On Being a Writer

Have you ever awoken in the middle of the night and wondered about your life? The choices that have led you to the current moment in time. If you haven’t, you’re lucky. After all, there’s little to be gained lying in bed and rehashing the past unless there’s something to be done about it. But then, if you could, would you reach back and fix a mistake? Do any of us want to dwell on things that might be unpleasant or admit we might’ve been wrong?

Regret

I’m all about regret and as an author, it works for me. Without regret, I wouldn’t be able to understand a character’s motivation. Or at least the motivation of characters that wind up in my fiction. Because if you’re always certain of your choices, there’s no way your characters can struggle. And if there is no struggle, then the storytelling is linear and boring. It’s the twists and turns that readers love. And so the challenge for an author is to build the plot and reveal character, line by line, paragraph by paragraph, page by page. Hopefully, by the end of the novel, the whole shebang comes together successfully.

The Seed of Truth

So, if you have friends who are authors, be warned. Everything in an author’s life is grist for storytelling. This seems to have been especially true in Feud’s new season on FX, Capote vs. Swans. The lesson for writers—when you use source material involving friends, you’re bound to experience backlash. Instead, why not mine stories from your private field of carnage: childhood traumas,  young adult missteps, or foolish mistakes? Better yet, you can write about the controversial events happening around you. One can only imagine what Charles Dickens must have witnessed in his lifetime to bring David Copperfield to light. And maybe that’s the mark of true brilliance. To illuminate some marvelous insights that will resonate with readers and even inspire a change in social conditions. That sounds like the great American novel worthy of an author’s sleepless night.

Now For Something A Little Extra!

Over the past year, I’ve been working on a new novel entitled Friends for A Season. The story centers on Helena, a spry and active senior who takes a sudden tumble and thinks her life is over until she meets Zak, a college student struggling with his own set of life issues. It’s exciting to be working on an intergenerational story that I hope will have some broad appeal. So stay tuned, and in the interim, here’s wishing you the best of tax season along with a video that reminds us that May is just around the corner and so are the gorgeous flowers of the season.

The other morning, I struggled to open a new tub of butter. It had one of those wrap-around plastic tabs. Impossible to grab. And just a week earlier, I couldn’t get the cap off of the Afrin. I pushed. I twisted. I squeezed. I had to bring it back to the pharmacy. The pharmacist, red-faced from the struggle, finally popped off the top. And last month, I tried to return a fancy (translation: expensive) bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. After removing the twist-off cap, the bottle failed to pour. I felt like an idiot. Customer Service couldn’t figure it out either. Until in frustration, they turned the bottle completely upside down. Oil dripped out. It was a special spout!

Please…Just Open Up

So when did packaging become such a challenge? We can trace it back to 1982. Seven people died from cyanide-laced Tylenol thereby launching tamper-resistant packaging. Though the intent is sound, big business might have gone a bit overboard. Now, when I see tamper-resistant packaging, I’m reminded of my SAT scores. Am I smart enough to figure out how to open the package? Maybe not.

Which Reminds Me

As an author, you also open yourself up with each word put to paper. It’s a terrific way to gain perspective. Just write it all down. A trained therapist might be a better approach, but writing allows you to save on that hourly fee. And if you can’t bear someone looking at you while you explore your inner demons, writing is perfect.  Just think of all the authors and playwrights who’ve examined their lives through their work. Tennesse William’s Glass Menagerie. Eugene O’Neil’s Long Day’s Journey into Night. Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. If you probe most authors of fiction, their work may not precisely mirror their life experiences. That would be a memoir. But there’s always something buried there. A seed of truth. Lurking just between the paragraphs.

A Little Something Extra!

And now for the big news. My next novel, Boca by Moonlight, will be released on November 15th. Here’s a sneak peek. Am I excited? You bet. Am I nervous? Absolutely. Am I worried? Yes, indeed. So let me just say thank you for reading my blog. This week, we hit the magic number of 2,000 subscribers. I’m very grateful to connect with you. Thanks for your support. It really means a lot!

Ever wonder what’s going on in an author’s mind? Here’s a sneak peek into my world:

1. Reading is the act of immersing yourself in an author’s imagination. There are secrets hiding between the lines and paragraphs of every page. You only need to pay attention to spot them.
2. You can decipher an author’s personal likes and dislikes by the characters, settings, moods, and even foods that are served up in the narrative.
3. There’s always a “seed of truth” in every story. It may not reflect the author’s life, but the idea for the story came from somewhere. So the next time you’re gossiping with a friend who is an author, remember, your story might wind up in their next novel.
4. Authors struggle with first drafts. Often, first drafts are really fourth, fifth, or even tenth drafts. We just call them first drafts for simplicity’s sake.
5. The act of writing a novel is an act of courage. Authors don’t always know the middle or even the end of a story. Outlines are sometimes created as the story unfolds.
6. Most authors are afraid to read reviews. But reviews are critically important to the success of any book. So if you enjoy a novel, take the time to leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or Bookbub. You’ll make the author very happy.
7. Authors hate to let readers down. A series is just an author’s way of keeping the characters you love alive.
8. The consumption of massive quantities of snacks accompanies the writing of any good novel. Anything will do. Sweet or salty. Even leftovers. That’s why most writers choose not to work at the kitchen table. It’s too close to the refrigerator.
9. Animals play an important role in an author’s life. They never talk back or offer criticism. Their loving glances confirm the writer’s new project is brilliant.
10. Authors are like moles. They prefer to hide in dark places, popping up to catch the sunlight only when they must. Most are terribly shy, and since they work alone, may need to be reminded from time to time to smile. But on the whole, they are lovely people.

Now, A Little Something Extra!

We will be participating in a Grow Your Reading List promotion through Friday, July 9th. Please take a moment to check out all the wonderful ebooks from across a variety of genres. It’s a great way to expand your reading list and meet new authors. Enjoy!