Posts Tagged ‘book’
Starting 2012 with a good book
I’m going to sound arrogant here, trusting that you all know me better than to believe it. But here is a truism about writers. Writers write the kinds of stories they like to read. So I started 2012 by rereading the first 125 pages of Sweet Salt Air. And it wasn’t only that I wanted…
Read MoreThe best and worst of 2011
Christmas was barely done when the media began rating 2011. Best movie of 2011, best health news of 2011, best business moment, best style trend … you name it, there’s a list. This was pretty much what inspired my survey this week – the one I post every Tuesday on my Facebook page. “My 2011?”…
Read MoreA knitter never sleeps, but she dreams
I’m so bad when it comes to afterwork, like weaving in ends and making pompoms. So I had six hats, all done but in need of finishing before I could send them off for the holiday. After procrastinating much of last weekend, I ran out of time. I had to mail them, or they’d never…
Read MoreMeatloaf recipes, anyone?
Eating has been a challenge, what with the oral surgery I recently had. Finding things that work has been sheer trial and error. Puréed soups work; oatmeal does not (too many little pieces). Jello works; ice cream does not (too cold). If you follow me on Facebook, you’ve already heard me mention fried eggs, which…
Read MoreMy post traumatic weekend
I had oral surgery last Thursday. I wish I could say that I’m an adoringly appreciative patient, but when I’m not feeling well, I just want to be left alone. So here I had an army of friends and relatives wanting to help, and there wasn’t much they could do. I couldn’t talk, couldn’t eat. …
Read MoreLife’s little surprises
I love unexpected pleasures. Some hit me in the face, others are more subtle. But each is a joy. Take this blog. I set out today to give an early December update of I write, I knit, I live. And then, tucked into each paragraph, came a little surprise, turning what might have been just…
Read MoreShould grammar matter?
So I’m working on SWEET SALT AIR, rereading Chapter 6 for the umpteenth time, and I pause on the following paragraph: “By Oliver Weeks?” Charlotte cut in. “Still? What a character. Major interview there.” Charlotte and Nicole are talking about ramekins that are hand-thrown by a ceramicist on Quinnipeague, but there is not one complete…
Read MoreHow to research a novel
In theory, since a novel is make-believe, the idea of doing research is oxymoronic. Isn’t it? No. I don’t think so either. I’ve always done research. Part of the appeal of my books is that readers buy into the story, so it has to be real. It used to be that real came from the…
Read MoreWorking weekends
Yes, we did have the baby here this weekend – and yes, it was fabulous – but I did work, just like I do most weekends. I never spend hours at it, just one or two right around dawn, in this case before the baby was even awake, and mostly I edited what I wrote…
Read MoreHow to describe a voice
Is it high, low, rough, smooth, creaky, musical, or child-like? Does it have an accent? Think about it. If you were describing the sound of your voice, what words would you use? What does your husband’s voice sound like? Your father’s? That of the little boy next door? And Brian Williams, on whose every word…
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