Posts Tagged ‘Sweet Salt Air’
Where does the dock go in winter?
We were at the lake last weekend, looking out our windows at the winterness of it all. Winterness? Try bleakness. There isn’t much snow this year, and the lake hasn’t frozen thickly. Local officials actually had to modify the rules for the annual ice fishing derby weekend, because the ice wasn’t thick enough to support…
Read MoreHow emotional am I writing my characters’ emotions?
I’m on a Sweet Salt Air roll, so this blog won’t be long. But I’m asked this question often. Do I feel what I write? If my characters are shocked, do I feel the shock? If they’re heartsick, do I cry? And yes – someone recently asked this in a blog comment – if they’re…
Read MoreWhat makes for a good book discussion
My book group met Monday night, and I nearly didn’t go. I’m not big on war books, and Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken is that. Honestly? I wasn’t planning to read it. I don’t read much anyway when I’m deep into the writing of a book, and I’m about as deep into Sweet Salt Air as I…
Read MoreHow to write a sex scene
I’ve written sex scenes, oh have I written sex scenes. I’ve written twelve-page ones, six-page ones, one-page ones. I’ve also written two-paragraph sex scenes, and they’re just as special as the longest of the long. The reason? It’s all about the feeling behind the sex. I came to this understanding through trial and error, so…
Read MoreStarting 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 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…
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