Authors' Referrals

 

From Kate's Writer's Crate…

 

The best storytellers ground readers in their fictional worlds—no matter how familiar or foreign—with specific details. Once given believable foundations, most readers will follow the plots and admire or distrust characters as the authors hope.

How much more fun when some of the specific details reference actual books, movies, music, TV shows, locations, and meals. If authors I love mention real details, I'm willing to check out their referrals.

        Here are some examples:

 

        In The Last Enemy, author Pauline Baird Jones places a stack of books on the nightstand of Dani Gwynne, a woman in the Witness Protection Program. When her room becomes a crime scene, two US Marshals catalog her reading material:

"Interesting mix. JD Robb, Tom Clancy, Tonya Huff, Alistair Maclean…Orson Scot Card…Louis L'Amour…the Bible…and Lord of the Rings…" (page 24)

                                        ***

        Jennifer Crusie uses movies, music, and food, especially Krispy Kreme donuts, as running themes in her novel Bet Me. The two leads, Min and Cal, end up at a revival movie theater showing Big Trouble in Little China. They also go out to dinner. Min so enjoys the Chicken Marsala, she is determined to make it herself. The many results are funny and disastrous as she tries to make it diet-friendly, too. Both of them love Elvis, but it's Costello for Cal and Presley for Min. Costello's "She" plays a part in the plot as does Cal's version of "Love Me Tender" which starts off as a snarky joke and ends as a declaration of sorts—this is a Chick Lit romance after all.

                                        ***

Kresley Cole uses The Amazing Race as a template in Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night, the third novel in her Immortals After Dark series. In this version, the tasks undertaken by vampires, werewolves, Valkyries, witches, and many other creatures are always dangerous, but the prize is worth the risk. The winner can go back in time and rescue two people they loved who died.   

In the series, one character loves Mike Rowe, the host of Dirty Jobs. Cole also references musical groups like Crazy Frog as ring tones.

                                        ***

The Golden Treasury by F. T. Palgrove is a collection of classic poems by Milton, Keats, etc., carried by numerous characters in some of the 56 charming romance novels written by Essie Summers. (See book review posted on 2/11/2013.) Robert Burns is often quoted from The Golden Treasury. I was pleased to find a pocket-sized version of it in my grandfather's library.

All of Summers' books are set in New Zealand, a place she describes so lovingly from the sheep stations, mountains, and lakes to the cities near the sea, all filled with such friendly people and delicious meals, that her readers dream of visiting there—including me. I gave four of her novels to a friend who traveled to New Zealand six months later. Several others on the tour were also drawn there by Summers' books—and everything she wrote about her home country was proven true.

 

Do you follow up on referrals made by your favorite authors?

 

 

Complementary Thesauruses

 

From Kate's Writer's Crate…

 

        Since I started writing my 500 word posts, using exact words has become imperative. It always should have been, but with higher word counts the pressure to keep searching for exact words wasn't as intense.

In my rough drafts, I use the first words that come to my mind. As I rewrite and polish, I search my vocabulary for different words, better words, the exact words that make my thoughts clear to readers. If I run out of ideas, I turn to my thesaurus.

I use and love The Synonym Finder by J. I. Rodale. Compared to the thesaurus I used in school, it contains many more choices and leads that get me to the exact words I need/desire. It's one of those I-know-it-when-I-see-it situations. The exact word is not always the longest or most exotic; it's the right word for a particular sentence.

I didn't think I could be swayed from my allegiance to The Synonym Finder. However, while browsing for writing books recently, I discovered the Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus which contains intriguing and advantageous differences.

I enjoyed the Introduction, "In Search of the Exact Word" by Richard Goodman, a tribute to Flaubert for penning the phrase le mot juste, i.e., the exact word. According to Flaubert, "All talent for writing consists after all of nothing more than choosing words. It's precision that gives writing power."

This thesaurus is precise. It uses a variety of ways to clarify words for writers.

For fun, ten writers contribute mini-essays, each titled "Word Note", about words they like and dislike. David Auburn, Michael Dirda, David Lehman, Erin McKean, Stephin Merritt, Francine Prose, Zadie Smith, Jean Strouse, David Foster Wallace, and Simon Winchester share comments that are informative and opinionated.

Most unique about this thesaurus are the boxed explanations or special notes after some of the listings for:

Usage—Bryan Garner, a usage expert, lists the history of the word, where it was printed, critics of the word, and popular use.

Word Links—For example, after the listing of synonyms for flag, the word vexillary, meaning relating to flags, is boxed.

Choose the Right Word—Lists and defines a word's synonyms and then uses them in phrases for clarity.

Easily Confused Words—For example: After the synonyms and antonyms lists for eminent, a boxed list  of eminent, imminent, and immanent are each defined clearly so readers are positive they are using the correct word.

Word Spectrums—For example, begin/end. In one shaded box are listed the range of synonyms for the word begin and then for the word end. Another example is optimistic/pessimistic.

Word Toolkit—Lists three synonyms across the top of the box and then, underneath each synonym, the words that pair with them. Reminders are also placed after some words to refer to toolkits printed elsewhere.

        All of the extras in the Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus are handy references, but The Synonym Finder offers more choices per word making both books goldmines—perfect for writers searching for le mot juste.

Put the Time In

 

From Kate's Writing Crate…

 

        For most careers, there are educational or experience requirements. You know exactly what it takes to achieve your goals.

        For writers, the career path isn't as clear. Education can help, but it isn't a guarantee. Experience of any kind is a plus, but the reality is you have to write.

        I recommend reading Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg and The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Stephen Pressfield. Goldberg's book gave me a concrete way to really start writing. Pressfield's book keeps me writing every day.

        Six-Word Memoirs ® are a fun and easy way to begin any writing session if you feel stuck. Visit the website or read one of the books written by writers famous and obscure.

I wish someone had given me this simple advice when I first knew I wanted to be a writer:

 

        To succeed as a writer, you must read and write.

Write. Write. Write.

Read. Read. Read.

Write. Write. Write.

 

If a writing life is your dream, write.

Keep yourself on deadline.

        Fill a spiral notebook a month every month, as recommended in Writing Down the Bones, for years/decades.

        Write a weekly/daily blog.

Build up your life-long word count.

        Write. Write. Write.

       

The hardest part is starting.

Pick up your pen or sit at your computer and write.

Use writing prompts or write Six-Word Memoirs®

        Write about what you love.

        Write. Write. Write.

 

        Carry a notepad at all times.

        Jot down thoughts and observations.

        Make this a habit.

        Write. Write. Write.

 

        Take a writing class.

        Start or join a writing group.

        Enter a writing contest.

        Write. Write. Write.

Then Rewrite. Rewrite. Rewrite.

       

Contact local or national publications or websites for assignments or suggest ideas.

        Submit articles and essays to favorite publications.

Editors always have space to fill.

        Be professional and meet deadlines.

        Write. Write. Write.

        Then Rewrite. Rewrite. Rewrite.

 

        Set a daily word or page count for your book.

Meet your daily word or page count goal.

Write. Write. Write.

Then Rewrite. Rewrite. Rewrite.

 

Put the time in.

It's as easy and as difficult as that.

It's also challenging and fun.

You have a calling.

Answer it.

Write! Write! Write!

 

Essays by Ann Patchett

   By Kate Phillips

 

As a reader, I always love finding books that appeal to me. As a writer, I am twice as pleased when the authors also provide masterclasses within their books.

        Masterclasses take place when performance artists and musicians work one-on-one with students. Writers don't generally have this option, but I have found some books to be masterclasses for characters, backstories, plots, settings, voice, and/or creativity.

 
        I adore essays. The best are elegant affairs filled with truth and wisdom.

Want proof? Read any of Ann Patchett's in her latest collection—especially "The Getaway Car: A Practical Memoir about Writing and Life," "The Sacrament of Divorce," "This Dog's Life," "The Wall," "Love Sustained," "The Bookstore Strikes Back," "This is the Story of a Happy Marriage," and "The Mercies."

While I love these essays and most of the other fourteen published with them, I hate the title of the book: This is the Story of a Happy Marriage. It just sounds smug—and the essay it's based on is not. In fact, Patchett left a very unhappy marriage, see "The Sacrament of Divorce," and swore she would never remarry, but her plans go engagingly awry a dozen years later.

If I hadn't read a rave review of this book by someone I trust, I never would have picked it up—and I would have missed this Masterclass. I think the paperback (and the hardcover) should be reissued/renamed as My Getaway Car. That grabs interest without putting too many people off. Who hasn't wished for a getaway car at some point in his or her life?

In "The Getaway Car," Patchett shares how she became a published author. She always knew she was a writer, but it took a while to support herself with just her words.

A college class taught by Allan Gurganus, who assigned a story a week, is the basis for her career. "Ninety percent of what I know about fiction writing I learned that year. Write it out. Tell the truth. Stack up the pages. Learn to write by writing. Slowing down was for later, years later. We were to keep going at all costs…Had I wound up with a different sort of teacher, one who suggested we keep an ear cocked for the muse instead of hoisting the pick, I don't think I would have gotten very far." (page 28)

Patchett paid her dues. She worked as a waitress after completing the Iowa Writers' Workshop. "With so much time for thinking and so little time for writing, I learned how to work in my head…I was going to make up a novel…the novel was going to be my getaway car." (page 39) Patchett is the author of six novels to date.

"This Dog's Life" made me laugh as Patchett states, "I have believed that happiness and true adulthood would be mine at the moment of dog ownership…[She adopted a puppy named Rose, but people just said she must want a baby badly.]…Being a childless woman of childbearing age, I am a walking target for people's concerned analysis. No one looks at a single man with a Labrador retriever and says, 'Will you look at the way he throws the tennis ball to that dog? Now there's a guy who wants to have a son.'" (pages 75-76)

In her essay "The Wall," Patchett recounts her training and tests to get into the Los Angeles Police Academy. "Love Sustained" illuminates the caretaking side of love that takes grit and gumption. "The Bookstore Strikes Back" tells the tale of opening a successful local bookstore despite Amazon and the naysayers. And "The Mercies" highlights friendship and caring through decades.

All of these essays reveal the allure and strength of this art form whether Patchett is celebrating the truth about love, her grandmother, her husband, her dog, books, friends, and fate.

These essays are the story of a now happy writer's life.

 

         

My Writer's Survival Kits

By Kate Phillips

        I never leave home without my basic writer's survival kit—at least one book, a pen, and a notebook.

In my purse, I carry at all times a pocket-sized version of The Writer's Life: Insights from the Right to Write by Julia Cameron, 6" x 4", and Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg, 4.5" x 3", along with a pen and small notepad so I can write anywhere, anytime I have a few moments whether waiting for someone in a restaurant, before a movie, or at a dentist's office.

        Watching people in these places is a great way to capture details to use later describing characters. Overheard conversations can lead to plot twists or essays. However, if I'm not inspired by my location, I randomly open either of these pocket-sized books, read a page or two, grab my pen, and start scribbling down thoughts.

        In my car, I keep pens, a full-sized notebook, and two books—The War of Art: Break Through Your Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield and Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman—in case I don't bring my purse with me and find myself with time on my hands. This happens once or twice a week.

        If I know I am going to have time to write, I bring my lovely black damask-print tote bag always stocked with half a dozen pens, a full-sized notebook, and The War of Art by Steven Pressfield as it never fails to motivate me so I always want it nearby. I then add whatever book(s) I am currently reading. These books are as essential as the pens and notebook because reading sparks my writing. I don't have time to wait for my muse. I meet her on the pages of my notebook.

Frankly, there is never enough time to write. These small pockets of time and my writing kits are what make my writing life possible on busy days.

        I wish more writing books were offered in pocket-sized versions. My top choice would be, not surprisingly, The War of Art. Other books would include: The Writer's Home Companion edited by Joan Bolker, Ed.D., For Writer's Only by Sophy Burnham, Zen and the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury, and Telling Lies for Fun and Profit by Lawrence Block. I could go on, but these would make a great start.

        If they were pocket-sized, I would always have my favorite writing books with me—a portable cheering section supporting me as I write every chance I get!

           

Reads for Writers: The Dirty Life & Fifty Acres and a Poodle

By Kate Phillips

       

In honor of spring, I am highlighting city authors who moved to farms. One never planned on changing from an out-till-dawn-having-fun writer in New York City to an up-before-dawn farmer in upstate New York. The other grew up loving Green Acres and simply dreamed of a farm of her own.

In The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food, and Love, author Kristin Kimball shares "the story of two love affairs that interrupted the trajectory of [her] life: one with farming—that dirty, concupiscent art—and the other with a complicated and exasperating farmer [she] found in State College, Pennsylvania."

For Kristin it all began with an appointment to interview a farmer growing organic crops six hours from Manhattan for a possible article. Mark, the long-legged 14-hour-workday farmer, had no time to talk during daylight so he promised her an interview that evening. In the meantime, she could help one of his assistants hoe the broccoli.

Kristin's impressions of Mark were: "First, this is a man. All the men I knew were cerebral. This one lived in his body. Second, I can't believe I drove all this way to hoe broccoli for this dude."

The farm work didn't stop there. That evening, Kimball, a 13-year vegetarian, helped slaughter a pig. Her outlook and life changed. After sleeping at a hotel, she was back at the farm at dawn for pancakes and a double helping of homemade sausage. Then she was off to rake around the tomato plants until almost too sore to move as Mark took the pig carcass to a butcher.

She spent the rest of the day following Mark from task to task until she finally begged him to sit down for an hour as she was leaving the next day. While sitting together on an oak log and answering her questions, Mark realized he had found his wife. It took Kimball a bit longer to fall in love, give up her city life, and become a farmer, too. They found a farm of their own and started from scratch.

The Dirty Life spares no details on the hard and filthy work of farming. It is a matter of life and death for crops and animals so people can eat well. As fast as farmers work, there are always more chores than time. The big upsides are seeing the farm come to life as crops are planted, livestock is born, buildings are repaired and put to use followed by the harvesting of gloriously tasty food they produce, sell, and enjoy eating fresh every day. Despite the dirt, pus, blood, manure and exhaustion, Kristin Kimball cannot think of a more rewarding life. Her book is a superbly written tribute to farming, family, and community.

If the reality of farming is too much for you, Fifty Acres and a Poodle: A Story of Love, Livestock, and Finding Myself on a Farm by Jeanne Marie Laskas might be more your style. Pets play the leads on this farm.

The author owns a sick cat named Bob and a small mutt named Betty. After a friendship turns to an unplanned romance, she discovers her fiancé, Alex, always wanted, much to her dismay, a standard Poodle. As fate would have it, an eight-month-old Poodle named Marley comes into their lives.

Jeanne and Alex live in nearby houses in Pittsburgh, but they spend Sundays driving around farm shopping as Jeanne has a farm dream based loosely on Green Acres. One day they find the perfect farm complete with a studio so Jeanne has an inspiring place to write. They make an offer and, after an excruciating delay, they find themselves the owners of it.

Moving to a farm doesn't make owners farmers. There is a lot to learn. Luckily, neighbors are quick to lend a hand, but the mistakes made along the way are funny, embarrassing, or  even near-death experiences.

On the plus side, Alex takes to a tractor like the deer take to the multiflora rose bushes growing all over the place. He is happy farming on weekends after working in the city as a doctor during the week.

The fifty acres are soon filled with more than a Poodle—dogs: Wilma and Sparky; barn cats: Walter and Irving; horses: Cricket and Maggie; and mules: Sassafras (Sassy) and Skippy. Plans are made to add sheep and goats as well as a garden, a pond, and a greenhouse. Then two daughters join the family. Along the way, Jeanne writes deeply about writing, solitude, growing pains, and love which she also captures in two follow up books: The Exact Same Moon: Fifty Acres and a Family and Growing Girls: The Mother of All Adventures.

This is her dream of farming that came true.

 

 

Mary Oliver Provides a Masterclass

 

By Kate Phillips

 

As a reader, I always love finding books that appeal to me. As a writer, I am twice as pleased when the authors also provide masterclasses within their books.

        Masterclasses take place when performance artists and musicians work one-on-one with students. Writers don't generally have this option, but I have found some books to be masterclasses for characters, backstories, plots, settings, voice, and/or creativity.

 

            Dogs are essential to my life. They are the best combination of company, security, and joy. Always there, wagging their tails, laying at my feet while I'm writing, watching for trouble from rogue squirrels to possible robbers, and yet ready to play, walk, run, or nap as my schedule allows, i.e., the perfect companions.

Poet Mary Oliver feels the same kinship. She celebrates her canine companions in her latest book, Dog Songs: Thirty-five Dog Songs and One Essay. As she describes them, dogs are bundles of longing, steadfast, romping, wolfish, roving, and, obedient or not, always beautiful. Every dog-owning reader will recognize the universal truths in these loving poems.

Accompanied by detailed sketches, Oliver's observations capture the delightful moments of living with dogs as they make themselves at home on couches, race along beaches, or crouch in long grass on daily walks.

Devoted to her dogs, Oliver makes sure her university teaching contracts allow them to attend her classes. (Don't we all wish our dogs were with us at work, too!)

As she describes in her poem, "The Poetry Teacher" on page 39 (paraphrased here): …"her dog with pals, and occasionally an unknown dog or two, arrive thirsty and happy to class. They drink from the bowl of water she keeps there and then fling themselves down among the students who are then inspired to write thirsty, happy poems."

Poems are happy, but also pensive and tragic. Sadly, as soon as the word dog appears in a title, readers know there will be an unhappy ending. Dogs' lives are simply too short—and yet longer lives would mean only more heartbreak for us. The overwhelming upside is the never ending joy dogs feel and share with us.

We live deeper, better lives with dogs around. We are outside every day, paying attention to sights and sounds we usually ignore,  and imaging scents we cannot smell but are strong enough to beckon our dogs to walk faster and linger longer.

Dogs are alert and truly alive—a great lesson for writers everywhere!