September 2006 Archives

          We are tired! Especially John. One more day of the art fair at the Sertoma Arts Center (if you're in Raleigh, drop on by!). He got a bad spot for his booth, but the people who came by were wowed by his florals. I lost track of how many people said "those are photographs?" People thought they were paintings or silk screens, or I don't know what. John's been working on these photos in his studio for months, but sort of in a vacuum since they were not yet on his website and no one other than me had seen them. So today was very rewarding. If you'd like to see more, they are now on his site at JPphoto.biz . I'm proud of my guy! The geranium on black was a big favorite. but my personal favorite is this picture of irises because it makes me think of ballet, with the woman leaping through the air in front of her partner.  As you can imagine, not much writing got done today! However, I did make an appointment to meet with the firechief in Surf City on Topsail Island next week. It's going to be such a super trip!

You know, I start out with a nice simple premise: "A boy becomes an unlikely hero when he rescues teens from a fire . . .until the finger of suspicion begins pointing in his direction." Then suddenly I've got subplots all over the place, characters begging to be given bigger roles, and twists and turns that spell r-e-s-e-a-r-c-h. It's never simple. If you're writer, you know what I mean. If you're a reader, take a long look at the book you're reading right now and think of all the steps the writer went through to create characters, settings, and the subplots that need to enhance the main story as well as be integrated seemlessly into it. Then think about all the research that went into the book you're reading. (You have my permission to also think about how much the writer loved writing the book no matter how much he or she complained during the process!) So that's what I'm up to. Toying with subplots, making sure everyone's motivation is on target, and thinking about what will go in those awkward spaces between the beginning, middle and end. After all this time, I still haven't started writing! Maybe some writers can dive right in, but I have to do all this pre-writing first. I've typed about fifty pages of my handwritten notes into a document that will soon be cut apart and reodered; that's when I can really see what's missing. And I'm incredibly excited about my upcoming visit to Topsail Island next week! I read a book about it today which really helped me picture the areas where I want to set certain scenes. I'll be sure to take my camera with me and share my pictures with you. ANd now, after several hours of paying bills, watching HGTV, and answering email, I'm off to bed. G'night.

What makes us care? And equally as important, what makes us NOT care? I'm reading a novel--I'm not going to identify it because I hate panning another writer's book--and I just don't care. The book sold very well. The premise is wonderful, the writing far better than mine, but I. . . don't. . .care about these people. Have you read books like that? In a teeny nutshell, here's what I tell writers in my workshops to help them write characters that readers will care about: Make them love someone else deeply. Make them vulnerable. Make them moral, or if not moral, make them ultimately pay for their immorality with guilt and shame. See, hear, smell, taste and feel every scene through their senses. The writer of this novel has done those things, and it doesn't feel like enough. The characters love and are vulnerable. I'm hoping the immoral choices a couple of characters are making will be set right eventually. And there is one character who is incredibly noble. And yet I don't even care about her. So what is it? I don't know. Maybe it's just me or the mood I'm in. I'm going to finish it because I'm curious to see where the story's going, but I could exchange the letters A, B, C and D for the characters and not miss them.  I'd like to hear your thoughts on this, and I'm going to try to figure out why I'm having this (non)reaction to these poor little fictional people. I'll let you know my conclusions when I'm done.    

. . . I hope! You'll have to let me know if there are still any problems, but I believe you can now order multiple books without a hitch. Here's the link.

Before I tell you about my day, let me just mention that if any of you have been trying to order more than one out-of-print book on my website, I know you've had problems! My webmistress promises to fix that page early next week, so please do try again then. Now, on to today. The first exciting thing is that I've decided to change the setting of my book from Emerald Isle to Topsail Island, NC. Topsail will better meet the needs of the story, plus my wonderful next door neighbors have said I can stay at their condo while researching the area. I hope to do that in the next couple of weeks. The second exciting thing is that I contacted Jodee Kulp, an inspirational advocate for children and adults with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. I want to be sure that my character, fifteen-year-old Andy, is an accurate representation of the syndrome. Jodee's working on some fiction herself and gave me her phone number so we can chat this weekend. Wow! I can't wait. Finally, today I was interviewed for the local NPR station (in Chapel Hill). I don't think I've ever been interviewed about anything other than my books and being a writer, but today was different. There's a program on the local station called Your Story. I love it because it features average people dealing with life experiences, and I always find the interviews thought provoking. The other day, the host Dick Gordon invited people to email with their story. I thought about the memoir I'd started when I was between contracts. I wanted to focus on overcoming the fears, anxieties and phobias that dogged me as a child and young adult. Since I may never get that memoir written :(  I decided to email a couple of paragraphs about those experiences. They called me and I had my interview today, which they "banked," so I don't know when it will actually be aired. Not a word about books! How strange that felt. The interview was very short and focused, but I hope anyone who listens to it who can relate to the fear--or more importantly, sees their child in my words--has a better idea of what help might be available. Needless to say, with all this going on, I didn't get much writing done. I did figure out a motive for a Bad Thing that happens in the story, so all in all, it was a successful day.

Finally! Come on over by clicking on the lighthouse above and check out the new look, then let me know what you think. If you need some of my out of print books, there's a way you can order (some) of them from the site. I love the clean new graphics and I look forward to your (honest) reactions.

I'm excited! My writers' group met tonight (we meet every three or four weeks) and I asked for help brainstorming a thorny problem I was having with one of my characters. I don't want to give anything away, so let's just say I couldn't think of a reason for this character to behave the way he was behaving. It's not a small thing--there needed to be a very good reason that would hold up over time. It also needed to be a reason that I could withold from the other characters and the reader until the perfect moment. And it needed to be a reason that would elicit sympathy instead of scorn from the reader. We sat around scratching our heads for a bit (at the Bear Rock Cafe, where we meet). Then I asked them to make Lists of Twenty to brainstorm solutions. This problem was so challenging that people only came up for four or five ideas, but as we discussed them, the solution grew organically from the collision of brain cells around the table. What a terrific process! Within minutes, I had the answer to a problem that's been dogging me for a couple of weeks. Driving home alone, the solution took on greater shape and tomorrow I'll incorporate it into my expanding outline. If you're a writer, I hope you have fellow writers, friends or family members willing to help you toss ideas around. It's a wonderful way to start thinking outside of the box.

Okay, this has nothing to do with writing, but I realized yesterday that I need some new-to-me music in my life.  I still listen to either classical or oldies stations on the radio because I have no idea what else is out there. I like almost all music with the exception of jazz. I particularly love emotional music that affects you viscerally as well as aurally (is that a word?) What are your favorites?

When I first started writing, I took an adult school class on Writing the Novel. The homework after the first class was to decide how our books would end, or more specifically, what were the climax and denouement of our stories. Huh? I hadn't given the ending a thought. I was still struggling with the beginning, thank you very much.  But I spent the first week thinking about how the book would end. My protagonist, Kit, was a runner, so the climax would occur during a marathon. Suddenly, things started falling into place. I now knew where I wanted to end up, and could aim the rest of my book in that direction. That homework assignment was one of the most useful things I've learned as a novelist. So today, I thought about where I want LOVING ANDY to go. The dramatic, climactic scene came to me quite quickly--very atmospheric and a teeny bit preposterous, which only means I will have to work hard to make it seem real and believable. Now I have a goal to aim toward. I also realized this week how much research I have to do: Emerald Isle (which may turn out to be the wrong place for this story), the North Carolina legal system's handling of juveniles, what it's like to be in the middle of a fire, more--a lot more--on fetal alcohol syndrome, midwifery (I think the mother, Joanna, is a midwife), empaths, a fictionalized religion, hurricanes and oceanfront houses, and plenty more. I love research. It's the easy part of writing.

I got mine today. I picked up NJ (age 2) at preschool to give his mom a break, since she's home with the baby. I hope I can make that a regular weekly thing. Once at her house, I got to hold Baby G for about a half hour. Three weeks old. Is there anything more precious? My shirt smells like baby and I don't want to wash it. LOL.          

John and I met on Match.com. That's not the dirty little secret--so many people have met their beloved through internet dating that's it's no longer a big deal. (It is kind of a big deal that he was the seventieth guy I went out with, and worth the wait. I'm glad that's over with, though. It was like having a part time job.)  While on Match.com , I discovered that it's not only a good place to meet people who share your interests, but it's a super way to help you learn about your characters. How's that, you ask? I always try to find pictures from magazines or newspapers of people who remind me of my characters. It gives them a new dimension and suddenly, I know them in a different, deeper way. By using an internet dating service (sorry if this sounds creepy!) you can find a picture of a person the right age for your character and he or she is bound to look more alive and real than a model in a magazine. Not only that, but let's say your character is a thirty-year-old woman who lives in Venice Beach, CA. By looking at what thirty-year-old-women in Venice Beach like to do (rollerblade, surf) and what sort of job they might have (waitressing while waiting for her acting break) you've got at least one more dimension to add to your character. It's an amazing resource. Similarly, Realtors.com is a wonderful way to find your character's house, and you can make sure it's in her price range. Those of you who've been following my blogs regarding my Work in Progress know that two of my main characters are fifteen and eighteen. I will NOT be searching for them on the internet. The thought of looking at kids' pictures really bothers me, as a stepmom and as a human being. I have no problem perusing the grownups' pictures, but I'll have to find Allie and Andy in a magazine. I just returned from a signing at Quail Ridge Books. A new friend, Alexandra Sokoloff, was speaking there and I bought her book, a young-adult/adult horror/ghost story, THE HARROWING. Sounds intriguing. Of course that's not all I bought--I never get out of there for less than $100. It's such a great place, though-- a thriving, community-oriented independent. I love giving them my support and my $$.  

well, my hat's off to Karen Wiesner for even attempting to write this book. It's clearly not for me. I've failed on Day One. I think this would be a great book for someone who has a more left brain mind than I do. Someone very organized who's writing a story that is not too complex. Someone who cooks according to a recipe rather than by taste. Having said all that, I think some of her outline suggestions can be very useful. . . but compacting everything into 30 days is another matter. First, I don't intend this to be a critique of her book, because I really do admire her for writing it and believe her approach can work in some instances. But it's important to note that BEFORE day one, the writer must have quite a clear story concept in mind. That alone takes me 60 days.  Today, Day One, I was to do my character sketches. A day for character sketches? Not on my planet. Characterization is my passion, my reason for writing, something to linger over. Create a little, step back, look it over, keep some parts, toss out others, and create a little more. In addition, my characters write their thoughts to me. They tell me, in first person, all about themselves. Then I ask them what they think of one another. Then I have to search for their images, listen to their favorite music, dig through their purses to see what they can't be without, look between their mattress and boxspring and finally, gain their trust so they tell me their secrets. Obviously, this cannot be done in a day! However, I tried. I already had about 20 pages on Allie and Andy and their Mom, Joanna. So I followed Wiesner's methodical outline for character sketches, which I found very helpful, as it forced me to order my chaotic thoughts about the characters. Wiesner asks for interior conflicts, exterior conflicts, etc. Two critical items I added to the sketches were Goals and Secrets. I need to know what each character is after, and I need to know what each character is hiding, if anything. (And who among us has no secret?).  On Day Two, you're supposed to figure out your setting. Problem is, I have many more characters to flesh out. As I work on them, new avenues will be created in my storyline, which will change the characters, who will change the storyline. . . and on and on. So it's back to the Diane Chamberlain method of writing a novel. Tomorrow, I'll let you in on my dirty little secret about characterization. Heheheh.  

I've (almost) completed the first two chapters of LOVING ANDY. As I've mentioned before, I don't usually write any of the manuscript before creating a thorough outline, but these chapters came to me, so I accepted the gift from the muse and put them on paper. Monday I'll start outlining, using Karen Weisner's THIRTY DAYS TO A FIRST DRAFT as an experiment, and I'll report regularly on my progress. Today, though, I'll share some decisions I've made about this novel. Everything, as I've mentioned ad nauseum, is subject to change. Point of View: First Person, with apologies to those of you who dislike it. I think it's necessary in this book. I have in mind--so far--three characters with distinct voices: Andy, 15, who is  neurologically disabled; his sister, Allie, 18 and highly empathic;  their mother, Joanna, who I haven't gotten to know well yet, but who I already know is smart, overprotective and guilt-ridden since she's the cause of Andy's disabilities. The reader truly needs first person, particularly in Andy's case, to understand how his mind works. Trust me on it. Tense: This is a toughie. The story's coming out in present tense. I think this is because I've been toying with a lighter story that was in present tense, and I got used to it. I like the immediacy of it. I picked up several novels I've read recently and was surprised to see that they are all written in present tense. Present tense used to bug me. How have I become so inured to it that I don't even notice it . . . and now choose to write in present tense myself? I'll have to see how this plays out. I tell you, though, it is a MAJOR drag to go through a manuscript and change the tense from present to past and back again, so I hope I make a firm decision on this soon. Revelations: How much to reveal when? Always a hard decision, and easier to figure out the more of the story I've written. As I worked at the Opium Den this morning, I realized I'd revealed too much about Andy and Allie's father's death in Allie's chapter. It's too soon, for two reasons. One, it should become a teaser. I've revealed just enough to keep the reader turning the pages (I hope) to find out what actually happened. Two, revealing too much now slows the pace of the chapter. Later, I'll make a "revelation chart" to keep track of who knows what when. For example, let's say Mary has a secret: she's married to two men. Joe has a different secret: he's really a woman. Imagine a spreadsheet. Across the top are the names of each important character and also the word "reader." Along the side, are the chapter numbers. In chapter four, Joe's brother, Sam, learns the man is a woman. Where Sam's name and 'chapter four" intersect on the spreadsheet, I'll write "learns woman." In chapter eight, Mary's mother, Sue, learns the truth about Mary's bigamy. So where Sue's name and 'chapter eight' intersect, I'll write 'bigamy." And so forth. Maybe the reader won't know Joe's secret until chapter 22. It can get very complicated when you tell stories with many things to reveal, thus the spreadsheet. It's even more complicated when your characters have yet to reveal a secret to you, the writer, which has happened to me numerous times, most notably in KEEPER OF THE LIGHT. I won't tell you what I learned from my character Paul Macelli because I don't want to spoil it for you if you haven't read the book, but what he "told" me changed the story entirely. Tightening: I hate tightening. I have so much to say and, like most writers, I can't imagine that a reader wouldn't want to know every single detail I'm prepared to tell. But I just woke up from a "creative nap" with the realization that I've gone on too long in Allie's chapter. I talk too much about the past, when what's happening in the present is much more important. So i'm cutting a chunk of her chapter and adding it to my "for later use" file. Ouch, that hurts. And one last note: a writer friend long ago taught me to write different drafts on different colored paper to keep them separate from one another. So as you can see, I'm in my pink phase now. Have a great weekend, everyone. My favorite thing about the weekends is that I allow myself to have some (well, a lot, actually) Goodberry's frozen custard. Can't wait! 

I know. A weird topic for my blog. But I'm researching Fetal Alcohol issues for LOVING ANDY and I have to admit, I didn't realize how serious this topic is. I certainly knew about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, having worked in a maternity ward as a social worker, but I thought the neurological and behavioral problems only occurred in the babies of heavy drinkers. Or at least moderate drinkers. The more I research, the more I realize that no amount of alcohol is really safe. Pediatric organizations and others suggest that even women who are trying to conceive stop drinking, because the damage can occur before you realize you're pregnant. Depending on the stage of development of the fetus at the time it is exposed to alcohol,  the child may have physical--including facial--deformities, developmental problems, neurological problems, tremors, heart defects, autistic traits. . . .the list goes on forever. Babies in utero are so totally vulnerable, and any alcohol the Mom drinks goes quickly into her baby's bloodstream. Reading about these kids makes me think about some of the teenagers I used to work with as a psychotherapist. I wonder how many of their problems can be attributed to maternal drinking? I wonder about my own little quirks when it comes to learning. I'm certain my mother drank socially when she was pregnant with me. I certainly don't blame her. Who knew that she shouldn't? But we know better now.

My web designer encouraged me to think about a "tagline" for my books--a few words that really get to the heart of the sort of book I write. Through this process, I've learned a lot about my books. I understand better why they are challenging to market and why my publisher must struggle to find the right cover for each story. As my agent once said, my books are "schizophrenic." They don't fit neatly into any one niche. Problem is, I like them that way, but I see very clearly now how it can make for a marketing nightmare. A good example is the cover of THE SECRET LIFE OF CEECEE WILKES. I love the pretty painting on the cover. Unfortunately, it's not a "pretty" story. Though heartfelt and full of loving people, it's a story with, as one reviewer put it, "unrelenting tension." Nothing in this Hallmark-type cover gives a clue to the emotional intensity inside the book. To come up with a tagline, I first explored the zillions of emails I've received from readers. I could quickly see that a theme emerged: readers love the real-life nature of my characters, the uplifting, hopeful endings to my stories, the themes of forgiveness and redemption, and the compassionate telling of the tale. The first tagline I came up with was "Compelling novels of hope and redemption." When I looked at those words in the mock-up of the new site, though, I became uncomfortable with the word 'redemption.' Although it certainly fits my stories, it had a sort of religious connotation when I saw it in that sentence. So back to the drawing board. The word 'compassionate' came up again and again in my emails, so I changed the sentence to "Compelling novels of hope and compassion." I was quite happy with that. . . until the other night when I was out with my new group of mystery writer friends. A couple of them had read one or two of my recent novels. They said the books were actually mysteries and I should think about reaching out to mystery readers in any promotion I do. Wow. I hadn't thought of that. I emailed my brother, mystery writer Rob Lopresti, and asked him if he agreed with their assessment. He felt my books could be promoted as mysteries, but that 'suspense' might be more accurate. So then I was really confused. The one thing I realized was that my 'compelling novels of hope and compassion' completely missed the suspenseful elements in my books. Perusing my emails again, I saw that readers also loved the intrigue, surprises, suspense in my stories. I needed to put my thinking cap on again. That's when I realized how very hard it must be for the marketing team at Mira Books to market me! "Suspenseful novels of hope and compassion?" I don't think so. "Compelling novels of hope and suspense?" Uh uh. The two ideas simply don't mesh well, and yet I think they DO mesh well in my books. So here is the tagline that came to me this morning: "Compelling stories of secrets, lies and love." What do you think?

First, and most importantly, THE BAY AT MIDNIGHT really is in the stores now. I've heard from some new readers who discovered it. Sorry for my premature announcement last week, but I get very excited when a book of mine is released. If you want an autographed copy and missed my announcement, scroll down. Labor Day today, so John and I labored. I worked about half the day on Allie's chapter. I don't usually polish as I write. I tend to write a complete but sketchy draft first, then start adding details and polishing, but since I need to turn something in to my critique group, I figured I will break from my usual process and polish chapters one and two--both short chapters. I still haven't outlined, but hope to start that by Wednesday or Thursday. I goofed off most of the afternoon, spending some time at Target where I bought a little train set to have on hand for NJ and where I avoided the book section because my to-be-read pile is already spilling over. I'm going to try something different with my outline this time. I have a book called FIRST DRAFT IN 30 DAYS by Karen Wiesner. By first draft, she really means a well-thought-out outline. That usually takes me a couple of months, so I'm going to see how I do using her process. I'm not holding my breath. After 16 novels, I'm pretty set in my ways, but since I want to write two books this year, I think I need to shake things up a little. Now for John's work: omigod, he worked fourteen hours today! He signed up for a couple of art fairs, which is something he's never tried before with his art photography. The first one is at the end of the month and he's creating prints in all sizes and they are so gorgeous. He's incredibly organized. He makes me feel like a sloth. I'll be better tomorrow.

I just finished THE NAMESAKE by Pulitzer Prize winner Jhumpa Lahiri, and I'm trying to decide if I liked it. I don't think that's a good sign. I guess the best assessment is that there were parts I adored and parts that left me cold. This book is about character rather than plot, so if what you want is a gripping, fast-paced story, look elsewhere. If you want to understand the plight of Indian immigrants trying to assimilate into their new world (in the US) while holding tightly to the comfort of their old world, this is a terrific book. The story focuses on Gogol, the son of Indian immigrants, who struggles against his odd name (given to him, both literally and figuratively, by accident) and against his parents' culture. The problem for me was that I didn't like Gogol much. I wanted to tell him to "get over it," so perhaps I'm just hard-hearted, or he was unlikeable, or something was lost in the storytelling. Indeed, Lahiri writes with a sense of distance from her characters. While describing food (yum!) and scenery in elaborate detail, the emotions of the characters are often difficult to discern and harder still to relate to. This is especially true when she writes about Gogol. The character my heart ached for was his mother, Ashima--most likely because, as a woman, I could easily feel her pain and fear as she moved halfway across the world with a husband she barely knew.  Having said all this, I may completely change my mind after this book is discussed in my readers' group. For now, though, I give it three and a half lighthouses. And this brings me to the subject of names. Chamberlain is not the name I was born with, nor is it a married name. I was born a Lopresti, then married a Chmielewski (we considered hyphenation for about 1,000,000th of a second!). I took Chmielewski as my name for about four years, but it never felt "right" to me. The name I really wanted was my mother's maiden name, Chamberlain, which was of course the surname of my maternal grandmother, with whom I was very close and a woman I admired tremendously. But I didn't want to hurt my father's feelings by taking Chamberlain instead of Lopresti. So I legally changed my name back to Lopresti (with my then-husband's blessing). When I told my parents, my father said "You should have taken Chamberlain, since your mother's the last of the Chamberlain line." He didn't need to twist my arm! Once again, I went through the process (pretty easy in California, where I lived at the time) of changing my name--two weeks after the first change. When I applied for a passport shortly after, I was required to list all names I'd had in the last ten years, thus the name on my passport read "Diane Victoria Lopresti Chmielewski Chamberlain. LOL. Anyhow, Chamberlain felt right from the moment I first wrote 'Diane Chamberlain' on a document. And it wound up being a pretty good name for an author, as well.