Posts Tagged ‘writing’
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 MoreWriting in snow
We woke up this morning with a dusting of snow on the ground. It wasn’t a surprise. The weather guy has been forecasting it all week, and people have been talking, most with moans and groans. Not me. I’m ready. The trees are already half-bare; pine needles cover the yard. A coating of snow pretties…
Read MoreOne of the perks of being a writer is …
… meeting other authors. Today was a perfect example. I was one of three authors at a book and author brunch at the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts. Perkins is world-renowned, and the event itself was amazing. The men and women who attended (many with guide dogs) were fascinating to me; I…
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…
Read MoreMy book is a GO!
Good news. My editor called this morning to say that everyone at SMP loves my proposal. There are a few questions, basically things for me to keep in mind as I write, but now that I have a green light, I can start. I’m psyched! And suddenly nervous. Drafting a proposal is one thing. As…
Read MoreHow to write a book proposal that sells
Early this morning, I emailed the formal proposal for my new book to New York. It was sixteen pages of single-spaced description, starting with a single painstakingly-written sentence. That first sentence has to hook my editor or she’ll never read the rest. I mean, you guys read the first page or two of a book…
Read MoreBarbara Delinsky blogs again … and the plot thickens
I’m back! My energy has finally returned, and no wonder. I took the whole summer off – I mean, did zero writing. This was possible, of course, because I’m at the plotting stage of my next book, which entails more thinking than writing. And I did think. My new characters have been gestating since June,…
Read More