Category: Uncategorized

There aren’t many jobs where youth is a disadvantage. I believe writing is one of them.

Actually, I don’t think someone in their 30s is particularly young. Until recently, the 30s was considered middle-aged. And society in general doesn’t consider someone in their 30s young.

But then there’s the writing world.

My favorite uncomfortable moment was when I was with a panel of writers 5 years ago. The author next to me rambled on and on with his top piece of writing advice—live first, then write. Don’t even try to submit for publication until you’ve lived for a while—preferably your fifties. The audience all winced at me and I pretended I didn’t hear him. Nothing like being told you’re not qualified to do your job in front of a roomful of people.

It’s very true that your writing improves with practice. You naturally get this practice as you get older. Of course you’re a better writer later. But are you more qualified to write if you’re older? I’m not so sure.

Other problems with being a young author:

Your bio will likely be pitiful.

You probably will make fewer in-person appearances because of parenting duties or career demands.

I write protagonists that are old enough to be my grandparents and am frequently questioned by readers about my qualifications for doing so.

One upside is that publishers know that you’ve got the potential for a long career ahead of you. Oh—and at least you have your youth. And you’re getting older every day!

Is it harder to write when you haven’t yet experienced a full life? Maybe. But it’s definitely possible. Emily Dickinson’s reclusiveness meant that she didn’t experience a full life—and yet she managed to write poetry that were masterpieces.

I turned 39 today. Next year? I’m turning 40. And it’s a good thing.

Today is my deadline for the second Memphis Barbeque book. I’m emailing it to my editor this morning.

I’m getting better with deadlines. I’ve always met them, but I’ve felt very reticent about the manuscript in the past. I think I’ve usually turned it in a little apologetically: “Here it is. For what it’s worth…”

Then, of course, there were the times I’d send a revised manuscript with an email. “I thought of something else I wanted to include in the book! (Or..I’ve found something wrong and corrected it.) Could you read this version of the manuscript instead?”

I’d keep picking at it, thinking about it. It’s just like pushing a child out of the nest…or not pushing the child out at all, in which case the child never grows up to accomplish its true purpose.

But I’m better now.

Here’s how I’ve learned to let go and let my manuscript leave the nest:

I’ve made sure that there aren’t any glaring errors by a careful proofread. After I’ve completed my careful proofread, I have my first reader and my agent read the manuscript to see if they find any glaring errors.

Then I remind myself that there weren’t any big mistakes in the manuscript.

I make a revision pass through the manuscript for pace and plot believability. And one for character and setting descriptions.

I remind myself that I’ve made it the best I could—but there will still be errors in the document. They won’t be huge errors, though, and the publishers have copyeditors to eliminate the ones I’ve missed.

I move on to the next project until my revision requests come in.

The combination of knowing I’ve carefully proofed, giving it to others to read, reminding myself that it’s been edited, and knowing that small errors aren’t the end of the world, has made it easier for me to loosen up about my deadlines.

How do you determine your manuscript is ready to submit or is ready for deadline? When is it ‘good enough’?

If you have time to pop over, I’m at author Susan Whitfield’s blog today for an interview.

I’m taking a couple of days off from blogging to celebrate the Easter weekend with my family. I hope you’ll enjoy this older post, which originally ran last June.

Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, Snow White, Harry Potter…and it’s not just in children’s literature that there are absent mothers/fathers/wives/husbands.

If you think about it, many novels (except, maybe, ones that are specifically focusing on family life) have protagonists with no significant other.

Why is that? I think it’s because husbands or wives or–in the case of children’s lit, parents–can be domineering, interfering, or overly influential. Worst case scenario, they can weaken the protagonist as a dominant force in the story.

I was editing my current WIP yesterday and noticed that my protagonist is a widow. Not only that, but four supporting characters are spouse-free.

I’m fine with my sleuth being single (her husband might try to curtail her crime-fighting activities: particularly after they put her in danger), but I’m going to take another look at the bevy of single characters in the supporting cast.

I always thought it was funny in Cheers that Norm’s wife became a character, even though we never meet her. Just his remarks about her were enough to bring her to life.

If our supportive characters are married to characters with no role in the plot, their spouses could just have a passing mention. The problem is when we have too many characters in our book for our readers to keep up with. Keeping the head count down is another reason why I have so many single characters or divorced characters.

How do you handle the families of your supporting characters? Do you briefly mention them? Don’t mention them except to describe the character as a parent or married? Or leave any mention of them out all together?

I’m taking a couple of days off from blogging to celebrate the Easter weekend with my family. I hope you’ll enjoy this older post, which originally ran last July. :)

I wasn’t cool in….well, ever. I was on the newspaper and literary magazine staff. I hung out with people in high school that are now architects, IT people, CPAs….but definitely not whatever the cheerleaders and football players became. (Politicians? What did those folks become? Inquiring minds want to know…)

I’m a nerd.

In my Myrtle Clover series for Midnight Ink, my protagonist, in some ways, is an elderly nerd. I completely relate to her. She makes funny literary references, she’s a retired English teacher….I get Myrtle.

But not all of my characters are Myrtles. I have characters that are rednecks, theologians, blue collar workers, wealthy do-gooders, and excellent barbeque chefs.

How do you handle writing different personality types?

I squash my inner-nerd. Sometimes it’s a pleasure to do so. Really.

I explore different personalities by imagining what it would be like to be them. Sort of like playing dress-up when you were a kid.

When I really dislike someone, I write it down. Usually if I don’t like them, it’s because the person is 180 degrees different from me. And a wonderful character, for that very reason.

I model a character on someone I know. And, naturally, completely change the character so they’re not recognizable to the person who inspired it.

I model a character on someone I wish I could be. When we’re looking in the mirror in the morning and wish we could see someone more glamorous or more adventurous in there….well, here’s our chance.

There’s no resume required when writing characters. It’s nice to use our imaginations to fill in the blanks. And…..we’re writers. We get to make things up.

How do you handle writing different personality types?

Today is the first day of spring break for my children.

This week of spring break is also the time to celebrate four close family birthdays, observe Easter, send off my taxes, and email the second Memphis book to my editor.

Yesterday I was frantic. I drove two school carpools in the morning (it was my day), drove to Wal-Mart to shop for my son’s 13th birthday…suddenly realized the dog was in the car (she loves school carpools), drove home, took the corgi into the house, drove back to Wal-Mart, shopped, took my husband’s shirts to the cleaner (where I had a difficult exchange with the cleaner who didn’t understand my Southern accent), drove home and worked on revisions that my agent had sent me.

I had drama class carpool to drive a couple of hours later, and then I was to be Brownie scout leader for a Girl Scout function at a Monkey Joe’s party (where the kids jump on inflatables and generally run wild.)

Then the phone rang.

It was my friend. Could I please bring the cupcakes to the school for the children’s last day before break? Spring cupcakes. She was at work and couldn’t get away.

Of course, I said, making sure the stress didn’t drip into my voice.

I stopped what I was doing, drove to the store, bought cupcakes, and hurried off to the elementary school.

As I strode quickly down the halls, I noticed all the artwork hanging on the walls. I was thinking how familiar I was with this school—my 7th grade son had been in kindergarten here. And it struck me that my daughter had only 2 more years at the school and then my days being an elementary school parent will be over.

My friend wanted to celebrate the beginning of spring— slow down and appreciate the little things with the children.

It made me think that a little slowing down and some daily celebrating might not be a bad thing.

I love writing. But sometimes it can stress me out. The last couple of weeks have been stressful.

I think part of my problem is that I’m always thinking ahead. A friend at the Brownie scout event asked me about my current book and I said, “Oh, I’m turning it in on Monday.”

“You must be so excited!” she said. “Are you going to kick back and relax a little?”

And I looked at her with surprise. “No, actually. I’m starting the next book.”

Which I need to do. Because I wrote a book last summer when the kids were home and it was really hard! I’m hoping to get some good progress on the next WIP before mid-June.

But I realize that I also need to take time to celebrate completing each part of the process….whether it’s a final draft, or even something as small as writing a difficult scene.

I want to enjoy the process—whatever part of the process I’m in that day.

And then…continuing on to the next stage after that. Because otherwise our daily successes—the little things—get lost in the shuffle.

Do you recognize or celebrate your small accomplishments to keep motivated?