Susan Henderson's Blog, page 7

Question of the Month: Pivot

Tell me about your pivot from summer to fall, from vacation back to work.

Summer is almost over. I know this because there are acorns out where we’ve been barbecuing and because my kids are now very sensitive when I mention things like summer AP assignments and alarm clocks. It’s time to make the pivot from vacation to work, though I don’t feel quite ready for it. It’s been a good summer—nice to slow down and be with my family for larger chunks of the day, especially now that my kids are older and have a number of friends and activities to pull them away from home. So before I turn fully toward autumn, here’s one more look back at summer…

The beginning of my summer took a big shift when we learned my 16-year-old would be skipping his junior year and going directly into 12th grade in the fall. All of a sudden there were tests to take and colleges to visit. This was a real emotional letting-go for me. The window of time for my kids to be living at home already felt too short. But what I learned watching my son study for these tests and stroll through college campuses discussing theoretical math with professors is that he’s ready.

Once the college business was out of the way, there was plenty of downtime. The kids were busy with girlfriends and swimming and wandering through town with their friends. They took trains and subways on their own, searching out music stores, festivals, and pizza shops. They got busy with various projects—bottle rockets, a homemade Moog synthesizer, and pants made from duct tape. We visited the grandparents in Hawaii. And both boys went to camp—my 16-year-old to John’s Hopkins CTY camp for Number Theory…

…and my 15-year-old to Berklee College of Music for Guitar Sessions. Here is some of his ensemble work:

The boys played a number of gigs—a Who tribute concert, a funk & reggae show, and a parade. I accompanied my oldest as a chaperone on his School of Rock AllStars tour, traveling to places like Webster Hall, Ryle’s Jazz Club, and the Gathering of the Vibes festival.

Meanwhile, my youngest went with a friend to the Dream Theater and Crimson ProjeKct concert, where he got to visit back stage with Adrian Belew and the oh-so-talented Julie Slick.

Mr. H had some great gigs, as well, and it all culminated over Labor Day weekend at our annual BBQ of Rock, where family and guests jammed all night. (As always, if you want to see the bazillions of photos I have of all these events, just friend me on Facebook.)

I’ve been taking summer at an easy pace—a little editing, a few appearances on conference panels, some visits to book clubs and libraries, a trip out to California for the Squaw Valley Alumni Reading Series. In general, though, I dropped work whenever my family asked me to, and I spent a lot of time reading for pleasure, including Wild, The Fault in Our Stars, Gilead, Await Your Reply, Tomato Red, Giovanni’s Room, and Great Expectations. Lots of family movie nights, too. Some favorites: Dr. Strangelove, Stormy Weather, Metropolis, Stand By Me, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, Glory, Rear Window, Good Will Hunting, and The Last King of Scotland.

It’s felt good to slow down and put my writing aside for family. Soon, though, it will be time to get into work mode. How am I making the pivot? I’m starting with a big clean of my office—moving my desk, taking everything off the bulletin board, mopping, removing the clutter. When my boys go back to school, I’ll be anxious to get back to that first draft and take it to the next level.

So let’s hear from you. Tell me about your summer and and what your plans are going ahead.

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Some thank you’s to those who linked here or talked about my book: Caffeinated College Kid, Paula Bomer, Romancing the Writer, Shine Your Light, Birds and Blooms, Literary Olympiad, Paperback Swap, Skype-an-Author Series, Boeklover, Book and Media Kristiansand, Reading Room, Leserommet, Heather Lambie’s Self Editing, Barnes & Noble, KM Bookmarks, Bokverdami, Drinking Diaries, and One World. A big thanks to NME (New Music Express, over 7 million users a month) for posting the book trailer for UP FROM THE BLUE. How cool is that? And finally, a thank you to Cath Rine, who took this photo at the airport in Oslo, Norway!

Question of the Month: Summer Rush

What kinds of plans do you have for the summer?

Last summer in Tanzania with my then-9th-grader.

Our summer has only just begun. For those of you who are my friends on FaceBook, you know that my 10th grader is going to skip his junior year and graduate early. This was a decision we made with strong recommendations for it from his school, but what it also meant was cramming all of the things that are normally spread out over the junior year into one month. His ACT and SAT II Subject Tests were right on top of his finals and AP exams, giving him less than two weeks to study for them. After school let out, we visited his top college choices. All of this—tests and tours—went amazingly well; it’s just that we weren’t prepared. We were thinking it was almost summer and about sleeping in and about what we wanted to do with our downtime.

So now we are finally getting around to summer—still busy, but all things of our own choosing. The boys (including my husband) are playing more music, and soon, my oldest (Can I still call him my 10th grader a little while longer?) is going on tour with the School of Rock AllStars. I’m psyched to be chaperoning this year! All the proceeds go to the Love Hope Strength organization, a cool group of musicians and cancer survivors who have a goal of building the bone marrow donor list. Click the AllStars link if you’re interested in catching one of the shows!

So I was busy in June, too. I wrote, of course, and my brother visited (so much fun!), I gave a reading at the Syosset Library, and I finished the first draft of my new book! Next week I’m off to Squaw Valley, California to do a reading, and then I’m on that tour bus with twenty teenagers.

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Some thank you’s this month to Bermuda Onion for the kind review of the audio version of my book, and to The Five Borough Book Review who didn’t like my book but I like the reviewing style all the same… so why not plug her blog?

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Hope all of you are spending time doing what you love. Here’s to summer, sprinklers, growing tomatoes, lawn concerts, and meals outside by the grill!

I’m going to close with a video of my boys (on keys and guitar) with their two best friends (also brothers) practicing a Frank Zappa song. They’re growing up!

And one more: the boys performing The Who with their School of Rock (my guys are again on keys and guitar):

Question of the Month: Homestretch

Any advice or encouragement for someone who can see the finish line?

I’m hoping to have a completed first draft of my new book within a month or two. I’m trying to stay focused, though my kids come first (always), and we’re currently involved in all the end of the school year madness with AP exams, finals, regents, an ACT test, SAT II subject tests, not to mention concerts and award ceremonies.

In January, when I was making good progress toward the middle of my new book, I had such confidence in my vision and my abilities. The strange thing, now that I can see the finish line, is that I’m full of insecurities.

I remember this same feeling would come over me when I was a rower in high school. I would train hard for race day and go in with a competitive attitude and muscles flexed. But when the coxswain shouted that she could see the finish line, I’d suddenly be aware of the fatigue, my fear of losing, the thought that maybe I wasn’t strong enough or talented enough to compete at this level after all.

So this is where I am, hoping to go strong toward the finish line and fighting this voice inside my head that’s scared I’m not good enough to pull it off.

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Next month I’ll share some photos and wisdoms from recent conferences and panels I was a part of, but for now I’m going to keep my focus on finishing this draft.

Some thank you’s to those who posted about my book: LeftBrainWrite, June, Suderblog, Readers and Reference, The Mom Cage, and South Taranaki Library. Hope to see some of you this Monday, June 4th, 7pm at the Syosset Library. And then I’m going to beat back this fear and doubt and get myself across the finish line!

Question of the Month: Holing Up

Talk to me about how you free up time and emotional space for your work, how you say no to distractions, requests, and so on when you really need to focus.

I was going to show a little snapshot of my work-in-progress—my pinboard full of drawings and sticky notes, the stacks and stacks of research books, the 150 single-spaced pages that make up the book so far—but as many of you tease me about all the time, I’m just not one who likes to talk about my work until it’s done. So rather than sharing a photo of my work, I’ve shared some of Joseph Campbell‘s (notes we came across as we were cleaning out his Greenwich apartment). I’m fascinated by works-in-progress and seeing a person’s thought process. I like how organized and balanced Joe’s ideas are, and I like the little arrows on this next one…

My New Year’s resolution was to have a first draft of my book by the time my boys were out of school for the summer. I suppose that’s still possible, but I’m not going to rush it. I want to get this right. I want to get it as close as possible to how the story looks in my imagination. (Do you know what I mean? You know how our ideas seem amazing and bigger than life until we start to scribble them down?) So I was well on my way to meeting my deadline when a fabulous new idea gripped me, and it’s taking some effort to really explore it and rework the shape of the book to include it. I need all the time and focus I can get that doesn’t belong to my family, and this means I have to be disciplined about not adding any more to my plate.

I suspect many of you struggle with this same problem. Each month I get hundreds upon hundreds of requests to read new books, provide blurbs, submit essays to anthologies, edit this, promote that, speak here, introduce this person to that person, write a letter of recommendation, and so on.  There are only so many hours in any given week, and it’s easy to carve it up and give it away thirty minutes at a time. Pretty soon, you’ve given away any time you meant to devote to writing your book, and if you’re not careful, any more favors you say yes to will have to cut into your family time.

I’d love to hear what works for you. How do you keep out the distractions when you need to focus? And how are you doing on those goals you set back in January?

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I hope to see many of you this month at the Backspace Writers Conference (I said yes to this commitment many months ago). I’ll be on two panels (one literary fiction panel and one mystery panel) and then I’m staying through cocktail hour. The Backspace Conference is a great meeting of writers, agents and editors with all kinds of practical advice. If you’ve never been before, I hope you’ll consider attending. Friday, May 25th at theRadisson Martinique (32nd and Broadway) in New York City.

A few thank you’s… Thanks, as always, to those who’ve reviewed UP FROM THE BLUE at Amazon and GoodReads, and to those who ordered the new audiobook. Thanks as well to these bloggers for reviewing the Norwegian and Dutch editions of the book: Les Mye (Read Much), Bokanmeldelser, Bieb Blog Vlissingen (Flushing Library Blog), and Ly Books (Read a Book). Your words mean so much to me (and I get such a kick out of how Google translates them)!

One last note… On Wednesday, Mr. H and I will have been married for 20 years, and for 25 years he’s been my best friend. We’re not big on celebrations in our family, so the most we’ll do to celebrate is go out for dinner. But what I really like are the ordinary days—hearing about his day, going for walks, sharing a cup of coffee, working in the yard together, laughing, calling the dogs up on the bed, and just enjoying the company.

UP FROM THE BLUE is available on audio!

UP FROM THE BLUE is available as an audio book today!

You can get it on iTunes and Audible.com.

It's also available at these bookstores, though all the links seem to be broken:http://www.harpercollins.com/book/buy.aspx?isbn13=9780062208675

Question of the Month: Audio Books

Do you listen to audio books? I'd love to hear why or why not.

My kids were into audio books when they were young. We'd listen to them on long car rides, and my youngest liked to fall asleep to the Harry Potter CDs. In fact, he listened to that series so many times, he developed a British accent!

I'm a visual person, for the most part. I like to see the words, re-read my favorite lines, dog-ear pages, scribble in the margins. But it's tricky when your work day is reading, writing, editing, and then the thing you like to do to relax is reading, writing, editing. That's a lot of eye strain. Sometimes, at the end of a long work day, I wanted so badly to read for pleasure but it gave me a headache and my eyes couldn't focus. That's when I first started dabbling in audio books, mostly the classics I could get for free.

Later, I found another reason to choose audio books over paper books: sometimes other people simply read a book better than I do. Seamus Heaney reading BEOWULF with his driving pace (verses my stumbling over the Old English) shows off the genius of the poem's rhythm; if read right, you can actually hear the rage, the marching, the testosterone. Leo Tolstoy's ANNA KARENINA is also much better as an audio book because, unlike me, the paid reader knows how to pronounce those Russian names. And think of all you can do while you listen to a book: laundry, dishes, a long drive, a hike in the woods.

UP FROM THE BLUE is coming out as an audio book this month. (April 10th!) I'm  looking forward to getting a copy of it because I haven't actually read it yet. Over the six years it took me to write and edit it, I tended to break it up into problem-sections and couldn't read without a red pen in hand, ready to tweak a sentence. When it was published, I held and admired it, but that was all. I think, though, that it would be nice to hear it as someone else might read it, without the pauses for self-criticism and the instinct to stop and correct it some more.

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I went on two business trips last month and they were both fabulous in very different ways.

The first was to the University of Central Florida in Orlando. I was so excited about this one because my good friend, Darlin' Neal, is a professor there (and author of this gorgeous book), and I couldn't wait to spend time with her. I was told my itinerary would include a luncheon with students, a reading in a large lecture hall, and then dinner with the staff of the school's literary magazine. The day before I left for my trip, I was packing and emailing Darlin' about details when she forwarded me some specifics about the luncheon. In the note was a suggestion to keep my speech under 30 minutes. My what??! To me, luncheon has always meant eating, but in this forwarded note I saw that I was a part of something called "the distinguished speakers" series, the previous speakers including astronauts, film directors, CEOs, and the president of Poland. I quickly threw whatever into the suitcase (i.e., no pajamas or walking shoes) and got to work on that speech, which I think went okay. The students at UCF were smart, vibrant, focused, funny, and asked the best questions.

Later, a group of us went out for Vietnamese food, which was all kinds of fun because the formal stuff was over by then and I could just relax and play. The next day, we took Darlin's dog on a four-mile walk, a really great time before I was due back at the airport. A little rushed, but that is my life lately. And now I've got a plaque saying "distinguished speaker" that Mr. H finds as funny as the plaque I got at a former job calling me "patient" and a "good listener."

My second trip was to Portland, Maine, where I was on a panel with Jessica Keener and Leora Skolkin-Smith for a book festival sponsored by Maine Reads. A weekend of amazing talks and revelations! Many thanks to Sarah Cecil, Karen Baldacci, Judy Gelman, Vicki Levy Krupp, Alma Katsu, my kick-ass panel mates, and so many fine and fascinating book lovers who made it a great experience! I stayed an extra night to finish judging a contest at Fictionaut and then drove home with a broken GPS system, which required me to do some old fashioned navigating (with frequent calls home to troubleshoot when I veered off course). Great time but good to be home with my family and pets and writing again.

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Let me close with some thank you's to LaLaLovely, the Good Book Fairy, WLBZ, Bethany Duvall, Caffeinated College Kid, Shannon's Book Bag, Central Kentucky News, Bookseller Recommends, Peace Love Lungs, Talking with Tim, Bieb Blog Vlissingen, and Camille Kimball.

In 2006, when I still ran my blog off of the Publisher's Marketplace site, I posted some thoughts about the James Frey/Oprah Winfrey fallout. I used to have to erase that blog every three posts to clear space for new ones, so I had no permanent record of the things I talked about then. But recently, my blog was re-posted, in light of the Mike Daisey/This American Life fallout, along with a fascinating debate about truth and memoir. Here is my original post, which Camille had saved from my blog for the past six years. And here is her response. I think it's a fascinating discussion and I'm not entirely sure where I stand on it all. If you have thoughts about the debate, one way or the other, I'm sure Camille would appreciate you posting comments on her site.

And that's it. Have a great April, everyone!

Question of the Month: Gratitude

We all have horror stories in this business, but today I want to hear stories about the good moments that keep you going, that make you feel like your writing matters and that it was worth it to work so long and hard on that story.

Recently I got the nicest surprise—a charm bracelet from someone who was moved by my book. The charms include a bear, an apple, a ruby, a cup, a newborn, and all kinds of other surprises drawn from Up from the Blue. It's one of the nicest presents I've ever received, and I'm going to link Nancy's website, NMC Originals, in hopes that some of the goodness flows back to her.

Our business requires much of us with no guarantees of success. We dig deep into often painful territory, rewrite and often throw out what we've worked on for hours, take tough feedback and the inevitable rejections. Often, what keeps us from giving up are those who make this road a little easier—responding to our writing, sharing tips and encouragement, opening doors.

Recently, the esteemed Robert Gray wrote an article for Shelf Awareness about literary friendship, and I'm very grateful to be included in that essay, along with some people I adore: Jessica Keener, Patry Francis, and Leora Skolkin-Smith.

Strangers matter, too. Thank you to The Foreign Circus Library, The Florida Review, The Year of Writing Dangerously, and to Norway's KK magazine for the nice words!

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Haven't talked about my kids here in a while. Last week, they played a song on the radio with their School of Rock house band. The audio is here, along with some great photos taken by Tracie Smith. The radio station is WRCN 103.9, and the deejays you see in the photos are Frankie Dee, Henry K, and AJ Pero (drummer for Twisted Sister). It was a great opportunity for the kids, and they had such fun!

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Let me end with an announcement of a book I was honored to blurb. Deborah Henry's startling debut, THE WHIPPING CLUB, brings us inside a hidden page in Ireland's history. When Ben Ellis, a Jewish journalist, becomes engaged to Irish schoolteacher Marian McKeever against their families' wishes, Marian's discovery that she is pregnant fuels fears that this may be one too many stresses on their upcoming marriage. Her uncle, a Catholic priest, convinces her to disappear into the Mother Baby Home where she can deliver her child in secrecy and give him up for adoption.

A decade later, haunted by her guilt and a sense that she and her husband are growing apart, Marian searches for what has become of their son. The search leads to a corrupt system of orphanages and industrial schools for boys, where fear and humiliation are used to force the children into submission.

Gripping, cinematic, and told with a poet's touch, THE WHIPPING CLUB shows us the consequences of silence, of good people standing by, and of unchecked power. Ultimately, however, this is a story of survival, redemption, and the courage that is born of love. One of my favorite reads of the decade! Seriously.

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Hope to see some of you this month in Orlando, Florida and Portland, Maine!

Question of the Month: Goal Check-In

Remember how we talked about our writing goals? How are you doing? Want to report any progress or any trouble you're having with reaching them?

My writing goal is to have a first draft of my book before my kids are out of school for the summer, and my non-writing goal is to get back to my fighting weight ASAP. My progress so far in 2012: +6 chapters, -5 pounds.

Note when I say I've "written" 6 chapters, I'm talking about the kind of writing I wouldn't dare show a soul. I tend to write in layers of themes and story arcs, combing through the manuscript again and again as I have new insights or better understand the relationships between the characters. This first go-through is without many of those layers and without the poetry, rhythm and emotion I demand in my final drafts.

Still, I'm happy with my progress and think it's mostly due to my checkmark system. I have a chart that consists of this: My morning weight and daily checkmarks for not eating between meals, for 5 exercise breaks, and for hitting my writing goal. For someone who would do anything for a gold star in kindergarten, this is the right system for me.

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In other news, I'm happy (okay, ecstatic!) to announce that UP FROM THE BLUE will be produced as an audiobook by HarperAudio! The narrator will be Emily Durante, who's narrated almost 100 books by authors such as Nora Roberts and Jacquelyn Mitchard. I've become so accustomed to the slooooooow pace of the publishing world that I was shocked to discover the audio business works at lightning speed. Four hours after I was told HarperAudio was interested, I heard from the producer, had a narrator, and a release date of April 10th (of THIS year)!

Some really lovely mentions of my book at The Entertaining Writer and Shannon's Book Bag. Thank you! And I have some upcoming events in Florida, Maine, New York, and California. Details are over here in case you'd like to join me.

I'm going to end with news about someone LitPark regulars know well—Jessica Keener—whose book, NIGHT SWIM, is now (finally!) out in the world.  Reading this book was pure pleasure. It's a poignant and sensual examination of a life and a nation on the cusp of change. Sixteen-year-old Sarah brings us a moody and burgeoning wisdom as she pulls us toward secrets we recognize—the desire to hurry past pain and loss toward adulthood, the pull to belong and yet not be absorbed completely into the will of others. In a delicate balance of rebellion and compassion, Sarah teaches us to listen and hold tight to our dreams. Please click here and check it out! It's gorgeous!

Question of the Month: 2012

What are your writing goals for the new year? They say the more specific you are, the more likely you are to reach them.

I've learned again and again that time doesn't just materialize, that wanting something doesn't make it happen. You have to create time for the things that are your priorities and commit to seeing them through. Other things will always try to grab your attention and if you don't stay focused, weeks or months can go by and you've hardly moved forward. You are left wanting.

This fall I was making good progress on the book, and then I was asked to do an interview and then I was asked to write an essay and then I was asked to write another essay and then I was asked to blurb a book and then I was asked to blurb another book and then Christmas was here. I don't regret any of these things, but I can tell you that I did zero work on my book during the month of December.

This same thing can happen every month if I let it, but I'm determined to get disciplined. My goal for 2012 is to have a solid first draft of my new book before my kids are out of school for summer vacation. I have mini-steps too, but I'll keep those private.

So tell me about your goals. And then let's help each other stick to them despite all that will surely try to steal our focus.

In other news, the Norwegian version of UP FROM THE BLUE is out this month. Like the Dutch edition, this title also translates to "the blue room".  Fun to see such a different cover for the book, don't you think?

There was a lovely review of my book here at Fiction Writers Review. I like the writing of it. Makes me think the reviewer will one day write a book of her own. I also talk about the difference between publishing and printing at BookMarket.com. Over on the Psychology Today blog, writers (including Alice Hoffman, Sue Miller, Pam Houston, Diana Abu-Jaber… and me) share some tips. And I was honored to see my book on this Best Of list by WHJJ radio host, Robin Kall.

I'll end with a photo from last month's reading with Alix Strauss at Huntington Book Revue.

The weather couldn't have been worse, but it was the loveliest evening and great to spend time with everyone who came out. Oh, for those of you who missed this post on Dani Shapiro's blog, a little gift for you.

Question of the Month: Wish List

What's on your holiday wish list?

You might accuse me of being a scrooge for saying this, but I'm not nuts about presents. Or holidays.

Everyone in my family works hard. The last thing I want to do is make holiday time feel like more work instead of vacation. I like our house without the clutter of decorations. And as for gifts, we already have everything we need.

I've always preferred the joy of the ordinary and the unplanned. Mr. H and I go on a date once a week while the boys are in music rehearsal, but these dates never involve flowers or expensive dinners or dressing up. We often go for a walk or a drive or find a little cafe that serves good soup. Sometimes we'll wander up and down the aisles of Home Depot or hold ferrets at a pet store. But mostly, we're just hanging out. Make it fancy or expensive or formal in any way, and it's no longer fun.

So what's on my wish list? Just time. Time to sit with my family in front of the fire, time for walks, time to read, time to bake something when we have a craving for it.

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In other news, I was interviewed recently by PubSlush. Interesting guy and interesting questions. And UP FROM THE BLUE was featured in both The Dallas Morning News and the UK's Book Hugger this week (they gave it an awesome review)! And New Books Magazine in the UK said this: "Thoughtfully written…beautiful and utterly convincing – 5 stars." Cool to get some coverage more than a year from its publication! Also, grateful to the Clattering Keys blog for recommending my book as a holiday gift. Check out the full list; I'm in very fine company.

And speaking of fine company, I was invited to contribute an essay to a pretty cool anthology I'll say more about soon. Other authors who are in on this project include Joyce Maynard, Jackie Mitchard, Ann Hood, Pam Houston, and Elissa Schappell. Last thing… thanks to the marvelous Jessica Keener, my book is at The Authors Bookstore at Red Room. They have a very interesting sales policy that benefits the writer so please consider doing your holiday shopping with them!

If you're free on Wednesday, December 7th, I'd love to see you at the Huntington Book Revue. I'll be reading and signing books with the incredibly talented (and funny!) Alix Strauss. Should be a good time!