I never check luggage when I fly. Why? Because I'm often spending only a night or two in a given place before moving on, which means that if luggage is lost, it never catches up with me. This is particularly true when I travel for work.

Take next February. When I tour for Family Tree, it'll be three weeks, one city each day. Can you IMAGINE where my luggage would end up if it's lost?

More to the point, what do I use in the meanwhile? OK. I can take a change of clothes in my backpack. But what about makeup? When I'm on stage, which is what touring is about, I wear makeup. Hey, I wear makeup coming up here to my office to work each morning, and my office is in my own home! Last weekend, when we were flying to see the grandkids, I inadvertently left my mascara in my carry-on. It was confiscated. Fortunately, I had mailed some (plus foundation, moisturizer, and toilet water) on ahead.

So that's one option for how to deal with touring -- sending ahead small bits of those liquids to the hotels where I'll be staying, to be held for my arrival. I'm open to other suggestions. Anyone have any?

Posted by Barbara Delinsky at 01:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Let me tell you, that very first page is the hardest one of the entire book to write. After it, in terms of difficulty, comes the second page, then the third, then the fourth. Why? Because each of these opening pages is crucial to establishing the tone of the book. Since first impressions stick, every single word counts. One wrong word can make the lead character too cool or too bossy or too distant -- any one of which is bad if the goal is to have the reader immediately care about her. Likewise, too many words can slow the pace, and pacing is crucial here. Setting is another challenge to write, since I'm just trying to get to know it, myself!

I'm now in the opening stages of The Secret Between Us. I've written this first page umpty-ump number of times, have switched back and forth from first person to third and back, have agonized over every verb, every adjective, every adverb. And it's not done. It'll probably take me another week to get past the first chapter.

After that? Like a symphony, we crescendo, gaining in sound and speed as I get to know my characters. For now, though, I have to be patient with myself. Ve-ry patient.

Posted by Barbara Delinsky at 01:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yesterday is another example of what I was saying in my last blog -- and I feel torn on one hand talking about this, with so much of the world at war. But maybe we all need time out to breathe. So here goes.

I woke up leisurely to a delightfully cool and dry morning. Took a long walk. Returned, read the paper, knitted. Went out on the boat to cross the lake, dock in Meredith (NH), have lunch under umbrellas overlooking the bay. Shopped around. Got back on the boat and returned to our home. Knitted. Talked on the phone. Took a long kayak ride on a whisper-quiet lake as the sun lowered at the end of the day. Had an amazing dinner cooked by a friend. Hazelnut decaf at the very end, with loon calls in the background.

Yes, with so much turmoil going on in the world, updated regularly on my computer screen, the day was truly a moment out of time. We all need an escape. What's yours?

Posted by Barbara Delinsky at 01:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In a nutshell? Get away from work! For the first time since I began writing, I am doing zero writing this summer. Rather, I'm visiting with family and friends, knitting and reading, enjoying the lake in ways I've not done in previous years. Know what, though? During quiet times, I've thought a lot about my next book. I've worked out many of the plot twists and turns, and have finally bonded emotionally with my protagonist, which means that a week from today, when I'm back in my office, I'll be able to start writing. I'm eager to do that. I feel really refreshed!

Posted by Barbara Delinsky at 01:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)