Fall reading has been a bounty of riches! I’ve jumped right back into my Kindle-while-nursing habit, and since I’m nursing a lot, and need good books to keep me awake at 2AM (see category below) my reading time has increased in both quality and quantity. I’ve read- ready for this?- 20 books since Eleanor was born, […]
research
Finishing Draft 1: Then Vs. Now
Last Wednesday, I reached the end of Blizzard, draft 1. (For more details about the book’s plot and characters, return to this post.) I was powerfully reminded of the way I felt when I reached the end of draft 1 of Waist on the auspicious date of 12/12/12. I was exhilarated then; I thought I […]
How I Research A Historical Novel
When I first decided to write a historical novel, the research was the part I most dreaded. I had written too many research papers in high school and college to look forward to the experience of doing it again, even voluntarily. Especially voluntarily: I thought that the research stage would suck the life out of my desire […]
How’s Your Writing Life?
Writers and non-writers alike seem to struggle when inquiring about my writing. They want to ask about my book without hearing me drone endlessly on my characters and how the Triangle Fire was a vital, pivotal moment in American history. They want to ask after agents I’ve queried without touching a nerve if I haven’t heard […]
I Heart Scrivener
There are very few tools that a writer truly needs. A writing instrument, and her imagination. That is all. But… I hereby pledge true devotion to the writing tool known as Scrivener. I discovered Scrivener a couple of years ago, and, intrigued, bought myself the software for a low price of… well, I don’t remember now, […]
The Write and the Re-Write, Part 2
Continued from Part 1… After receiving much helpful feedback on my novel from agents, I had many questions to consider: Should I keep querying and hope another agent would accept the original manuscript? Or should I do an extensive edit? If I were to edit, how much would I change? Which of the agents’ suggestions […]