The Authentic Writer by B. Lynn Goodwin: A WOW Blog Tour
Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler with B. Lynn Goodwin/@Lgood66337
“We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be.” ― May Sarton
Welcome to B.Lynn Goodwin’s WOW Blog Tour for her new memoir, Never Too Late: From Wannabe to Wife at 62. Lynn and I are International Women Writer’s Guild (IWWG) sisters and met online.
My reviews of Never Too Late can be found on Amazon, Goodreads, LibraryThings and RiffleBooks.
Welcome Lynn!
Author B. Lynn Goodwin
The Authentic Writer
In late December my memoir, Never Too Late: From Wannabe to Wife at 62, was published by Koehler Books. Comments from readers are most encouraging. Here are three confirming that I met the goal of writing with an authentic voice:
“One by one, she confronts her doubts with openness and honesty in this memoir, relating it all with convincing clarity and a refreshing lack of sentimentality. This isn’t a conventional love story; rather, it’s a mature assessment of the pros and cons of having a relationship.” –Kirkus Reviews
“This beautifully written book wreaks of honesty and authenticity. The author brings the reader into her world and to her side in its first few paragraphs by candidly sharing her feelings of inadequacy and sense of having a flawed nature. Don’t we all feel this at one time or another?” –John Maxwell O’Brien, PhD
“With raw honesty, the author slowly reveals the conflict she is experiencing in making the decision to marry. How can a blue collar worker fit into her white collar world? How will she deal with a potential loss of independence? What will she be giving up? But what will she gain? All of these concerns are relatable and the reader feels her dilemma. –Kathleen Pooler
Want to make your story, essay, or poem authentic? Tell the whole truth—warts and all. Make your narrator three-dimensional.
Think you, the narrator, have no flaws? Ask another character in your story, or your spouse, or your co-worker, or your child.
In addition give your antagonist at least one likeable trait. Few things are black and white in this world. Most readers like to see how characters handle complications in their lives. Some are role models for what we should do. Others are role models for what we should avoid.
Here are some steps for writing authentically:
Tell what happened.
Include the narrator’s part in it.
Consider why it happened.
Include reactions.
Consider how a narrator grows as a result of what happened.
Include resolutions to change, grow, or maintain a new awareness.
Stuck?
Why did you want to tell this story?
Who does it have value for?
Write for them and write for yourself. Stuck on a plot point or troubled by irreconcilable differences? Ask your narrator how to handle it. If she’s truly three- dimensional she’ll help you journal about it until you figure it out.
The authentic writer tells the truth, listens to criticism, and uses it whenever it will help her tell her story.
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Book Summary
How does a 62-year-old woman who’s never been married find happiness with a two-time widower seeking his third wife on . . .Craigslist!?
Does she throw caution to the wind and relinquish her freedom, or should she take a crash course in compromises?
Author B. Lynn Goodwin tells all and more in Never Too Late. How she was attracted to Richard’s clear expectations, his honesty, and his incredible openness. She’d never met anyone like him. Would she recognize love if it knocked on her heart? And could an educated woman be happy moving into a blue-collar world?
Whether you’ve been single forever, are trapped in an unhappy marriage, or you’re simply curious, you’ll find secrets to a happy marriage in Never Too Late.
Paperback: 222 Pages
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Koehler Books (December 20, 2017)
ISBN-10: 1633936082
ISBN-13: 978-1633936089
Never Too Late: From Wannabe to Wife at 62 is available for print and eBook at Amazon , Barnes & Noble and IndieBound.
Praise
“A vivid, engaging, and heart-warming tribute to that rare and wonderful thing: a late-in-life
love.” – Susan Wittig Albert, Ph.D, author of Loving Eleanor and The General’s Women
“A book filled with grace and charm.” – Aline Soules, author of Meditation on Woman and Evening Sun
“Very different from any love story you have ever read.” – Richard J. Smith, Ph.D., author of Life After Eighty, Once Upon A Christmas, and Musings of an Old Man
“For those who think life has passed them by, take heart, and read B. Lynn Goodwin’s book, Never Too Late, an unflinchingly honest, personal tale of love found after 60.” – Kate Farrell, Author and co-editor of award-winning anthologies: Times They Were A-Changing: Women Remember the ’60s & ’70s and Cry of the Nightbird: Writers Against Domestic Violence
About the Author
Lynn Goodwin is the owner of Writer Advice, www.writeradvice.com. She’s written You Want Me to Do WHAT? Journaling for Caregivers(Tate Publishing) and Talent (Eternal Press). Talent was short-listed for a Literary Lightbox Awardand won a bronze medal in the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards and was a finalist for a Sarton Women’s Book Award.
Her manuscript, Never Too Late: From Wannabe to Wife at 62 was published by Koehler Press on December 20, 2017. Goodwin’s work has appeared in Voices of Caregivers, Hip Mama, Dramatics Magazine, Inspire Me Today, The Sun, Good Housekeeping.com, Purple Clover.com and elsewhere. She is a reviewer and teacher at Story Circle Network, and she is a manuscript coach at Writer Advice. She always has time to write guest blog posts and answer questions. She loves working one on one, trouble-shooting, and helping writers find what works.
She can be found online at:
Website: http://www.writeradvice.com/
Blog: https://blynngoodwin.com/blog-page/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lgood67334
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blynn.goodwin
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/Lgood67334/
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How about you? What makes you decide that an author’s voice is authentic? How important is an author’s authentic voice to you when you are reading? As a writer how do you know when your own voice is authentic?
We’d love to hear from you. Please join in the conversation below~
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Next Week:
Monday, 2/19/18:
“When and How to Use Journals and Letters in Your Memoir by Amber Lea Starfire”
Amber is the author of two memoirs, Not the Mother I Remember and her latest memoir, Accidental Jesus Freak.
