore the dogness of dogs and the unique relationship they can have with humans. And though it may sound strange, I love the humanity of dogs, their willingness to love us and to trust us (whether we deserve it or not).

It is not a surprise, therefore, that I enjoyed Garth Stein’s The Art of Racing in the Rain. It’s told by a dog. It takes place in Seattle.

What is a surprise is how much I enjoyed it.

Seriously. This book is now on my Top Five list. As a reader, I loved it. As a writer, it taught me some lessons I’m ready to learn. (more…)

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Bad Juju

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , on 20 Nov 2013| 6 Comments »

TFL Problem

What do writers have in common with baseball players?

We’re incredibly superstitious.

A writer friend composes all her novels on this laptop. She sits on the couch, has the computer on her lap, and types away. It’s the way she works (and boy, does she work!) Well, one day her laptop was giving her problems and we all piped up with suggestions such as getting a USB keyboard, putting it up on a TV tray, or working on the other computer for a while, etc. These suggestions were all shot down because all of them messed with her successful method. She writes in a certain way and anything that is not that certain way is simply unacceptable.

I’m the same way. If anything isn’t the way that’s worked for me in the past, it’s simply unacceptable.

Hence, my current problem. (more…)

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Stoking the Fire

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , on 13 Nov 2013| 2 Comments »

Piazza

Pen has hit paper on The Wolf Tree.

Admittedly, it’s nothing to shout about. I’ve merely written and rewritten the opening line about two dozen times. We talked about opening lines a while back, and the decision I made then was to take more time working the opening line for this book. Well, I’ve been doing that.

Ever worked on a single sentence for three days? (more…)

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Happily Misaligned

Posted in Culture, Writing, tagged , , , , on 11 Nov 2013| 1 Comment »

Gossamer Wheel

In outlining the new book, I create histories. As a result, and today being Veterans’ Day, I was reminded of something I discovered back in 1990.

You see, some American families have a long and celebrated history of military service. My family does not. Some families can measure their generations from war to war. My family cannot. (more…)

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Once More, Unto the Breach

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , on 07 Nov 2013| Leave a Comment »

The Wolf Tree

Life has begun (touch wood) to settle. Crises have subsided. Daily dramas have diminished. The weather has turned cold and windy and wet, calming nerves and dampening temperaments.

Now it’s time to get back to work. The Wolf Tree is once more underway.

I’ve had a few days off this week, and First Reader and I have taken long walks in the blustery drear, kicking around ideas like the autumn leaves at our feet. I’ve worked on the timelines for the intertwined stories, settled on names for the major characters, and started to flesh out their personal histories.

(more…)

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Sorry About That

Posted in Books, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , on 29 Oct 2013| 4 Comments »

In retrospect, yesterday’s post was a bad idea and very out of character. I had misgivings and hesitated before posting, but I ascribed those feelings to being “brave” and maybe even a bit “edgy” with my choice of topic.

Nope. Instead, it came across as a petulant, whinge-filled pity-fest served with a big side of “Buy my book and tell me it’s grand.”

Ew…and therefore…my apologies. That was not what I wanted to say, and that is not what I want this blog to be about.

Here’s what I want to say, instead. (more…)

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Let’s Be Honest

Posted in Books, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , on 28 Oct 2013| 9 Comments »

I’m biased. There. I said it.

I’m biased, in that I like the books I’ve written. I can’t help it. Frankly, I wouldn’t be able to get through the writing part of being a novelist without liking the books I write. Writing a book I didn’t like? Not gonna happen.

So, I’m biased, and that’s unfortunate, because it makes it impossible for me to understand why Unraveling Time didn’t sell.

And I want to know.

Seriously. I want to have an honest, open conversation about why this book didn’t sell. (more…)

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