Trying to write in 2017 …
I sent draft 9.8 of The Game of Hope to my editor – a partial deadline met, which is always a wonderful feeling. Right now I'm organizing my beta-reader and consultant feedback notes and making further changes. The final-final draft is due in only two-and-a-half...
read morePhantasmagoria: the first horror picture show
I have been doing quite a bit of research into Phantasmagorie for the Young Adult novel I'm writing about Josephine's daughter Hortense. Phantasmagoria was an extremely popular "show" put on for both children and adults in France after the French Revolution, featuring...
read more4 simple formulas for figuring out a story
This morning I happened upon a computer file of notes I kept while writing The Shadow Queen. I was particularly interested in a section on formulas for figuring out a novel’s “elevator pitch”—the summation of a story in a sentence or two. This is invariably difficult,...
read moreElection day, the Woman’s March, and the morning after — a diary in Hope
The day before the Woman's March Election Day. The Man Who Shall Not Be Named was sworn in as President of the most powerful nation on Earth. Some were cheering. The majority were in depression. This is a watercolour I finished that day, titled, simply, "January 20,...
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Draft 8: check. Drafts 9, 10, 11: yet to come. On my painfully slow revision process
Yesterday was a big day for me: I woke at 4:00am, and shortly before 8:00am I emailed my manuscript to my editor and agent. It was Friday 13. I am not superstitious, but that did give me pause. Some writers are able to write a perfectly good novel in two or three...
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Happy New 2017: on revision, a great classic on Audible, my next newsletter
Happy New 2017! I like the feel of this year already. I’ve weaned myself — to some extent — from toxic international news and immersed myself in finishing the eighth draft of Moonsick, my YA novel about Josephine’s daughter Hortense. (Yikes! Due this month.)...
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