On Sunday, I was scrolling through Facebook (never a good thing), and thinking about how most people spend their time on weekends. For most people, those days off are dedicated to fun, letting loose, getting out and about (or, that’s what Facebook implies). For me, weekends are a little angst-ridden. I struggle with how much to work on — Read More
Category: Writers on Writing
Flirting with nonfiction
While waiting for feedback on my idea for a second book, I’ve been working on something…different. I don’t know what it is yet, exactly. Meaning, I don’t know if it’s destined to be an essay or a book. But, I do know that it’s nonfiction, memoir-ish. I didn’t plan to work on something like this; — Read More
The daunting outline
When you want to get your first novel published, you have to submit the entire manuscript for consideration. Nonfiction is different in that you can get a book deal based on a detailed proposal. I always envied this. But, now, as I’m working on pitches for various ideas for my second novel, I’m realizing the difficulties. — Read More
The state of the book
Every now and then, I feel the need to do a post about the state of publishing. Are books really dying? It’s hard for me to believe because I LOVE books and cannot imagine life without them. But, it appears that many people can totally imagine life without them. According to a 2015 survey by the — Read More
Why you don’t want to be friends with a writer
I hate prioritizing. Or, rather, I hate having to prioritize. I frequently fantasize about a stress-free life with wide open spaces of time to gradually tackle everything on my life to-do list. The key word in that sentence: fantasize. The reality is that I have a very busy day job, meaning the only “free time” I have — Read More
The nonfiction in fiction
I’ve done a handful of radio and newspaper interviews since my book came out (I have one tonight, actually), and every single person has asked me if the book (or its characters) are based on real life. The truth is simple: No. The core of PEOPLE WHO KNEW ME is fiction, in the truest sense. — Read More
The writer’s fraudulence complex
In the April issue of Poets & Writers, Leigh Stein wrote a piece called “Poet, Writer, Imposter” that had me nodding along vigorously. She starts: “To begin with, my credentials are worthless. I’m no expert. A better writer should have gotten this assignment. My editor is ignoring my e-mails because my work is unpublishable and — Read More
Since we last talked
As I type this, dinner is in the oven and my husband is on the phone with Barnes & Noble. He likes to call different stores around the country to see if they have my book. We get very excited when they do. Speaking of my adorable husband (he will hate that I used the word — Read More
Publishing Journey: T minus 1 week
It is incredibly hard to believe, but my launch date is ONE WEEK FROM TODAY! It all became real when I came home from work yesterday to a box of 20 books from St. Martin’s. It’s very surreal to see my name on the cover of a book. My husband and I drank champagne while we — Read More
Why we write: Finding meaning
In the most recent issue of Poets & Writers magazine, the feature article (“The Deepest Place” by Kevin Nance) is about Adam Haslett and his new novel, Imagine Me Gone. The novel is based largely on events and losses in Haslett’s own life, centering around the mental illnesses that infiltrated his family. Haslett says, “The — Read More