October 2007 Archives

I finally made it out to the beach this morning. Weather wasn't the best, but it felt so good to get out of my little writing cubby here in our room. I hobbled around for about an hour and it was exactly what I needed to refill the well. I can't believe that this is our last full day here! The time's flown by and of course, I didn't get nearly as much done as I'd hoped. But I did fairly well. I've even been writing in my head at night while trying to fall asleep. I finally get up and start typing in the darkness so I don't wake John up. The photographers have been getting up at 5:30 and going until late at night, so I don't want to disturb his sleep. I think they're all having a good time, but I'm definitely living in my own little world here. You can see where I've been spending most of my time: the daybed in our room in this lovely old inn. I've become one with the daybed. I'll miss it when we go. Last night, I had dinner at Kelly's, which has always been a favorite restaurant of mine down here. I was by myself, of course. Just me and my notepad. :)  I didn't really care what I had for an entree as long as the waitress brought me a big basket of their sweet potato biscuits. How have I survived the past three years without those biscuits?? I got the recipe this time, and was a bit stunned, as well as thrilled, to see that it's a cheater: Bisquick! You've got to try these. Kelly's Sweet Potato Biscuits 1 lb cooked sweet potatoes, steamed or boiled 1 cup light brown sugar 1/4 cup water 2 1/4 cups Bisquick (or other biscuit mix) Cool and peel the sweet potatoes. Mix them together with the remaining ingredients. It will be a very moist dough. (I overheard a waitress say it should be chilled at this point.) Dust the table with flour. Roll mixture to 1/2 " thickness. Cut with a 2 1/2 " cutter. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes. They won't rise very much. Serve with loads of butter.  Yield 1 1/2 dozen. Which will not be enough, I guarantee you! I had two at dinner, and asked for three to bring back to John. But somehow I only made it to the inn with two in the bag. And by the time John got to them this afternoon, there was only one left. Diet starts in November. We still have a full day here tomorrow, so I should be able to get some more work done. Then home to the pups tomorrow night. The sitter reports they have been little angels. Maybe she's been staying at the wrong house??      

John's teaching a photography workshop here with a couple of other photographers, and as you can imagine, I wasn't going to let a chance at a few days in the Outer Banks pass me by! It's pouring rain, but the photography students appear undaunted as they learn to make use of any available light. And I'm undaunted, because my goal is to turn out as many pages as possible on my Work-in-Progress while I'm here. With all this rain, I'm not tempted to leave our lovely room. And wow, does North Carolina need rain! I only wrote seven pages today, probably because of the two naps. :) Seven pages isn't bad, but given the fact that I don't have the dogs, laundry or the phone to distract me, I should have done better. I'm also still riveted to the TV. Having lived in San Diego for 12 years, I'm following the news of the fires with a heavy heart. Some of my friends have evacuated, but so far, I think they--and I hope, their homes--are safe. My writing problems are trivial, to say the least.  What I'm reading: NEVER LET ME GO by Kazuo Ishiguro. It took me a while to fall in love with this book--it's so odd. But love it, I do. I have one more chapter to go and hate to see it end. Some readers of my books may not like it. NLMG is not about a real world (though it's science fiction only in the way that Margaret Atwood's THE HANDMAID'S TALE is science fiction). It's metaphorical in nature, but the emotions are very real and easy to relate to.  Have any of you read it? It's 10pm and John's still with his students, so I'm going back to work for another hour or two. With any luck, I'll get enough done that I can take a stroll out to the beach tomorrow, weather permitting. It's wonderful to be here!

A few weeks ago, I had dinner with a friend who is exactly my age and is a teacher. We talked about ageism in the workplace, and she said she is very careful not to reveal her age because she might then be perceived negatively by her coworkers, not to mention her students. I'm 57 1/2 and have never had an issue with my age until recently. While I feel more vibrant and excited about my career than ever, I'm well aware that I'm older (lots older in some cases) than many of my fellow writers. I'm also lots older than my editor and other people who can influence my career. It's undeniable that this thought is out there in the publishing atmosphere: Why should we invest time building an older writer when there are  young writers whose careers could extend further into the future? This has led some writers--and teachers and many other professionals I know--to fudge about their age. I haven't, although sometimes it makes me cringe when I'm speaking to a group and talk about how I got started writing in 1981, when much of my audience was still in diapers. Most of the time, though, I'm delighted with being 57 1/2. Especially after reading Ellen Goodman's column in today's News and Observer. Sixty is not the new forty, she says. Sixty is the new sixty. Goodman talks about "second acts," mentioning Al Gore's work on global warming, Hillary Clinton's run for president, and the new president of Harvard, Drew Faust. She quotes Harvard's Rosabeth Kanter, saying "we have a chance to invent another stage of life that doesn't have a name yet." I know very well how I viewed sixty when I was younger. After all, I'm from the generation that once said no one over thirty was to be trusted. But as I edge up on thirty-times-two, I have more creative ideas begging for release than I've ever had before. They may not all be good ideas, but they're multiplying by the day and I hope I'm lucky enough to have the time and the opportunity to bring them to fruition. It's true that, when I write about kids, teens and twenty-somethings these days, I have to do more research than before to understand the technology they're into, the music, the video games, the text messaging, etc. But I understand the emotions, and thats what counts in the sort of fiction I write. The very cool thing about having some years behind me is that I've experienced the ages of so many of the characters I write about. I know what it feels like to be a child, a hormonal adolescent, a grad student, a young woman, a married woman, a divorced woman, a career woman, stepmom, a menopausal woman, a grandmother. Some day I hope to know what it feels like to be an old woman. I hope, too, that I'll write about it when that times comes.  I know from my blog and especially from my email, that I have readers of all ages. I'm most touched by younger readers willing to take a chance on an older writer, discovering stories they can relate to in the process. In return, I read younger writers, which usually serves to remind me that talent knows no age and that wisdom can start mighty early. Our prejudice about age runs both ways. So to my readers of a certain age, I say let's enjoy these years, whether we want to run for president, write a book, travel, or simply play with the grandkids. And to those younger folks, take a good look at your elders. Our clocks may be ticking, but we have a lot to offer before time runs out.

Is this war going on at your house, too? I love Netflix! As my faithful blog readers know, I love storytelling of all kinds and am as addicted to movies as I am to books. John is even more addicted, if that's possible. In case you don't know, through Netflix you can rent one or more movies at a time by mail and keep the film(s) as long as you like. When you return it, they send another. We're on the three-movies-at-a-time plan, which runs us about $17 a month (now that they reduced their rates. Seriously, what other company reduces their rates?) We watch about three a week (unless I've got deadline insanity, in which case John watches about five and I watch zero). When you go to Netflix.com, you create a numbered "queue" with the movie you next want to see at #1. John and I each have access to this queue. There's the rub. When we've watched a few groaners in a row, I know he's been messin' with my carefully arranged queue and I get in there and rearrange it to my liking. He, of course, feels the same way and does the same thing. We often love the same movies. (Recent faves: The Outlook, The Lives of Others, The Tunnel (both German), Sweetland, Calendar Girls, Kolya, Notes on a Scandal) and hate the same ones (Perfume (couldn't make it through five minutes--yuch, The Last Sin Eater, Broken English). Then there are the old, film noir types that are sometimes good, but that John loves, loves, loves. After the third or fourth in a row. . . . well, it's time for me to get on the Internet and start rearranging the queue again. And John's pretty good about sitting through the so-called chick movies, but the third or fourth in a row has him hitting the queue himself. This is great fun for passive-aggressive types! Hmm, I just checked our queue and see we're waiting for Performance (!), that strange 1970 flick with Mick Jagger (I admit I haven't seen it. John definitely slipped this one in), Rumor Has It (a mutually agreed upon Jennifer Aniston film, but I have no idea why), and Plenty (an old Meryl Streep film--another John choice). Checking out the queue, I see some tweaking that needs to be done. I realized as I was writing this post that I have no problem panning a movie in my blog, but I won't pan a book. If I truly don't like a book, I won't discuss it here. Wonder what that's all about?

For the past two days, I've been reading the revised manuscript of BEFORE THE STORM aloud. Author/friend Emilie Richards started me doing this long ago, and it's the best way to catch  errors, really hear the rhythm of the words . . . and satisfy my life-long yearning to be an actress. Of course, it takes forever. It's very stop-and-go, because of the need to correct mistakes and rework sentences. I also check for duplicates, as I mentioned in an earlier post (did I overuse the word "wince," for example?). I check for certain terms used by each character to make sure other characters are not using the same ones. (one character calls her child "honey," while another calls her child "sweetie"). I'm ever so grateful to the inventor of the "find" function in word processing software! It's really frightening how many mistakes I pick up during a Read-Aloud. Tomorrow I'll work on my acknowledgements page, and then it's once again off to the publisher for the next round, which will be line and copy editing. Confused? Here's how it (usually) works: 1. The author writes a proposal/outline or synopsis and submits it (almost always via an agent) to the publisher. If this is the author's first novel, she will most likely have to write the entire thing. 2. The proposal is accepted (often with suggested changes) and an advance is paid. 3. The author writes the book and turns it in to both agent and editor (some authors turn the manuscript [ms] in to the agent first. I've gotten into the habit of turning the ms in to both at the same time). 4. The editor (and sometimes the agent) get back to the author, usually with a written revision letter. This can be quite daunting, since the letters often run 2-4 single spaced pages! 5. The author considers slitting her wrists. 6. The author gets over it and thinks about the best way to make the suggested changes. 7. The author makes the changes, which she often (if she's me) thinks she can whip out in two or three days, but which usually take two or three weeks. The author makes the ms as perfect as she possibly can. She then sends it back to her editor and agent. 8. Meanwhile, the publishing house has been having long meetings between editorial, marketing and art departments, coming up with a cover. The editor also creates cover copy -- that paragraph or two you find on the inside jacket of a hardcover or the back of a paperback. Much more is going on at the publisher's, such as determining the best slot in the schedule for the book, deciding on a promotional budget (if any), etc. 9. The editor does a "line edit," which generally means she goes over the ms carefully to be sure the revisions are to her liking,  corrects any errors she sees and suggests possible wording changes. She also adds questions in the form of many, many post-it notes that read something like "D-Susie doesn't sound like herself here. Change?" 10. The editor then hands the ms to a "copy editor" who checks it for spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc. Really good copy editors, and I've had a few, also catch mistakes in the time line and the other sort of errors readers always write to the author about, such as "Joe was sitting on page 22, line 12 but then you say he sat down on page 22, line 15." Or "Mary pours herself iced tea on page 12 but then she 'puts down her orange juice' on page 13." Or "the subjunctive mood should only be used when something is clearly impossible." "You said she got in her car and drove east to Bethesda, but Bethesda is west." I could go on. 11. Then the ms is returned to the author who checks out all the questions, decides how to make the final changes, and reads over the entire manuscript to try to catch those few pesky remaining errors, some of which she is guaranteed to miss. The author sends the ms back to her editor, hoping she never has to see it again (although, she hastens to add, she still loves the story.) 12. Somewhere in here, the publisher creates "uncorrected proofs," also known as Advanced Reading Copies. These are usually bound with an early version of the cover and are sent to reviewers. 13. The book is published! The author bites her nails as she waits to see the reviews, learn how the book is selling, and read email from her readers about all the mistakes they've found. Meanwhile, she's putting the finishing touches on the next manuscript and the cycle begins again. Whew. I'm exhausted just thinking about it! And I know there are some mistakes in this post, but please don't tell me about them . . .

What do you think?? I love it. Still a long time until this will be in the bookstores, but publishers come up with covers early (usually) so the sales force has them on time. Often there are some small (again, usually) changes between this version and the final, but I'm delighted. The house in my story is circular, but I can see how that would have been difficult for the art department to capture without it looking like a spaceship. I think this house is evocative of the story's feeling and atmosphere.

Honest, it is! Every writing task  takes me much longer than I think it will. Here I am, still revising BEFORE THE STORM. I'm rewriting the ending now--it's technically the same ending, but I'm expanding on it a bit. Or a lot, actually. And writing it in more of an immediate here-and-now way instead of having character A explain what happened to character B. At some point, I really do have to stop working on this book and move on to the sequel! The mess on the floor is the old manuscript. As I finish making the changes in my computer, I toss--literally, obviously--the old page on the carpet. As of now, I have about 400 old pages littering my floor. The globe is working its way back to the shelf I keep it on. Jet is getting ready to lie down, and Keeper is beneath my desk (behind my chair). I finished A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS and thought it was wonderful. If I get another break in the next day or too, I promise to write more about it. I found it very moving. Back to revising

Not only my brain. Sitting in this chair for hours and hours, days and days, is getting to the rest of me, too. The book's good, though. It really is. I need people to remind me of that when I'm in the middle of writing the next one and feel like chucking it all. It's good, but I still have so much I want to fix. I was hoping to finish by Sunday morning so I could go to the Carolina Crime Writers' Brunch, but clearly that's not going to happen. Okay, enough griping. Today, I received my new HP LaserJet printer! It took a few hours to print my manuscript on my old InkJet. This new printer should be able to do it in about twenty minutes! I'll believe it when I see it. It's beyond my imagination right now. The UPS man also brought me Springsteen's new CD, although I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet. I know I'll love it, though. And as long as I'm on the subject of "the arts," I'm reading A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS, by Khaled Hosseini. I'm learning so much about Afghanistan's recent history. I'm enjoying the book, but I don't know yet if I'll love it. It's very tragic so far, and given the setting and the era, I fear it can only go downhill from here. I don't need a happy ending to love a book, though, so I'll hang in there. I allow myself to read from midnight to one am--my special treat. John and I keep talking about taking an 8 am class at the Y, but I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon! Enough chitchat for now. I hope you're all enjoying some lovely fall weather.   

A challenge for fiction writers is to capture the point of view of the opposite sex. That's especially true when writing in first person. So as I revise BEFORE THE STORM, I'm working hard at making Marcus's point of view strong and distinctive from that of the two female characters. I have to say, I'm really in the zone now. Reading Wally Lamb's I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE surely helped me get into the male psyche. Watching Ken Burns' absolutely incredible documentary on World War II has also given me a testerone jolt -- albeit a painful one. Talking to my resident male, John, helps as well. It took me a day or so to break out of my usual female first-personhood and embrace Marcus's point of view. Shorter, punchier sentences. Incomplete sentences. More action than emotion. That's my Marcus! Tomorrow I work on Maggie, the mature seventeen year old, further separating her voice from that of her mother. I'm giving myself this week to revise. Then I'll be on the fast track with the sequel. I hope.