My mother asked me a few weeks ago if I would make a contribution to her newest book. She was writing a piece about wind for it, and she remembered that I had once fictionalized an experience my family had with a tornado. I sent her what I had written—it’s actually the prologue of my …
My Writing
I did not type those actual words, The End, to the final page of my manuscript, but I did finish the book. And rather abruptly, as it turns out. Last week, the morning I left for my annual visit to my mother’s summer place in Maine, I spent an hour or so adding necessary information …
When I last wrote about my current novel in progress, Time Passages, I was taking a pause before the final round of revisions. I am now so close to finishing. Not that it has been easy. Well, some of it was easy. Obvious spots where I got too wordy, scenes where a character acted, um, …
I am between revisions of my novel, Time Passages. Round three is done—all of the revising and cutting and adding I did, and a two-hour critique session with my terrific readers, Margaret and Ginny, filled with great suggestions (and praise!). Before I begin the fourth, and hopefully final, round, I am taking another pause. It …
Six weeks ago, I began the third round of revisions for my latest novel, Time Passages. I also sent it to my two best readers, Ginny and Margaret, who are founding members of my much needed support group. Obviously, I would be changing things as they read, but this felt like the most efficient process. …
Some writers have told me they dread revisions. They love the initial creation of a work—a poem, essay, short story, novel; that rush of excitement as the ideas flow, as the words pour out effortlessly and they seem to enter an out-of-body state. Revisions aren’t like that. Revisions can mean staring at the screen or …
Three weeks ago, I finished the first draft of my latest novel, Time Passages. I set it aside so I could empty my brain, get away from the story for a little while, and now I am waiting to begin again. This is always the tough time for me when I’m writing a book—putting it …
No work of art is perfect when first conceived and first worked on. I’ve never been satisfied with a book until it’s gone through at least three sets of revisions. Eventually, though, I reach the final round, and solutions for all the remaining plot and character problems appear effortlessly. The final round can be …
When I decided to reissue all my previous publications this year, I actually started with my website. When my website guru, Julie, and I first designed this site, I was getting ready to publish two books, Lost Mothers and Every New Beginning. Now, however, there will be six more books. Julie and I agreed: time to update my website.
Many years ago, I published a number of books—five romance novels and Free Fall, a coming-of-age novel. Recently, I reread my first romance, Tailor-Made. I had forgotten how much fun I had writing it; and, considering it was my first book, it’s really quite good. Reading it again got me thinking. Maybe it’s time to reprint.