Jennifer R. Hubbard's Blog, page 125

Quote of the day

"Oh, what a rare friend is she with whom I can share poetry!"
--May Sarton, At Seventy: A Journal

Recent debuts

Time for your to-read pile to grow another foot! Welcome these first novels to the shelves:



The Cinderella Society, by Kay Cassidy. Young adult. A girl is inducted into a secret society and realizes her potential is greater than she'd ever believed--but that the most important changes come from within.



Three Rivers Rising, by Jame Richards. Young adult. This haunting verse novel tells the story of the Johnstown flood through the eyes of a passionate couple from opposite sides of the track; a yo...

Paying attention

I'm reading the journals of Sylvia Plath. I've read (and re-read) volumes of her letters, but this is my first time dipping into the journals.  It's rewarding so far.

Many people assume that a fascination with Plath must revolve around her untimely death, but that isn't the case. Her suicide was awful, a tragedy, and I have no romantic illusions about it (or about suicide generally, for that matter). My interest in her autobiographical material is a writer's interest, because it's impossible t...

The Muse drops in during a revision

The Muse visits the Writer, who's working in her spare bedroom office.

Muse: This isn't very exciting, you know. You are matching up the time of every scene with its slot in a spreadsheet.

Writer: It's kind of fun.

Muse: In a geeky way, I suppose.

Writer: Anyway, I have to make sure the timing of these scenes makes sense.

Muse (yawning): Um, yeah, whatever. (brightening) So, how'd you like that shiny new story idea I sent you?

Writer: The stream-of-consciousness scene I wrote down in the car the o...

Secondary characters

Today's post was inspired by something I read over at Tabitha Olson's Writer Musings.  I'm not going to comment on her main points about experience and talent, nor about the book she chose as an example (first, because I haven't read it, and second, because the author herself commented quite eloquently on the post). Rather, I'm going to go off on the personal tangent that occurred to me as I read the post.

When I was in my early 20s, I took a short-story workshop in which we critiqued each oth...

Guest Post: Joelle Anthony, "It's all about the writing"

Once again, I get to loll back and let a brilliant colleague take the keyboard: today it's Joëlle Anthony, on what kids have taught (or reminded) her about writing.

Each year a local businessman hosts a fundraising event and the money raised is designated for the island grade school. Last fall, he called me up excited about the idea of sending a “real writer” into the school. He offered me the money from the fundraiser as a stipend. His idea was that I should read to the little kids, but I ask...

Power to the protagonist

I was talking to kellyrfineman  the other day about main characters and "agency"--not that we used that word, but it's what we meant.

In general, a story is more interesting when the main character has to make choices with serious consequences--and nothing lets him off the hook, nobody sweeps in to save him. His destiny is in his hands; whatever happens next is his responsibility.

You may have heard the term deus ex machina--it's often used pejoratively in discussions of writing. In ancient Gr...

Shower power

I wanted to mention the Hudson Children's Book Festival coming up this weekend, not so much because I'll be appearing there (although I will!), but because so many awesome authors will be there.  They include online friends I hope to finally meet in person (Megan Frazer, Danielle Joseph, Michelle Zink, Neesha Meminger, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, Ann Haywood Leal), writers whose acquaintance I've already made and hope to renew (Jeannine Atkins, Loree Griffin Burns, Ellen Jensen Abbott), a...

Where questions lead

"What kept me going was, I think, that writing for me is a way of understanding what is happening to me, of thinking hard things out. I have never written a book that was not born out of a question I needed to answer for myself."

--May Sarton, At Seventy: A Journal

Guest Post: Phoebe Kitanidis Debunks Writer Myths!

Today, I'm pleased to turn the keyboard over to Phoebe Kitanidis, debut novelist, who shares what she's been learning about writing--the good, the bad, the amusing, and the inspirational.

Some Things I Used to Think were True About Writing
a guest post by Phoebe Kitanidis

1. Writer’s block is the #1 threat to your career. Writer’s block. In my mind the ultimate occupational hazard, alluded to in hushed tones at author parties: “OMG, did you hear about poor Meg and Stephen? Yes, such a terri...