Yolanda A. Reid's Blog, page 3
May 17, 2013
DOMESTIC AFFAIRS by Joyce Maynard
Reading Domestic Affairs by Joyce Maynard is like being enveloped by a big warm blanket for the duration. The book is based on Maynard's essays written for her then-syndicated newspaper column. She writes about her children, diapers, potty training, the time her mother knit a miniature sweater--withtoothpicks--for a toy bear.
Her writing is amicable, soothing, warm--as if we were seated in a kitchen, nibbling on a Sunday brunch of warm cocoa and orange marmalade on French toast, as...
May 7, 2013
BOUND FEET AND WESTERN DRESS by Pang-Mei Natasha Chang
"Bound feet and Western dress do not go together," said Chang Yu-i, the author's
grand-aunt, to her husband the day he asked her for a divorce. She was speaking, of course,
of his girlfriend. Later, Chang Yu-i, her husband and yet another girlfriend co-existed in a modern relationship. But that unravelled tragically, except that Chang Yu-i persevered and survived it all.
The story in Bound Feet and Western Dress is poignant and bitter, whe...
March 1, 2013
HOW I WROTE MY SECOND NOVEL by Yolanda A. Reid
Writing, for me, is like breathing air. I always wrote little stories and poems as a child. We had lots of books in our home. My mom was a college professor, so during the summers she'd bring home boxes of books (literally) for us to read and have our fill.
So in junior high and high school I read numerous books—especially in the summertime—as I wrote in my diaries. This, not surprisingly, turned out to be extremely beneficial for me
as a writer. For that way, I practiced and fine-tuned my writing. Then, when I was about 19 years old, I wrote my first 'novel'. I got as far as ten or so typed pages. The problem, I discovered, was that I did not know the direction of the story. The ‘novel’ opened with a young girl visiting an elderly woman. The old lady reflected my drawing of an old woman—with lots of dialogue between the crone and the girl.
I also had a grand theme. But after ten or so pages, where was the story going? I had no idea.
***
A decade later, instead of a diary, I kept a journal. (Girls write diaries; women keep journals.) By writing my stories and poems and daily existence, I was doing as Virginia Woolf, Anais Nin, and Doris Lessing had done. I wrote down story ideas, novel ideas, synopses, chapters, essays, poems, and parts-of-novels.
Now I think what a remarkable child and teen I was--to be writing so consistently with no visible reward (except that I wrote great, impressive essays for my classes, papers and book reports). But at the time, writing was the norm for me. My air. It was my clandestine life.
***
After I wrote my first novel, PORRIDGE & CUCU: MY CHILDHOOD, I began thinking of a larger more ambitious story.
At the time I'd just finished reading Doris Lessing's THE GOLDEN NOTEBOOK and, trying to emulate her, I had in mind a mixture of stories and folklore and family history. I also wanted to
include Panamanian history, as Isabel Allende—a writer I had read and admired--had embodied the history of Chile in some of her novels.
At the same time, I wanted to tell the story of a woman betrayed by her first love. I knew infidelity was a main theme, but I wanted her to survive and get stronger. Her name was Eulalia.
I had innumerable notes--written haphazardly when ideas came to me, and so I created a ten-page synopsis. I divided the synopsis into chapters. I tweaked the outline with a few changes. Then I began.
I took a long time writing Chapter 1--since I felt I had to cram so much into it. Theme. Foreshadowing the plot. Main characters. Also I wanted to use gorgeous language. So I went over the first page countless times, and the entire chapter at least a dozen times (probably more), tinkering with each word. That phase took about six weeks or more—after which I decided to split the chapter I'd been working on into two chapters.
I also decided to go forward.
Chapters 3, 4, and 5 basically flowed effortlessly: I was astonished that the characters took over their own fate. I had done some research into Panamanian and US history—while writing the
outline and synopsis, and beforehand. But, since I love doing research, I had to stop myself and just begin writing (and do the research intermittently, as needed).
In a sense, I’d been preparing to write THE HONEYEATER all of my life.
***
Surprisingly, I never felt overwhelmed as I wrote THE HONEYEATER. Instead, I felt
empowered. I was, I felt, 'in the zone'. Certain sections--to this day--make me misty-eyed. Part of the reason could be that I was crying as I wrote them.
So THE HONEYEATER is very heartfelt. I loved writing it. I also love reading THE HONEYEATER. And hope other readers will agree.
_________________________________________
Yolanda A. Reid is the author of THE HONEYEATER, a contemporary women’s novel, and of PORRIDGE & CUCU: MY CHILDHOOD, a YA novel.
So in junior high and high school I read numerous books—especially in the summertime—as I wrote in my diaries. This, not surprisingly, turned out to be extremely beneficial for me
as a writer. For that way, I practiced and fine-tuned my writing. Then, when I was about 19 years old, I wrote my first 'novel'. I got as far as ten or so typed pages. The problem, I discovered, was that I did not know the direction of the story. The ‘novel’ opened with a young girl visiting an elderly woman. The old lady reflected my drawing of an old woman—with lots of dialogue between the crone and the girl.
I also had a grand theme. But after ten or so pages, where was the story going? I had no idea.
***
A decade later, instead of a diary, I kept a journal. (Girls write diaries; women keep journals.) By writing my stories and poems and daily existence, I was doing as Virginia Woolf, Anais Nin, and Doris Lessing had done. I wrote down story ideas, novel ideas, synopses, chapters, essays, poems, and parts-of-novels.
Now I think what a remarkable child and teen I was--to be writing so consistently with no visible reward (except that I wrote great, impressive essays for my classes, papers and book reports). But at the time, writing was the norm for me. My air. It was my clandestine life.
***
After I wrote my first novel, PORRIDGE & CUCU: MY CHILDHOOD, I began thinking of a larger more ambitious story.
At the time I'd just finished reading Doris Lessing's THE GOLDEN NOTEBOOK and, trying to emulate her, I had in mind a mixture of stories and folklore and family history. I also wanted to
include Panamanian history, as Isabel Allende—a writer I had read and admired--had embodied the history of Chile in some of her novels.
At the same time, I wanted to tell the story of a woman betrayed by her first love. I knew infidelity was a main theme, but I wanted her to survive and get stronger. Her name was Eulalia.
I had innumerable notes--written haphazardly when ideas came to me, and so I created a ten-page synopsis. I divided the synopsis into chapters. I tweaked the outline with a few changes. Then I began.
I took a long time writing Chapter 1--since I felt I had to cram so much into it. Theme. Foreshadowing the plot. Main characters. Also I wanted to use gorgeous language. So I went over the first page countless times, and the entire chapter at least a dozen times (probably more), tinkering with each word. That phase took about six weeks or more—after which I decided to split the chapter I'd been working on into two chapters.
I also decided to go forward.
Chapters 3, 4, and 5 basically flowed effortlessly: I was astonished that the characters took over their own fate. I had done some research into Panamanian and US history—while writing the
outline and synopsis, and beforehand. But, since I love doing research, I had to stop myself and just begin writing (and do the research intermittently, as needed).
In a sense, I’d been preparing to write THE HONEYEATER all of my life.
***
Surprisingly, I never felt overwhelmed as I wrote THE HONEYEATER. Instead, I felt
empowered. I was, I felt, 'in the zone'. Certain sections--to this day--make me misty-eyed. Part of the reason could be that I was crying as I wrote them.
So THE HONEYEATER is very heartfelt. I loved writing it. I also love reading THE HONEYEATER. And hope other readers will agree.
_________________________________________
Yolanda A. Reid is the author of THE HONEYEATER, a contemporary women’s novel, and of PORRIDGE & CUCU: MY CHILDHOOD, a YA novel.
February 24, 2013
HOW TO BEGIN A NOVEL : FIVE TASKS
First, do not begin with the character waking up in the morning and thinking about her whatever as she looks into a mirror, combs her hair or brushes her teeth.
I've begun a couple of novels that way. But my excuse is that I was a teenager at the time. What got me out of that rut were the articles I read in Writers Digest Magazine. All accomplished novelists and authors said, Do not begin a novel with the character waking up and commenting on (or thinking about) the sun or the birds tweeting or the previous evening with her
boyfriend/husband/significant other.
No, they said, the way to begin a novel is in the middle of the story. Or with some event that's taking place. With action.
For the first page to be engrossing to the reader you have to develop the character before you begin. Before you set pen to paper or touch the computer keyboard.
As a reader, I'm vaguely annoyed when I eagerly start a book only to find the first few pages littered with the character waking up rubbing her eyes, stumbling to the bathroom, etc. It's boring and uninteresting, but more importantly it is NOT sound storywriting or novel-writing. You can get away with it in the middle of the book, but not at the beginning.
1-In the beginning, it's important to grab the reader's attention. What is going on with the character? What is the problem she's grappling with? Or it could be something smaller that's symbolic of a larger problem.
For instance, I have in mind a sixteen-year old character. Let's call her Shauna. Shauna is a high school student. She's not the most popular girl in school, but she has a few friends. Tell me or hint at a problem she has. Dumped by her boyfriend? Best friend's father coming on to her? Is she adopted but looking for her birth mother? Is her teacher a surrogate parent and why?
2--Another thing I find tiresome is those stories and novels whose character has no name. She goes to the movies. She goes to the store. She looked at him ...etc.
I speak from experience. I have several short stories in my files--well-written and cogent stories--whose character has no name. It's simply "she".
One short story begins as follows: "The previous summer she had played tennis eagerly. She had worn an ivory tennis dress with blue and green edging, white Nikes, and white anklet socks. She had taunted the shoe salesman with sarcastic wit, even as he helped her with her Nikes, and did not cease taunting him until her mother said she should apologize."
At the time, years ago, I thought I was being experimental and avant-garde. The problem is that--unless you're catering to an experimental market--the story (I realize now) is a yawn for me as a reader, and, I believe, for most other readers as well. Although the story is
well-written, I want more information about the character, so that I can be intrigued by her circumstances.
Spend a couple of hours (at least) choosing a name for the main character.
The name gives us clues about the character and her life. Realize that the choosing of a name is a process. If the character changes significantly, you may wish to re-name her.
For my first novel, PORRIDGE & CUCU: MY CHILDHOOD, I used an old Webster’s dictionary (hard copy) with a name section in the back. This section explicated the meaning and linguistic origins of surnames and first names. For example, Miss Hildy’s maiden name is Hildegarde Blixen, since she has Scandinavian ancestry. I arduously pored over this Webster’s dictionary.
Occasionally, I used the encyclopedia.
For my second novel, THE HONEYEATER, I spent a day or more choosing names for each character. I wanted to choose names that reflected each character's personality.
3-You should answer the age-old questions What? Who? When? Where? and Why? These are the questions my former journalism professor demanded of us. But they also apply to novel-writing. Do not begin a novel until you can answer those questions for yourself.
4-Write an outline and synopsis. Set down the details of the character's life and what happens to her in the novel. And be certain to include the resolution.
5-Define the main character. Write down all of her personality traits. How do you envision her? What are her quirks? What is her defining characteristic?
Once you've done these five tasks, you can begin.
---Yolanda A. Reid
_________________________________________
Yolanda A. Reid is the author of THE HONEYEATER, a contemporary women's novel, and of PORRIDGE & CUCU: MY CHILDHOOD, a YA novel. Check out her essays, "How I Wrote My First Novel" and "Writing Tips".
I've begun a couple of novels that way. But my excuse is that I was a teenager at the time. What got me out of that rut were the articles I read in Writers Digest Magazine. All accomplished novelists and authors said, Do not begin a novel with the character waking up and commenting on (or thinking about) the sun or the birds tweeting or the previous evening with her
boyfriend/husband/significant other.
No, they said, the way to begin a novel is in the middle of the story. Or with some event that's taking place. With action.
For the first page to be engrossing to the reader you have to develop the character before you begin. Before you set pen to paper or touch the computer keyboard.
As a reader, I'm vaguely annoyed when I eagerly start a book only to find the first few pages littered with the character waking up rubbing her eyes, stumbling to the bathroom, etc. It's boring and uninteresting, but more importantly it is NOT sound storywriting or novel-writing. You can get away with it in the middle of the book, but not at the beginning.
1-In the beginning, it's important to grab the reader's attention. What is going on with the character? What is the problem she's grappling with? Or it could be something smaller that's symbolic of a larger problem.
For instance, I have in mind a sixteen-year old character. Let's call her Shauna. Shauna is a high school student. She's not the most popular girl in school, but she has a few friends. Tell me or hint at a problem she has. Dumped by her boyfriend? Best friend's father coming on to her? Is she adopted but looking for her birth mother? Is her teacher a surrogate parent and why?
2--Another thing I find tiresome is those stories and novels whose character has no name. She goes to the movies. She goes to the store. She looked at him ...etc.
I speak from experience. I have several short stories in my files--well-written and cogent stories--whose character has no name. It's simply "she".
One short story begins as follows: "The previous summer she had played tennis eagerly. She had worn an ivory tennis dress with blue and green edging, white Nikes, and white anklet socks. She had taunted the shoe salesman with sarcastic wit, even as he helped her with her Nikes, and did not cease taunting him until her mother said she should apologize."
At the time, years ago, I thought I was being experimental and avant-garde. The problem is that--unless you're catering to an experimental market--the story (I realize now) is a yawn for me as a reader, and, I believe, for most other readers as well. Although the story is
well-written, I want more information about the character, so that I can be intrigued by her circumstances.
Spend a couple of hours (at least) choosing a name for the main character.
The name gives us clues about the character and her life. Realize that the choosing of a name is a process. If the character changes significantly, you may wish to re-name her.
For my first novel, PORRIDGE & CUCU: MY CHILDHOOD, I used an old Webster’s dictionary (hard copy) with a name section in the back. This section explicated the meaning and linguistic origins of surnames and first names. For example, Miss Hildy’s maiden name is Hildegarde Blixen, since she has Scandinavian ancestry. I arduously pored over this Webster’s dictionary.
Occasionally, I used the encyclopedia.
For my second novel, THE HONEYEATER, I spent a day or more choosing names for each character. I wanted to choose names that reflected each character's personality.
3-You should answer the age-old questions What? Who? When? Where? and Why? These are the questions my former journalism professor demanded of us. But they also apply to novel-writing. Do not begin a novel until you can answer those questions for yourself.
4-Write an outline and synopsis. Set down the details of the character's life and what happens to her in the novel. And be certain to include the resolution.
5-Define the main character. Write down all of her personality traits. How do you envision her? What are her quirks? What is her defining characteristic?
Once you've done these five tasks, you can begin.
---Yolanda A. Reid
_________________________________________
Yolanda A. Reid is the author of THE HONEYEATER, a contemporary women's novel, and of PORRIDGE & CUCU: MY CHILDHOOD, a YA novel. Check out her essays, "How I Wrote My First Novel" and "Writing Tips".
January 23, 2013
FINDING MY BALANCE by Mariel Hemingway
Finding My Balanceis the bittersweet memoir of Mariel Hemingway, an author, yogini and former actress. The granddaughter of the renowned adventurer and novelist Ernest Hemingway, the author recounts watershed moments in her life, as she morphs from young adulthood into adulthood. We get to see her at age 12 as she cares for her chronically ill mother.
As a teen, she starred in films like“Manhattan”--with Woody Allen--and “Personal Best,” in which she plays an athl...
January 14, 2013
KITCHEN CHINESE by Ann Mah
In author Ann Mah's first novel, Kitchen Chinese, the main character gets fired from her job
and dumped by her boyfriend of eighteen months--all in the same week.
A hip and savvy New Yorker, Isabelle Lee is an independent, fashionable, modern young woman
who works for Belle magazine. After being fired, Isabelle follows her mother's advice and
moves to Beijing, where she shares an apartment with her sister, Claire.
In Beijing, Claire arranges for an interview so tha...
and dumped by her boyfriend of eighteen months--all in the same week.
A hip and savvy New Yorker, Isabelle Lee is an independent, fashionable, modern young woman
who works for Belle magazine. After being fired, Isabelle follows her mother's advice and
moves to Beijing, where she shares an apartment with her sister, Claire.
In Beijing, Claire arranges for an interview so tha...
January 6, 2013
EAT PRAY LOVE by Elizabeth Gilbert
Lately, Elizabeth Gilbert is my new favorite author. Her book, Eat Pray Love, chronicles her journey out of an unhappy marriage, as well as her inward journey through meditation as she travels Italy, India, and Indonesia. Eat Pray Love unfolds with an assortment of truly interesting characters, amid the author's personal revelations and tidbits of information on each country.
Gilbert experiences eating-bliss in Italy with delectable pasta and pizza; devotion th...
December 30, 2012
ON BOOKS I READ IN 2012
As the end of 2012 approaches, I 've re-assessed the books I read throughout the year. Some of the books I read were biographies of Cleopatra and Audrey Hepburn, an assortment of business books, a self-help book and a fairy tale about a girl who saves her eleven brothers. None of those books is mentioned on this list, however. Furthermore, only two of the books on this list were previously reviewed on this blog.
Lastly, the ...
December 4, 2012
MY BERLIN KITCHEN by Luisa Weiss
"I was born in Berlin in 1977, back when it was still known as West Berlin"--so writesauthor Luisa Weiss in her memoir, My Berlin Kitchen. That Berlin bore "the pockmarks from mortar fire in the façades of many buildings and the air smelled of coal smoke."
Three years after young Luisa was born, she and her father returned to Boston. For years, she traveled intermittently--spending “summers in Italy with my mother’s family,” and winters in Boston. At age ten, she...
November 28, 2012
BOOKS AND ISLANDS IN OJIBWE COUNTRY by Louise Erdrich
Author Louise Erdrich was a teenager when she slept in a football field, by herself, looking up at the stars in the Great Plains skies. This event was tantamount to a rite of passage into adulthood, from a “difficult” childhood. In an interview, she said, “My clearest memory of growing up in North Dakota was the space and flatness. . . . I remember how things smelled and felt and tasted when I went back to Turtle Mountains.” In her books, those immens...
