I sent the manuscript for my book to an editor a couple of weeks ago. It’s possible that I forgot to tell him that I was writing a memoir, but he was clearly turned off by either the genre, my writing, or both. He wrote back that the book lacked “broad general appeal.” I have … Continue reading
Filed under Writing …
Writing Your Story – Which Events do you Remember?
I finished the 3rd draft of my storybook a few days ago. Hooray! I rushed to Staples to have copies printed for my friends and family reviewers. It was exciting right up until the point when I got the bill. Let’s just say that when you have a ~72K word book that ~$.011-$0.22/page can really … Continue reading
Galvanic, Titillating, Intoxicating, and Tickilish Verbs!
I’m fresh back from a couple of days at the San Francisco Writers Conference where I had the pleasure to attend a session titled “Vex, Hex, Smash, Smooch: How to Let Verbs Power Your Writing,” by Constance Hale. Like countless others, I admire the brilliance of literary geniuses for their insane ability to provide detail … Continue reading
E-Feedback for Writers?
It was a few weeks ago when I blogged about the benefit of feedback that playwrights receive in a workshop setting. Can authors receive similar feedback for an unfinished work? It turns out that e-reader devices already collect information that may be useful to authors in this regard. In a broadcast by NPR’s “All Things … Continue reading
The Difference Between A Writing Group and a Drawing Group
I few years ago I joined a drawing group to gain some basic skills that might help with powerpoint presentations. I liked sketching strategic concepts, but I was never able to translate whiteboard sketches into anything that looked halfway professional. After weekly lessons, I’m now a lot better. What’s become more enjoyable, however, is meeting … Continue reading
Hurricane Sandy – Inevitably, Memoir Material
My grandmother, born in 1901, was afraid of water. She’d look at the ocean, a river, a lake, or even a small brook, and just think that she could never be far enough away to be safe. When she moved to Richardson, TX in the 70s, she went out of her way to purchase a … Continue reading
Memories to Monologues, Where Theatre Meets Authors
I had some stories read recently at the “Memory to Monologues” performance as part of the Newtown Arts Festival (www.newtownartsfestival.com). The Newtown Cultural Arts Commission (www.newtownartscommission.org) produced the event, which was the first in the history of my small hometown, Newtown, CT. The festival featured live performances, exhibitors, workshops, demonstrations, lectures, presentations, and food vendors, … Continue reading
Snapshots as a Memoir
A friend (thanks Karen!) recently loaned me a book that’s titled “Family Album, Photographs of the 1890s & 1900s.” The book was “assembled” by Mark Silber and published in 1973. The photographs were taken by Gilbert ‘Burt’ Tilton and Fred W. Record, in Buckfield, Maine at the turn of the century (1900!). Silber assembled the … Continue reading
Part II – Why Authors Need Memoirs! – Those Who Do
I wanted to follow-up on my theme of authors who do (or don’t) write memoirs. I was recently introduced to three authors who DID write a memoir/autobiography. It makes sense that a published author would write a memoir. Presumably, they already know how to write. But, do we get more insight into their writing … Continue reading
Part I – Why Authors Need Memoirs! – Those Who Don’t
There’s always the chance that an author writes a masterpiece, but where do the brilliant ideas come from? I saw a documentary about Ayn Rand a few weeks ago. Rand got the idea for “Atlas Shrugged” in a conversation that led her to think that the mind going on strike would be a good idea … Continue reading
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