Susan Swan's Blog, page 16
February 5, 2012
Truth is Not Autobiography
Image by Phil Gyford Making Things Up Some years ago, an American novelist gave me a piece of advice: Always pick a narrator that is like you and not like you so you have room to invent. Her advice was invaluable. And now that I am revising a novel set in my hometown, Midland, Ontario, [...]
January 26, 2012
Swan inspired by historic hometown
Setting for author's novel 'The Western Light' based on Midland MIDLAND – It's been said that you can never go home again, but internationally acclaimed writer Susan Swan is doing just that. Swan, who was born and raised in Midland, is putting the final details on her next book, titled "The Western Light," which uses [...]
January 24, 2012
The Uselessness of Drone Writing
I solved the problem of killing off an old boyfriend in my revision of my next novel, The Western Light. He is only half-dead. By that I mean I haven't changed Little Louie's ex-lover as dramatically as I was thinking about doing. He just has some new traits, an interest in socialism and a job [...]
January 22, 2012
Podcast day wrapped up on Friday for Book Club Valentine: What Casanova Told Me
Friday was Video Podcast Day. Why? Because I'm finishing a revision of my new novel, The Western Light (publication date: spring of 2013). But just to keep myself busy I'm also doing a book club promotion for Valentine's Day about my already published historical novel, What Casanova Told Me. And the podcast will be offered [...]
Tune in today to listen to Susan live on Spark: CBC Radio One
This week on Spark: "Literary History of Word Processing, Accelerated Innovation, Education, and Employment" Catch it live on Sunday January 22 at 1:05 local time. Or listen to the podcast anytime at: http://www.cbc.ca/spark/2012/01/spark...
January 19, 2012
Tomorrow is Podcast Day for Book Club Valentine: What Casanova Told Me
Tomorrow is podcast day. Why? Because I'm finishing a revision of my new novel, The Western Light (publication date: spring of 2013). But just to keep myself busy I'm also doing a book club promotion for Valentine's Day about my already published historical novel, What Casanova Told Me. And the podcast will be offered to [...]
January 15, 2012
How to Write with a Cold
I promised myself and some readers and writing students that I would write honestly about revising a novel. This is the background stuff most writers don't share, like the agony of submissions when your work is submitted to publishers and you and your agent wait to see who will buy your book. (Or if there [...]
January 12, 2012
Singapore Slings with the Enemy
A long time ago, when I was a working journalist, I agreed to meet an official for an East Asian government who wanted me to stop writing about the political prisoners in his country's jails. He invited me for drinks at Toronto's Royal York Hotel and when we met in the bar we spent the [...]
The Journalist's Tale: Running for Your Life Across a Dessert Border
The Journalist's Tale: Running for Your Life Across a Dessert Border This month, I met Aaron Berhane in a Bloor street Starbucks and he told me how he had escaped his country's secret police and lived to tell the tale. I still had the flu and I became progressively more feverish as he described starting [...]
International Festival of Authors – Roundtable: The Family Dynamic
As part of the IFOA, I am delighted to be hosting a panel discussion with Canadian & US novelists writing about family myths and secrets: Alexi Zentner, Jennifer Haigh and Sina Queyras. It should prove to be a very interesting discussion, so if you are in Toronto please do come down and join us. It [...]
