Posts Tagged ‘characters’
Should 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…
Read MoreNaming the baby
A book title either hits me, or it doesn’t. When it doesn’t, I defer to my publisher. After all, a title is a marketing tool, and they’re the marketing experts. Of my last five books, from FAMILY TREE to the present, the only one I came up with myself was ESCAPE, but that was a…
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