Karen Harrington's Blog
November 25, 2009
A cook-book with recipes from writers? What a great idea!
From the publisher: With contributions from a "Who's Who" of writers -- including Ken Beemer, Anthony Bidulka, Nowell Briscoe, Joseph De Marco, Ralph Higgins, Steven Hoffman, Fanny Kisling, Lori Lake, Emily Medearis, Ruth Nancy, Rick Reed, Rob Reginald, Dustin P. Roebere, Robert G. Schill, Ruth Sims, Caro Soles, and Peter Dombrello -- editor Banis packs this cookbook with writer-friendly favorite foods. Recipes are arranged according...
November 24, 2009
I'm reviewing some of my favorite writing quotes today as I go into the last stretch of the NaNo challenge. I'm at 40k words today. Only 10k more to go! One of the unexpected joys of this project is that this novel has become like Russian nesting dolls - I have found other novel ideas within this novel. There are at least 2 new ideas that make me want to stop and begin writing notes for a new novel, but I'm trying to stay focused until Mrs. Boyd the novel - and the character - meets her...
November 22, 2009
A couple of weeks ago, I finished a fine book titled The Photograph by Penelope Lively. I picked up this book at the Half-Price, initially drawn the the cover, secondly drawn to the premise: A man discovers a photograph of his now-dead wife holding hands with another man. The photograph suggests something was going on. He sets out to unravel the facts, which lead him to some startling conclusions about his wife and their ten year marriage.
Solid, provocative premise, right?
It was a good read, ...
November 20, 2009
November 19, 2009
This week's question is: Do you think any current author is of the same caliber as Dickens, Austen, Bronte, or any of the classic authors? If so, who and why do you think so? If not, why not? What books from this era might be read 100 years from now?
--
The first answer came easily to me. John Irving is without a doubt a mix of Dickens and Hemingway. His stories and style will endure over most contemporary authors.
Then I opened the doors to my library and asked myself if any books there would e...
November 18, 2009
November 17, 2009
What am I reading this week? Madame Bovary, the inspiration for my current novel, of course!
"Before her marriage, she had believed that she was in love; but since the happiness that she had expected this love to bring her had not come, she supposed she had been mistaken. And Emma tried to find out exactly what was meant, in real life, by the words 'bliss', 'passion', and 'ecstasy', words that she had found so beautiful in books." - Chapter 5, p. 32
November 16, 2009
"When you write, 'tell a story' and don't try to explain the story. If you say that a boy fell in love with a girl, you don't have to explain to the reader why a boy falls in love. The reader knows as much as you - or more, so you 'tell him the story' and the explanations and interpretations he will make for himself!" - Isaac Bashevis Singer-- Regarding my NaNo Novel, Mrs. Boyd (a modern take on Mrs. Bovary), a friend asked me the other day: "So, you are basically just copying what he did...
November 13, 2009
You may have heard of CASTLE. Richard "Rick" Castle is a fictional character portrayed by Nathan Fillion in the ABC crime series Castle. Richard Castle is a New York Times bestselling author.
This is fiction written by a fictional crime-writer. Castle even has a dedicated Wikipedia page that will make any author jealous. He's one of those types who embody the "men want to be him and women want to be with him" personality, accompanied by 26 best-sellers under his belt, though when he has time t...
November 12, 2009
Good inspiration for whatever you are writing today. You are writing today, right?
