Killing my Patronus
If I had a patronus it would definitely be a bear. I know this because a bear I conjured up in mind—and wrote into my novel—crawled off the page and intervened in my real life. But yesterday, that bear died….
Friday Feast: Why Writers Are the Worst Procrastinators, Writing Tips from Tana French, 6 Tips for Writing outside Your Own Culture, Laura Albert on the Elena Ferrante Identity Reveal Controversy, and the Snarling Girl
I submitted something due tomorrow 20 minutes ago. I feel incredibly ahead of the game. I’m usually sweating it until one minute before the deadline. It only took four loads of laundry and multiple checks of social media to focus…
The Thrill of Discovery, The Agony of the Fact
I decided to write a historical novel because I wanted to get completely out of my day-to-day life and contemporary everything—terrorism, the failure of capitalism, modern marriage, childhood and adolescence, politics, racism, climate change, you name it. Did I have…
YA Wednesday: Diversity (Still) Needed!
I was fortunate to enjoy a young adult fiction double header a couple of weeks ago. It began on a Friday night with a panel of five YA authors at Wellesley Books, followed the next day by the 5th annual…
A Pantser Turned Plotter
I took a research trip in mid-September. The trip itself was amazing. I spent time with archival information. I saw photos of the woman whom I’m modeling my protagonist after. I felt my main character in that room with me….
Friday Feast: The Luke Cage Syllabus, Money Talk in MFA Programs, How to Become a Novelist in Ten Easy Steps, Boomers Take to Bookselling, and the National Book Award Finalists
I haven’t had a chance to binge-watch Luke Cage yet. I’m still binge-watching Smash to take my mind off revising my latest shitty first draft while waiting for my I-hope-it’s-not-shitty-please-let-it-be-final draft from my editor. Life motto: hope for the best, expect the worst….