Diane Chamberlain's Blog, page 38
September 7, 2009
How a Jersey Girl Became a Southern Writer
I was recently invited to write a guest post for the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance blog, and I wrote about my transition from Jersey Girl to Southern Writer. You can read the post here , and I offer it with apologies to everyone in New Jersey, especially my family, my friends and my agent. You know I love you all (ya’ll? youse guys?), but it’s too darn cold up there and finding ’shrimp and grits’ on a menu in New Jersey is almost as hard as finding pork roll here in North Carolina. (I say “almost” because there are so many Jerseyites down here that you can find pork roll in the grocery store, though I’ve yet to see it in a restaurant.)
It’s strange to be a part of two worlds (two and a quarter, since I left a piece of heart in San Diego as well). I feel fortunate to have experienced such different parts of the country, but it does make for a bit of an identity crisis at times. Am I the Italian kid with the out-of-control curly black hair who knew every exit on the Turnpike and every diner within a twenty mile radius of home, who took the bus to Greenwich Village just for a cappuccino, was afraid of the neighborhood ”dawgs”, and made out under the boardwalk? Or am I the auburn-haired woman who understands the difference between the barbecue in Eastern and Western North Carolina, knows to order her iced tea “unsweet” instead of “unsweetened”, hasn’t worn boots in years, has actually tasted peanuts in Coke, and doesn’t stumble over the town name Fuquay-Varina?
I occasionally envy those writers who have lived in North Carolina all their lives. They are so grounded in their setting. They know the history, the language, and above all, the people with a depth I’ll never be able to achieve. But I wouldn’t trade my experiences in the two worlds–north and south–for anything. I’m a Jersey girl who became a Southern writer, and I’ve loved every minute of the journey.
It’s strange to be a part of two worlds (two and a quarter, since I left a piece of heart in San Diego as well). I feel fortunate to have experienced such different parts of the country, but it does make for a bit of an identity crisis at times. Am I the Italian kid with the out-of-control curly black hair who knew every exit on the Turnpike and every diner within a twenty mile radius of home, who took the bus to Greenwich Village just for a cappuccino, was afraid of the neighborhood ”dawgs”, and made out under the boardwalk? Or am I the auburn-haired woman who understands the difference between the barbecue in Eastern and Western North Carolina, knows to order her iced tea “unsweet” instead of “unsweetened”, hasn’t worn boots in years, has actually tasted peanuts in Coke, and doesn’t stumble over the town name Fuquay-Varina?
I occasionally envy those writers who have lived in North Carolina all their lives. They are so grounded in their setting. They know the history, the language, and above all, the people with a depth I’ll never be able to achieve. But I wouldn’t trade my experiences in the two worlds–north and south–for anything. I’m a Jersey girl who became a Southern writer, and I’ve loved every minute of the journey.
How a Jersey Girl Became a Southern Writer
I was recently invited to write a guest post for the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance blog, and I wrote about my transition from Jersey Girl to Southern Writer. You can read the post here , and I offer it with apologies to everyone in New Jersey, especially my family, my friends and my agent. You know I love you all (ya’ll? youse guys?), but it’s too darn cold up there and finding ’shrimp and grits’ on a menu in New Jersey is almost as hard as finding pork roll here in North Carolina. (I say “almost” because there are so many Jerseyites down here that you can find pork roll in the grocery store, though I’ve yet to see it in a restaurant.)
It’s strange to be a part of two worlds (two and a quarter, since I left a piece of heart in San Diego as well). I feel fortunate to have experienced such different parts of the country, but it does make for a bit of an identity crisis at times. Am I the Italian kid with the out-of-control curly black hair who knew every exit on the Turnpike and every diner within a twenty mile radius of home, who took the bus to Greenwich Village just for a cappuccino, was afraid of the neighborhood ”dawgs”, and made out under the boardwalk? Or am I the auburn-haired woman who understands the difference between the barbecue in Eastern and Western North Carolina, knows to order her iced tea “unsweet” instead of “unsweetened”, hasn’t worn boots in years, has actually tasted peanuts in Coke, and doesn’t stumble over the town name Fuquay-Varina?
I occasionally envy those writers who have lived in North Carolina all their lives. They are so grounded in their setting. They know the history, the language, and above all, the people with a depth I’ll never be able to achieve. But I wouldn’t trade my experiences in the two worlds–north and south–for anything. I’m a Jersey girl who became a Southern writer, and I’ve loved every minute of the journey.
It’s strange to be a part of two worlds (two and a quarter, since I left a piece of heart in San Diego as well). I feel fortunate to have experienced such different parts of the country, but it does make for a bit of an identity crisis at times. Am I the Italian kid with the out-of-control curly black hair who knew every exit on the Turnpike and every diner within a twenty mile radius of home, who took the bus to Greenwich Village just for a cappuccino, was afraid of the neighborhood ”dawgs”, and made out under the boardwalk? Or am I the auburn-haired woman who understands the difference between the barbecue in Eastern and Western North Carolina, knows to order her iced tea “unsweet” instead of “unsweetened”, hasn’t worn boots in years, has actually tasted peanuts in Coke, and doesn’t stumble over the town name Fuquay-Varina?
I occasionally envy those writers who have lived in North Carolina all their lives. They are so grounded in their setting. They know the history, the language, and above all, the people with a depth I’ll never be able to achieve. But I wouldn’t trade my experiences in the two worlds–north and south–for anything. I’m a Jersey girl who became a Southern writer, and I’ve loved every minute of the journey.
September 4, 2009
Revising on the Porch
A few readers have asked me what’s happening with my work-in-progress, The Lies We Told, due to be published next June, so I’m here with an update. I’ve shared with you the synopsis process, the outline process, the writing process, the revising process and the torturous rush-to-deadline process. That was followed by two weeks of waiting as my editor and agent read the manuscript. Now I’ve received the feedback from both of them, and I begin revising again.
Both my agent and editor loved the book, and that’s excellent news. You never know if you’ve done good work until someone other than your very biased self tells you so, so I was relieved. Of course they each had ideas to share. My editor’s suggestions relate to one of the story threads. The book is about two sisters, Rebecca and Maya. Without giving anything away, I can tell you that they are in different locations doing different things, so their stories are, obviously, very different. Maya’s story is Gripping, with a capital G. My editor had some ideas on how to make Rebecca’s gripping storyline also worthy of a capital letter. My agent, on the other hand, focused more on Maya’s thread, suggesting that I nudge her character a bit more in one particular direction.
As I’ve mentioned before, I usually need about 24 hours to digest editorial suggestions and get over my knee jerk defensiveness to them. That didn’t happen this time. I could see both my editor’s and agent’s ideas were good ones right away and now I’m happily toying with ways to make the changes. It helps that the weather is fabulous, and I’m alternating my workspace between Starbucks and the porch. Revisions are due September 28th. Unfortunately, I have two trips between now and then, so I’ll have to cram a lot of work into a few days, but that’s what makes the life of a writer exciting!
One of my fellow writers asked this question on Facebook today: If you could be anywhere, doing anything, where would you be and what would you be doing? I responded that I’d be on my porch, writing.
Am I lucky or what?
Both my agent and editor loved the book, and that’s excellent news. You never know if you’ve done good work until someone other than your very biased self tells you so, so I was relieved. Of course they each had ideas to share. My editor’s suggestions relate to one of the story threads. The book is about two sisters, Rebecca and Maya. Without giving anything away, I can tell you that they are in different locations doing different things, so their stories are, obviously, very different. Maya’s story is Gripping, with a capital G. My editor had some ideas on how to make Rebecca’s gripping storyline also worthy of a capital letter. My agent, on the other hand, focused more on Maya’s thread, suggesting that I nudge her character a bit more in one particular direction.
As I’ve mentioned before, I usually need about 24 hours to digest editorial suggestions and get over my knee jerk defensiveness to them. That didn’t happen this time. I could see both my editor’s and agent’s ideas were good ones right away and now I’m happily toying with ways to make the changes. It helps that the weather is fabulous, and I’m alternating my workspace between Starbucks and the porch. Revisions are due September 28th. Unfortunately, I have two trips between now and then, so I’ll have to cram a lot of work into a few days, but that’s what makes the life of a writer exciting!
One of my fellow writers asked this question on Facebook today: If you could be anywhere, doing anything, where would you be and what would you be doing? I responded that I’d be on my porch, writing.
Am I lucky or what?
August 31, 2009
To Write or Not to Write? Controversial Topics in Fiction
I belong to Novelists, Inc, and we’ve been having an interesting discussion on our email loop recently. A member asked about the pros and cons of addressing controversial topics in our fiction. As you can imagine, the comments of the authors have varied just as much as their opinions on the topics themselves.
I am a very opinionated person–there are not many subjects where I’m sitting on the fence. But that’s “Diane Chamberlain” the person. “Diane Chamberlain” the author is a little different. She has opinions, but her characters don’t always feel the same way she does on a particular topic. I’ve occasionally written about characters whose perspectives are the polar opposite of my own. I find that very challenging, but also illuminating, because it helps me understand “the other side” a bit better, even if I may never embrace that view.
My whole reason for writing is to entertain, not to convince someone else to think the way I do. So do I shy away from controversial topics in my books? No I don’t, but I’m quiet when writing about them. Who likes being clobbered over the head with someone else’s agenda? The rule in fiction is “show, don’t tell,” and I think that applies doubly when it comes to writing about controversial issues. Harper Lee never needed to tell us that Atticus Finch was not a racist in To Kill a Mockingbird, did she? We got it.
For that reason, I rarely address an issue head on. Some of my characters have had abortions, and some of them have lived to regret that choice while others have not. In my most recent book, Secrets She Left Behind, fifteen-year-old Andy has a girlfriend who is half African-American and half Indian. Nothing is ever made of that fact. It’s simply accepted by the other characters. In several of my books, there are gay secondary characters who make up an ordinary part of the landscape. In The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes, a guilty character receives the death penalty, while an innocent character comes precariously close to the same sentence. (Side note: although I’ve been interviewed repeatedly in the US with regard to CeeCee Wilkes, no American interviewer has ever asked my opinion of the death penalty. Every single interviewer from the United Kingdom, though, has wanted to know my take on the subject).
What I find most fascinating and rewarding about the subject of controversial topics in fiction is this: I have fans who are on my wavelength when it comes to opinion, and I have fans who are way, way, way off my wavelength. I know this because I hear from both “camps,” and they both think I am writing for them. I love them all, and I love that they all seem to feel touched by the writing, regardless of their personal perspectives. I hope that means that I’m reaching readers on a human level that skips over politics and religion and differences and goes straight to the heart.
That’s what it’s all about.
I am a very opinionated person–there are not many subjects where I’m sitting on the fence. But that’s “Diane Chamberlain” the person. “Diane Chamberlain” the author is a little different. She has opinions, but her characters don’t always feel the same way she does on a particular topic. I’ve occasionally written about characters whose perspectives are the polar opposite of my own. I find that very challenging, but also illuminating, because it helps me understand “the other side” a bit better, even if I may never embrace that view.
My whole reason for writing is to entertain, not to convince someone else to think the way I do. So do I shy away from controversial topics in my books? No I don’t, but I’m quiet when writing about them. Who likes being clobbered over the head with someone else’s agenda? The rule in fiction is “show, don’t tell,” and I think that applies doubly when it comes to writing about controversial issues. Harper Lee never needed to tell us that Atticus Finch was not a racist in To Kill a Mockingbird, did she? We got it.
For that reason, I rarely address an issue head on. Some of my characters have had abortions, and some of them have lived to regret that choice while others have not. In my most recent book, Secrets She Left Behind, fifteen-year-old Andy has a girlfriend who is half African-American and half Indian. Nothing is ever made of that fact. It’s simply accepted by the other characters. In several of my books, there are gay secondary characters who make up an ordinary part of the landscape. In The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes, a guilty character receives the death penalty, while an innocent character comes precariously close to the same sentence. (Side note: although I’ve been interviewed repeatedly in the US with regard to CeeCee Wilkes, no American interviewer has ever asked my opinion of the death penalty. Every single interviewer from the United Kingdom, though, has wanted to know my take on the subject).
What I find most fascinating and rewarding about the subject of controversial topics in fiction is this: I have fans who are on my wavelength when it comes to opinion, and I have fans who are way, way, way off my wavelength. I know this because I hear from both “camps,” and they both think I am writing for them. I love them all, and I love that they all seem to feel touched by the writing, regardless of their personal perspectives. I hope that means that I’m reaching readers on a human level that skips over politics and religion and differences and goes straight to the heart.
That’s what it’s all about.
August 28, 2009
The Schizophrenic Life of a Techno-Reader
My reading life is out of control.
With the advent of ebooks, I worried that authors would lose income because they make less on an ebook than they do on a “paper” book, but if most readers are anything like me, authors have nothing to worry about. Take for example, the book I’m reading right now, Sarah’s Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay. I purchased it months ago from one of my favorite independent bookstores, Quail Ridge Books, but never got around to reading it. When I’m making dinner or driving, I like to listen to a book, and since Sarah’s Key was next on my list to read, I downloaded it to my iPod. So I now owned two copies of the book. But I can’t listen to an audio book in bed because I fall asleep with the iPod running. Since I’ve become a Kindle reader, I prefer reading on my Kindle in bed, so (yes, I know this is insane, and I send my deepest, deepest apologies to the bricks and mortar booksellers, whom I love dearly) I downloaded Sarah’s Key to my Kindle. While I love having the actual book on my bookshelf, I will probably never crack it open.
Here’s where the true insanity comes in. While making dinner, I get to a certain point in the book. Then when I go to bed, I have to somehow find that same point in my Kindle edition (there are no page numbers in either the Kindle edition or the audio version, so it’s a matter of trial and error). Fortunately, Kindle has a search feature, so if I can remember a unique word from the last chapter I listened to on the iPod, I can usually find it in the ebook. When making dinner the following night, it’s a bit more of a challenge to find my new place on the iPod. I am learning patience.
So, Ms. de Rosnay, you have me to thank for your next glass of wine! And thanks, by the way, for writing a wonderful story.
With the advent of ebooks, I worried that authors would lose income because they make less on an ebook than they do on a “paper” book, but if most readers are anything like me, authors have nothing to worry about. Take for example, the book I’m reading right now, Sarah’s Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay. I purchased it months ago from one of my favorite independent bookstores, Quail Ridge Books, but never got around to reading it. When I’m making dinner or driving, I like to listen to a book, and since Sarah’s Key was next on my list to read, I downloaded it to my iPod. So I now owned two copies of the book. But I can’t listen to an audio book in bed because I fall asleep with the iPod running. Since I’ve become a Kindle reader, I prefer reading on my Kindle in bed, so (yes, I know this is insane, and I send my deepest, deepest apologies to the bricks and mortar booksellers, whom I love dearly) I downloaded Sarah’s Key to my Kindle. While I love having the actual book on my bookshelf, I will probably never crack it open.
Here’s where the true insanity comes in. While making dinner, I get to a certain point in the book. Then when I go to bed, I have to somehow find that same point in my Kindle edition (there are no page numbers in either the Kindle edition or the audio version, so it’s a matter of trial and error). Fortunately, Kindle has a search feature, so if I can remember a unique word from the last chapter I listened to on the iPod, I can usually find it in the ebook. When making dinner the following night, it’s a bit more of a challenge to find my new place on the iPod. I am learning patience.
So, Ms. de Rosnay, you have me to thank for your next glass of wine! And thanks, by the way, for writing a wonderful story.
August 23, 2009
The Joy and Sorrow of Reader Reviews
Let me say one thing right up front: I think it's wonderful that there are so many opportunities on the Internet for readers to review novels they've read. I absolutely love being able to check out what other readers think about a book I want to buy. If most of the reviews of a certain book are glowing, I toss out the solo stinker, assuming the reviewer either has an ax to grind or very esoteric taste. Similarly, if most of the reviews are negative, I'll assume the one or two fabulous reviews are from the author's mother. If my mom were alive, I know she'd be sending reviews of my books to Amazon under a dozen aliases.
So, reader reviews are a boon to the reading public. However, it's another matter if you're the author under scrutiny. I know some authors say they never read reviews of their work, but I don't believe them. How could they not?? The problem I have is that I tend to read reviews just before bed, after I've finished working and am idly surfing the 'net. I'll read ten reviews of one of my books on Goodreads, let's say, or Shelfari. Nine reviews will give the book four or five stars and the tenth will give it three stars. A one star review, I can ignore. I simply assume it was written by the girl whose boyfriend I stole in the 2nd grade. But that three star review. . . hmm. That one gets to me, because I feel as though I failed a reader. I'll lay awake, thinking about the negative or mediocre review, trying to figure out what I did wrong. Did I really let the middle of the book drag? Was the main character truly too whiny? Did the ending honestly fail to satisfy? What can I learn from the review? I ask myself that last question all the time.
Are you a reader who leaves reviews on these and similar sites? I hope so. It may feel kind of creepy to think that the author will be reading your review, but I think I can speak for most of us when I say that we take them to heart. It's a wonderful way not only to let your fellow readers know what you think, but the authors as well.
From now on, though, I'm going to read them in the morning.
So, reader reviews are a boon to the reading public. However, it's another matter if you're the author under scrutiny. I know some authors say they never read reviews of their work, but I don't believe them. How could they not?? The problem I have is that I tend to read reviews just before bed, after I've finished working and am idly surfing the 'net. I'll read ten reviews of one of my books on Goodreads, let's say, or Shelfari. Nine reviews will give the book four or five stars and the tenth will give it three stars. A one star review, I can ignore. I simply assume it was written by the girl whose boyfriend I stole in the 2nd grade. But that three star review. . . hmm. That one gets to me, because I feel as though I failed a reader. I'll lay awake, thinking about the negative or mediocre review, trying to figure out what I did wrong. Did I really let the middle of the book drag? Was the main character truly too whiny? Did the ending honestly fail to satisfy? What can I learn from the review? I ask myself that last question all the time.
Are you a reader who leaves reviews on these and similar sites? I hope so. It may feel kind of creepy to think that the author will be reading your review, but I think I can speak for most of us when I say that we take them to heart. It's a wonderful way not only to let your fellow readers know what you think, but the authors as well.
From now on, though, I'm going to read them in the morning.
August 17, 2009
You Can't Always Get What You Want
I've been thinking lately about something Alex Sokoloff says in her screenwriting tips for novelists workshops (and in her blog). She talks about how characters in both books and movies) often start out wanting something that they never get, but end up getting what they need instead. If you think about your favorite movies or books, you'll see how often that's the case. John and I recently watched Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino. Excellent movie! Clint plays a man grieving the loss of his wife, a curmudgeon who wants to be left alone, especially by his Asian neighbors. Of course, he doesn't get what he wants. Instead he gets what he needs: a family.
I think it's important for writers to ask themselves these questions about the characters they create: What does this character want? How is it different from what he or she needs?
In Secrets She Left Behind, Keith, a seventeen-year-old boy who was burned in a fire, wants two things: the return of his mother who has disappeared, and a girlfriend who accepts him the way he is. I won't tell you what he ultimately gets in case you haven't yet read the book, but it's definitely what he needs.
Is it the same in real life? It's so much harder, because there's no writer pulling the strings to make sure everything turns out fine. I've spent the last fifteen minutes trying to figure out which of the zillion examples from my own life to share with you. Here's one: I wanted to set my work-in-progress in Ecuador, but my editor vetoed the setting midway through my first draft. Ultimately, the new North Carolina setting led me to create a story I truly needed to write. Or on a much grander scale, my treasured first marriage ended, but that loss ultimately brought three stepdaughters and three grandchildren into my life. Or how about the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, which forced my lily-livered self to become quite remarkably strong?
I think it is the same in real life: we don't always get what we want, but we often get what we need. The difference is, we have to help make it happen. More importantly, we have to recognize when it happens . . . and count it as a blessing.
I think it's important for writers to ask themselves these questions about the characters they create: What does this character want? How is it different from what he or she needs?
In Secrets She Left Behind, Keith, a seventeen-year-old boy who was burned in a fire, wants two things: the return of his mother who has disappeared, and a girlfriend who accepts him the way he is. I won't tell you what he ultimately gets in case you haven't yet read the book, but it's definitely what he needs.
Is it the same in real life? It's so much harder, because there's no writer pulling the strings to make sure everything turns out fine. I've spent the last fifteen minutes trying to figure out which of the zillion examples from my own life to share with you. Here's one: I wanted to set my work-in-progress in Ecuador, but my editor vetoed the setting midway through my first draft. Ultimately, the new North Carolina setting led me to create a story I truly needed to write. Or on a much grander scale, my treasured first marriage ended, but that loss ultimately brought three stepdaughters and three grandchildren into my life. Or how about the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, which forced my lily-livered self to become quite remarkably strong?
I think it is the same in real life: we don't always get what we want, but we often get what we need. The difference is, we have to help make it happen. More importantly, we have to recognize when it happens . . . and count it as a blessing.
August 10, 2009
The Final Draft (sort of)
I'm often asked how many drafts I write when I'm working on a book. The answer: a lot. I finished my next novel, tentatively titled The Lies We Told, last week, and thought I'd show you the stack of drafts the writing generated. In my left hand, of course, I'm holding the nice, neat perfectly formatted and spell-checked version that I sent to my editor. Beneath my elbow are all the previous versions.
I use different color paper for each draft so I can keep them straight. In this stack there's pink, blue, green and yellow, and then I had to start repeating the colors.
So, what happens now? My editor (and my agent) will weigh in with their thoughts on what works and what doesn't in the final draft. By the time I reach the final draft stage, I'm too close to the book to see the forest for the trees, so their input is invaluable. The requested changes from my editor are often things like "Character X's motivation for stealing his mother's false teeth needs to be stronger". My editor's ideas for change invariably make me a) groan and b) want to punch my computer screen. It usually takes me 24 hours to recover from an editor's feedback--and to see the value in it. By then, I'm ready to get back to work.
The one thing I've learned over the course of writing 19 books is that my editor is on my side--or rather, on the side of the book. She wants the book to be every bit as good as I want it to be. There's a tendency, especially among new writers, to see the editor as the enemy. That couldn't be further from the truth. The other thing I've learned is that the editor is nearly always right on the money with her suggestions, no matter how much I hate having to make the revisions.
Here are a couple of examples of changes my editors have recommended in the past:
In my latest release, Secrets She Left Behind, I originally introduced the significant character, Jen, about halfway through the book. My editor, Miranda Indrigo, suggested I introduce Jen much earlier, which made a lot of sense and increased the tension in the earlier part of the book.
In Keeper of the Light, the old lighthouse keeper, Mary Poor, was originally a man. My editor at the time was Karen Solem, who is now an agent, and I will never forget her telling me to "sit down" before she made the particular suggestion to change Caleb Poor to Mary Poor. How I resisted for my usual 24 hours! I knew it would require revamping the entire book. Around hour 20, I realized she was right. I had to create an entirely new character in Mary, and she turned out to be a perfect and very necessary addition to the story.
So now I wait. Soon, I expect to be enduring my 24 hours of agony, followed by the addition of one more draft to the pile. I think I'll use purple this time.
I use different color paper for each draft so I can keep them straight. In this stack there's pink, blue, green and yellow, and then I had to start repeating the colors.
So, what happens now? My editor (and my agent) will weigh in with their thoughts on what works and what doesn't in the final draft. By the time I reach the final draft stage, I'm too close to the book to see the forest for the trees, so their input is invaluable. The requested changes from my editor are often things like "Character X's motivation for stealing his mother's false teeth needs to be stronger". My editor's ideas for change invariably make me a) groan and b) want to punch my computer screen. It usually takes me 24 hours to recover from an editor's feedback--and to see the value in it. By then, I'm ready to get back to work.
The one thing I've learned over the course of writing 19 books is that my editor is on my side--or rather, on the side of the book. She wants the book to be every bit as good as I want it to be. There's a tendency, especially among new writers, to see the editor as the enemy. That couldn't be further from the truth. The other thing I've learned is that the editor is nearly always right on the money with her suggestions, no matter how much I hate having to make the revisions.
Here are a couple of examples of changes my editors have recommended in the past:
In my latest release, Secrets She Left Behind, I originally introduced the significant character, Jen, about halfway through the book. My editor, Miranda Indrigo, suggested I introduce Jen much earlier, which made a lot of sense and increased the tension in the earlier part of the book.
In Keeper of the Light, the old lighthouse keeper, Mary Poor, was originally a man. My editor at the time was Karen Solem, who is now an agent, and I will never forget her telling me to "sit down" before she made the particular suggestion to change Caleb Poor to Mary Poor. How I resisted for my usual 24 hours! I knew it would require revamping the entire book. Around hour 20, I realized she was right. I had to create an entirely new character in Mary, and she turned out to be a perfect and very necessary addition to the story.
So now I wait. Soon, I expect to be enduring my 24 hours of agony, followed by the addition of one more draft to the pile. I think I'll use purple this time.
August 7, 2009
Name that Newsletter!
I'm getting ready to create my next online newsletter, since some of you have told me you'd like to hear from me more than once or twice a year. Yes, I've been a little slow getting the news out! Now that many of my older books are being reissued, I agree that I need to communicate with those of you on my mailing list more frequently.
Therefore, I plan to design a unique newsletter that I can send out easily a few times a year. It will contain updates on my latest books, contests, appearances, and any other information I think will benefit my readers. But it needs a name! For example, I recently received Sue Monk Kidd's lovely newsletter, which she calls Reflections--a name that suits her writing perfectly. I have my thinking cap on, but I know y'all have amazing thinking caps yourselves (I will never forget how you helped me name the island in my work-in-progress!), so I thought I'd turn to you for some suggestions.
If I use your idea, I'll send you autographed copies of my two latest books, Before the Storm and Secrets She Left Behind, made out to you or a friend. Thanks for your help! (If you're not already signed up to receive my newsletter, hop on over and sign up now.)
http://www.dianechamberlain.com/chamb...
Therefore, I plan to design a unique newsletter that I can send out easily a few times a year. It will contain updates on my latest books, contests, appearances, and any other information I think will benefit my readers. But it needs a name! For example, I recently received Sue Monk Kidd's lovely newsletter, which she calls Reflections--a name that suits her writing perfectly. I have my thinking cap on, but I know y'all have amazing thinking caps yourselves (I will never forget how you helped me name the island in my work-in-progress!), so I thought I'd turn to you for some suggestions.
If I use your idea, I'll send you autographed copies of my two latest books, Before the Storm and Secrets She Left Behind, made out to you or a friend. Thanks for your help! (If you're not already signed up to receive my newsletter, hop on over and sign up now.)
http://www.dianechamberlain.com/chamb...
August 3, 2009
Dr. Jakes and the Care and Feeding of Secondary Characters
One of my favorite characters in my latest novel, Secrets She Left Behind, has no starring role, no point of view and he's only in the limelight in a few scenes. Yet, he's one of my all time favorite characters. Maggie Lockwood, on the other hand, does play a starring role, and Dr. Jakes is her psychotherapist. That makes him important, but when I first created him, I had no idea how important he would come to be. Nor did I know how much I would like him. Secondary characters are like that. They sneak up on both writer and reader, sucking us in before we know what's happened.
I fully expected Maggie's therapist to be a female. I had a private psychotherapy practice myself in my former career as a clinical social worker, and I worked with countless young women Maggie's age, so I pictured her therapist as a compassionate, empathetic, thirty-something-year-old woman. Imagine my surprise when Maggie arrived for her first appointment and her therapist turned out to be a balding, 'ancient,' 'obscenely fat,' man wearing 'ridiculous red, white and blue striped glasses.' I couldn't get that female therapist to show up no matter how hard I tried. Maggie was mortified, but my curiosity was peaked. Who was this guy? What was his story?
This is where the care and feeding of secondary characters comes into play. Writers need to know them well, even if those bit players don't have a starring role. To get to know Marion Jakes, I wrote a short autobiography of him in his own words, which is something I always do with characters who are important to a book. Sometimes I'll reveal things I learn about a secondary character in the course of a story, but in Dr. Jakes' case, I did not. After all, he has no point of view and he's a therapist. His story doesn't count, not in any overt way. He's there only to help Maggie, and help her he does, in ways she never expected. I'm the writer, though, and I wrote his mini-autobiography, so I'm privvy to his own personal story and how he came to be the man he is. I'm richer for knowing him, and I believe my reader is richer because I know him so well.
It was fun for me to create him. I think I was a good therapist, but I would be a much better one now, these many years later. With apologies to all you young therapists out there, wisdom comes with age and there's no way around it (don't worry! You too will be old one day). There are elements to Dr. Jakes that I never possessed as a therapist and that I really like in him. Now that I think of it, I may have been working through some of my own issues with him, becoming through him the therapist I would have liked to have been. I guess Maggie was, in some ways, my own client.
Well, I had no idea I was going to go off on that tangent when I started this post! That's very much the way it is when I'm writing a book: I never know where I'm going to end up. That's also the way it is with secondary characters. You think they're going to be simple people, easily ignored, but they surprise you when you least expect it.
And you're very, very lucky when they do.
I fully expected Maggie's therapist to be a female. I had a private psychotherapy practice myself in my former career as a clinical social worker, and I worked with countless young women Maggie's age, so I pictured her therapist as a compassionate, empathetic, thirty-something-year-old woman. Imagine my surprise when Maggie arrived for her first appointment and her therapist turned out to be a balding, 'ancient,' 'obscenely fat,' man wearing 'ridiculous red, white and blue striped glasses.' I couldn't get that female therapist to show up no matter how hard I tried. Maggie was mortified, but my curiosity was peaked. Who was this guy? What was his story?
This is where the care and feeding of secondary characters comes into play. Writers need to know them well, even if those bit players don't have a starring role. To get to know Marion Jakes, I wrote a short autobiography of him in his own words, which is something I always do with characters who are important to a book. Sometimes I'll reveal things I learn about a secondary character in the course of a story, but in Dr. Jakes' case, I did not. After all, he has no point of view and he's a therapist. His story doesn't count, not in any overt way. He's there only to help Maggie, and help her he does, in ways she never expected. I'm the writer, though, and I wrote his mini-autobiography, so I'm privvy to his own personal story and how he came to be the man he is. I'm richer for knowing him, and I believe my reader is richer because I know him so well.
It was fun for me to create him. I think I was a good therapist, but I would be a much better one now, these many years later. With apologies to all you young therapists out there, wisdom comes with age and there's no way around it (don't worry! You too will be old one day). There are elements to Dr. Jakes that I never possessed as a therapist and that I really like in him. Now that I think of it, I may have been working through some of my own issues with him, becoming through him the therapist I would have liked to have been. I guess Maggie was, in some ways, my own client.
Well, I had no idea I was going to go off on that tangent when I started this post! That's very much the way it is when I'm writing a book: I never know where I'm going to end up. That's also the way it is with secondary characters. You think they're going to be simple people, easily ignored, but they surprise you when you least expect it.
And you're very, very lucky when they do.
