Virginia DeBerry's Blog, page 2
June 30, 2010
Readin' Writin' and Racism 2010
Writing White---Redux 2010
We first wrote this piece as an article back in 2005 but it never found a home. So we posted it on our blog in September 2007 and again in November 2008 and 2009. Last fall, Virginia's Open Letter to Oprah made the cyber-rounds, author-friend Bernice McFadden took a stance on Seg-Book-Gation, and Carleen Brice's blog Welcome White Folks and December is National Buy a Book by a Black Author and Give it to Somebody Not Black Month, celebrated it's first...
June 20, 2010
A Tale of Two Fathers
A re-post of our Father's Day essay from last year...we feel it's a story that's worthy of repeating...
A Tale of Two Fathers...it was the best of times...it was the worst of times...
In the course of more than twenty five years of friendship (and writing seven books together), we have discussed pretty much every subject under the sun at least a dozen times, and in a variety of moods from jubilant to melancholy. Whether the subject is the men we've dated (or married or divorced) or how to cure ...
A Tale of Two Fathers...it was the best of times...it was the worst of times...
In the course of more than twenty five years of friendship (and writing seven books together), we have discussed pretty much every subject under the sun at least a dozen times, and in a variety of moods from jubilant to melancholy. Whether the subject is the men we've dated (or married or divorced) or how to cure ...
May 28, 2010
May 24, 2010
Finding the Little Girl We Lost
From VDB:
Last week, I saw this video of the little girl declaring her love of life, family and herself and felt compelled to blog about it because I think we all come into the world with this same kind of potential for exuberance and positivity but too often, somewhere along the line, it leeches out of us--especially girls. Her enthusiastic display shows none of the inhibition, concern for what others (boys or girls) may think, fear of rejection (from boys or girls) or ridicule (from boys...
Last week, I saw this video of the little girl declaring her love of life, family and herself and felt compelled to blog about it because I think we all come into the world with this same kind of potential for exuberance and positivity but too often, somewhere along the line, it leeches out of us--especially girls. Her enthusiastic display shows none of the inhibition, concern for what others (boys or girls) may think, fear of rejection (from boys or girls) or ridicule (from boys...
May 9, 2010
Sure Signs You're Becoming Your Mother- RE-POST
In honor of Mother's Day, we're reposting a blog from several years ago that reminded us (and plenty of you) that we're all not nearly as Far From the Tree as we think we are! Below are the first 40 of the 80 Signs You're Becoming Your Mother, we posted back in 2007!
===============================It's Monday. It's raining buckets here. We've dragged ourselves to the computer. Donna just went to the kitchen, fixed a cup of coffee, left it on the counter, went back to the desk and sat down. It ...
===============================It's Monday. It's raining buckets here. We've dragged ourselves to the computer. Donna just went to the kitchen, fixed a cup of coffee, left it on the counter, went back to the desk and sat down. It ...
May 3, 2010
A Beginning, A Middle and An End
Our new blog post on writing at BlogginginBlack.com
Recently we were at a signing event– it had been a long week, a long day and as usual, we had been asked, and answered tons of questions. Many of them the familiar, tried and true “How do you write a book together?” “Do you ever disagree?” “How did you get published?” At the end of the evening, a woman came up to us as we were gathering our belongings, preparing to leave. She’d already had her book signed and had obviously been gathering her courage and saw her moment about to slip away. So she came up to us and dove right in—head first. “What do you do when you get stuck?” was the question that came out in one rush of breath. She followed immediately with, “I started a book, but got stuck and I don’t know what to do next.”
Ahhh the old writer’s block question…we both nodded knowingly, sympathetically and took turns offering our usual suggestions. Read. Step away from the project for a while. Sing. Dance. Take a drive, a nap, a vacation. Because sometimes you just need to shake loose, look at the problem you’re dealing with from another perspective. In our experience, usually any or all of these tactics –and time, will unclog the blockage and send you back on the right story path.
She nodded but the uncertain looked remained. “But I’ve been stuck for two years!”
Wow! This was serious, so we probed further. At what point in her novel did she find herself, the story or the characters immobilized and unable to move on? Was it a plot or character problem? Did she think the point of view was off? The voice? The answer was “none of the above.”
To continue reading click here.
http://blogginginblack.com/?p=1517&am...
Recently we were at a signing event– it had been a long week, a long day and as usual, we had been asked, and answered tons of questions. Many of them the familiar, tried and true “How do you write a book together?” “Do you ever disagree?” “How did you get published?” At the end of the evening, a woman came up to us as we were gathering our belongings, preparing to leave. She’d already had her book signed and had obviously been gathering her courage and saw her moment about to slip away. So she came up to us and dove right in—head first. “What do you do when you get stuck?” was the question that came out in one rush of breath. She followed immediately with, “I started a book, but got stuck and I don’t know what to do next.”
Ahhh the old writer’s block question…we both nodded knowingly, sympathetically and took turns offering our usual suggestions. Read. Step away from the project for a while. Sing. Dance. Take a drive, a nap, a vacation. Because sometimes you just need to shake loose, look at the problem you’re dealing with from another perspective. In our experience, usually any or all of these tactics –and time, will unclog the blockage and send you back on the right story path.
She nodded but the uncertain looked remained. “But I’ve been stuck for two years!”
Wow! This was serious, so we probed further. At what point in her novel did she find herself, the story or the characters immobilized and unable to move on? Was it a plot or character problem? Did she think the point of view was off? The voice? The answer was “none of the above.”
To continue reading click here.
http://blogginginblack.com/?p=1517&am...
April 11, 2010
Re-segregating Black Authors, Can I Get a Witness...
From Musing on the New South
I sincerely hope that I can write this post and not melt the keys on my lap top. Going into this I know my blood pressure is going to rise. But as you will see, not without reason.
Barnes and Noble is one of my most favorite places in the world. It probably has something to do with growing up in New York City and the original B&N...
April 5, 2010
Author vs Writer
The Author, DeBerry & Grant, just got back from book tour, and we are tired but happy. Isn't that the same as The Writer DeBerry & Grant, you ask. Nope, The Author and The Writer have very different jobs.
First, let's clear up the singular versus the plural. Yes, we're very close friends, but really we're two very different people. Except that when we are writing it has always been extremely important to have one voice. Readers should never be thinking, "Did Virginia write this part, or did ...
March 25, 2010
March 24, 2010
March and April Signings for Uptown
Friday, March 26, 2010 7:00PMUNION, NJHERE'S THE STORY1043 Stuyvesant Avenue, Union, NJ
Saturday, March 27, 2010 2:00PMSPRINGFIELD, NJBARNES & NOBLE #1884240 Route 22 West Springfield, NJ Sunday, March 28, 2010 (Tentative) 2:00PMNEW YORK, NYSip & Sign SundayINDIGO ARMS181 Lenox Avenue, New York, NY
Tuesday March 30, 2010 (Tentative) 7:00PMNEW YORK, NYB. SMITH PARTY (Private/Invitation only)320 W. 46th StreetNew York, NY Tuesday, April 6, 2010 7:00PMNEW YORK, NYBORDERS BOOKS & MUSIC #200461...
Saturday, March 27, 2010 2:00PMSPRINGFIELD, NJBARNES & NOBLE #1884240 Route 22 West Springfield, NJ Sunday, March 28, 2010 (Tentative) 2:00PMNEW YORK, NYSip & Sign SundayINDIGO ARMS181 Lenox Avenue, New York, NY
Tuesday March 30, 2010 (Tentative) 7:00PMNEW YORK, NYB. SMITH PARTY (Private/Invitation only)320 W. 46th StreetNew York, NY Tuesday, April 6, 2010 7:00PMNEW YORK, NYBORDERS BOOKS & MUSIC #200461...
