Barbara Fradkin's Blog, page 179
November 14, 2017
The devil's in the details
Barbara here. Aline's Monday post about setting serves as a springboard to mine. Great minds think alike! I too want to talk about setting, and more specifically about the setting of my Inspector Green novels, which are set in Ottawa, Canada's national capital and my adoptive home.
Write what you know, we writers are advised when we first set pen to paper. Really? What a bore that would be.
Write what you know, we writers are advised when we first set pen to paper. Really? What a bore that would be.
The Lark Ascending
by Rick Blechta
This is where we encountered the lark (before the dog arrived).
This past Saturday, CBC radio had a special Remembrance Day show mostly featuring music composed during the First World War. One of the pieces played was “The Lark Ascending” by Ralph Vaughan Williams, arguably the most famous of all of them, and an especial favourite of mine and coincidentally the title of my
This is where we encountered the lark (before the dog arrived).
This past Saturday, CBC radio had a special Remembrance Day show mostly featuring music composed during the First World War. One of the pieces played was “The Lark Ascending” by Ralph Vaughan Williams, arguably the most famous of all of them, and an especial favourite of mine and coincidentally the title of my
November 12, 2017
July Weather in December
It's a fine, crisp autumn day as I write this. The sky is clear, azure blue and the recent early morning frost has turned the leaves still on the trees to vivid shades of bronze, red and yellow. The Japanese maple outside my window is working on producing the extraordinary shade of pink it likes to treat us to just before the leaves fall.
The only slight problem is that the book I'm working on
The only slight problem is that the book I'm working on
November 10, 2017
Retreating
By Vicki Delany
In the past I’ve jokingly written that my friends and I have
been to a writers retreat at someone’s vacation home or cottage. I say jokingly
because although we might have good intentions to write, and we might even
manage to get an hour or two of work in, the real purpose is to read and walk
and swim and eat and drink and most of all talk. Fun, but not really an occasion for
In the past I’ve jokingly written that my friends and I have
been to a writers retreat at someone’s vacation home or cottage. I say jokingly
because although we might have good intentions to write, and we might even
manage to get an hour or two of work in, the real purpose is to read and walk
and swim and eat and drink and most of all talk. Fun, but not really an occasion for
November 8, 2017
The Plot Thickens . . . and Thickens
I got some interesting feedback from my agents this past week when I sent them a novel I recently finished. The writing process was different this time around –– as I worked, I received feedback along the way –– and my agents noticed a difference in the finished product, liking some things, but the major criticism was unexpected: they found the plot to be too complicated.
It got me thinking
It got me thinking
November 7, 2017
The Responsibility of Writers
Last weekend I participated in a cozy mystery panel with Sue Ann Jaffarian, Jane DiLucchio and Diane Vallere at the La Mirada Library in La Mirada, CA. We’re all members of the Los Angeles chapter of Sisters in Crime and have all known each other for quite a while. It was quite a fun panel to be on.
Several of the attendees didn’t know what cozy mysteries were so we talked about some elements
Several of the attendees didn’t know what cozy mysteries were so we talked about some elements
Weasel words
by Rick Blechta
I have a good friend (and excellent editor), Cheryl Freedman, who is kind enough to look over the final versions of my novels and novellas before they’re hustled off to the publisher. Early on she took me to task for my use of what she calls “weasel words”, meaning words or phrases that add a “waffle factor” (my term) to my writing.
“First, come out and say what you want to say.
I have a good friend (and excellent editor), Cheryl Freedman, who is kind enough to look over the final versions of my novels and novellas before they’re hustled off to the publisher. Early on she took me to task for my use of what she calls “weasel words”, meaning words or phrases that add a “waffle factor” (my term) to my writing.
“First, come out and say what you want to say.
November 6, 2017
Step away from the keyboard!
P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm; }
I love walking. Not your power or ultra extreme
stuff, just your straightforward amble in a wood or meander along a
shore. But until not so long ago, I used to feel guilty whenever I
set off. If I was walking, I wasn't writing. This meant valuable
creative time was being wasted. Now I know this was the thinking of
the ill-informed.
Let me explain. As
I love walking. Not your power or ultra extreme
stuff, just your straightforward amble in a wood or meander along a
shore. But until not so long ago, I used to feel guilty whenever I
set off. If I was walking, I wasn't writing. This meant valuable
creative time was being wasted. Now I know this was the thinking of
the ill-informed.
Let me explain. As
November 3, 2017
Guest Post: Nancy Cole Silverman
Please welcome Nancy Cole Silverman back to Type M. Nancy and I share the same publisher, Henery Press, and are also both members of the Los Angeles chapter of Sisters in Crime. We've had many wonderful and interesting conversations over the years. Take it away, Nancy...
UNLEASHING THE FURY OF ME TOO
by Nancy Cole Silverman
I live in Hollywood, and when allegations film producer and
UNLEASHING THE FURY OF ME TOO
by Nancy Cole Silverman
I live in Hollywood, and when allegations film producer and
November 2, 2017
Writing Different
As I mentioned, this year I'm taking part in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). I'm not sure if I'm going to reach the 50,000 words, but I am now looking for time when I can write each day. I do write every day, but -- because I'm trying to finish a nonfiction book -- I haven't carved out a time each day to work on my historical thriller. Instead, I've been doing research.
I've done
I've done
