Joyce’s Comments (group member since Aug 24, 2010)

Joyce’s comments from the Q&A with Joyce Maynard group.

Thanks so much for choosing my novel, Susan. I wish i could be there for the discussion. One question I'd love to know: at what point in the book did you figure out the secret?

have a great discussion. i hope there's red wine involved.

warmly

joyce

Naomi wrote: "Joyce,

That blows me away that you wouldn't know the outcome of this book, particularly this book, because of the twists and turns. Wow.

I have recommended this book to about 20 people this ..."


Hello again, Naomi: About my not knowing, myself, all of what happens in my novels. I should be more clear. I know the essential aspects to a character's makeup--which is to say, I know what kind of person she is, what she likes, what she dreams of . I also know certain basic , life-shaping things about her history. (And in hte case of The Good Daughters, you know which ones those would be. without being a spoiler, i will simply say: I knew from the beginning what transpired the night of the hurricane.)

what i do not know is how these elements will play out in the plot. but you know, it' my profound belief as a writer that what happens in our lives--a lot of it--comes out of who we are. so for me, the writing of a novel depends on my creating characters sufficiently real that they will lead me to the last page. and they do.

thanks so much for recommending my new novel to friends, by the way. this is how a writer (who isn't jonathan franzen) survives.

dear naomi

of course there is not much a writer likes to hear more than the words of a reader, telling her she cared so much about the story she couldn't put the book down.

i most certainly DO feel strong emotion when i write. (sometimes i cry.) unlike a lot of writer friends of mine, i never know the outcome of a book i'm writing until i get there, so i am my own first reader.

Dear Naomi

To answer the first question: I started writing full time (with my memoir, Looking Back, when I was 18. That's 38 years ago. I'm 56 .
(And by the way, you can read the story of my coming of age and development as a writer, and a lot of what happened after, in my more recent memoir, At Home in the World, which was just reissued in paperback with a new forward by me.)

Running out of ideas has never been a problem. My life presents them , and even though my novels are not autobiographical (with the possible exception of Where Love Goes, published long ago) they always contain elements of things I've lived through or thought about or been moved by.

I know there are writers who feel a need to seal themselves off from the world to work. In my case, the opposite is true. I like to be very much in the world, and around people, to be the storyteller I am. (This is particularly true at the moment by the way: this past january I adopted two little girls from Ethiopia, sisters age 7 and 11, so after a twenty some year hiatus, i am down at the soccer field again. )

I also want to add here that I have a website, www.joycemaynard.com, with lots of my old essays posted, and information about my books. If you register your email address there you will receive my periodic letter. It's important to me to stay in touch with readers in forums like this, and my website, and facebook. So, thank you for being here.

Susan wrote: "Joyce I would like to thank you so much for your book labor day. Labor Day was a long overdue catharsis for me. I was never able to understand what my son was going through. Your book helped me to ..."


your observation about your son interests me a lot, susan. if you care to explain i'd love to hear.

and who would you like to see in the role of adele?

Hi Diane.

There has been some talk of Josh Brolin playing the role of Frank in Labor Day , but that's totally unconfirmed and may only be a rumor. I think he'd be great.

The director (who has also adapted my novel for the screen) is Jason Reitman, who made Up in the Air and Juno. I feel the book is in very good hands.

Kathy wrote: "So glad you are doing the Q&A. I just read Labor Day and The Good Daughters. I really enjoyed the intimate writing styles of both books. I loved it that you took us through the decades with thes..."

Thank you , Kathy. The novel I wrote just before The Good Daughters--Labor Day-- all takes place over the course of six days (rather than five decades). I think I was inspired to try a very different kind of story after Labor Day. (Though I am very fond of LD too, and hope you take a look at it. That one's just out in paper back.

Naomi wrote: "Started The Good Daughters this morning and am already on page 100. What a great book. I think I like it more than Labor Day and I didn't think that was going to happen.

I would like to know ho..."


I'm still working out the kinks in this posting system, Naomi. my response is lower on this page.

Susan wrote: "I am still waiting to get The Good Daughters it is probably two weeks. Not sure why it is this long. Oh Darn. I loved! Loved! Labor Day. I am not sure why your book was not on everyone's lips. I us..."

Thanks , Susan!

Naomi wrote: "Started The Good Daughters this morning and am already on page 100. What a great book. I think I like it more than Labor Day and I didn't think that was going to happen.

I would like to know ho..."

Hello, Naomi. The story I tell in The Good Daughters is made up but a key element that inspired me in writing it was a true story I heard about (and was asked to write about as a journalist) involving two women in Oregon, born on the same day . When I got the assignment to write about them I was just heading off to a precious monthlong writing retreat in Wyoming, and so I made the difficult decision to forfeit the reporting job and hold to my plan of spending that month in a little cabin on a ranch out west, writing a novel (wiht NO idea at that point what the novel might be.)

The story that emerged was Good Daughters. A fictional version of the situation the Oregon women encountered (but the many story elements in this one did NOT take place in the real story.)

Kathy wrote: "So glad you are doing the Q&A. I just read Labor Day and The Good Daughters. I really enjoyed the intimate writing styles of both books. I loved it that you took us through the decades with thes..."

Susan wrote: "I am still waiting to get The Good Daughters it is probably two weeks. Not sure why it is this long. Oh Darn. I loved! Loved! Labor Day. I am not sure why your book was not on everyone's lips. I us..."

Gosh, Susan, I don't know why it is taking so long for you to get my novel. Let me know how you like it once you've had a chance to read it. I always love to hear what readers think.

Aaron wrote: "Joyce, it seems like many here haven't read The Good Daughters yet, so I'll try not to spoil it. A co-worker and I were discussing Dana's development and eventual love story, how truthful and love..."

Thanks so much, Aaron. My work as a journalist definitely allowed me to experience many things, but actually I'd say the most significant influence on my writing life --and the factor that has contributed in the most meaningful way on my ability to create believable characters from a diverse range of backgrounds--have been the letters and stories readers have told me over the many years (38 of them now) I've been a writer.
I have reader friends all over the country , who write to me , sometimes, over the course of many years. That has meant a huge amount to me as a writer.

Naomi wrote: "Joyce-

I will be heading to grab The Good Daughters tomorrow to read it quickly for this group. I must tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed Labor Day. I grabbed it as a quick read and was blown aw..."

Thanks so much for the encouraging words (and for recommending my work), Naomi. Let me know how you liked Good Daughters (and if you do, I want you to know there are more novels of mine you might enjoy--The Usual Rules, Where Love Goes, To Die For, The Cloud Chamber, and my very first novel--published in 1981--Baby Love. So I can keep you busy for a while.

Susan wrote: "I am still waiting to get The Good Daughters it is probably two weeks. Not sure why it is this long. Oh Darn. I loved! Loved! Labor Day. I am not sure why your book was not on everyone's lips. I us..."

Thank you Susan (particularly for the word of mouth recommendations of Labor Day.) I've been writing a very long time now (37 years, since the publication of my first book, Looking Back.) It is a challenging part of my own career--and perhaps a reason you didn't know about my fiction before--that in some literary circles I am known chiefly for events in my life than for what I have written. You can read that story in my memoir, At Home in the World. It has just been re-released with a new forward by me. That book tells a difficult story, and was very controversial when first published in 1998, but it's one I'm deeply proud of.

Susan wrote: "I am still waiting to get The Good Daughters it is probably two weeks. Not sure why it is this long. Oh Darn. I loved! Loved! Labor Day. I am not sure why your book was not on everyone's lips. I us..."

Abigail wrote: "I am also interested in knowing how you develop your story lines. Loved Labor Day and plan on reading The Good Daughters soon."

Abigail wrote: "I am also interested in knowing how you develop your story lines. Loved Labor Day and plan on reading The Good Daughters soon."

Hello Abigail! (I hope i'm doing this replying correctly , at last. Every story I write is different, but I will tell you that the story ALWAYS comes from the characters. What I mean to say is that the events that take place in a good story should come out of WHO the characters are. Ruth's love affair with Ray, for example, is a function of her being a person who hungers for something wild and unconventional and totally unlike her parents' marriage. Dana's decision to become a farmer and her purchase of the farm in Maine was not a random plot choice on my part. That's the kind of thing Dana would do.
Sometimes, the story lines that develop in a book I write are as much of a surprise to me as they may be to you, as a reader. Unlike a lot of writer friends of mine, I do not ever fully know (or even partially know, at times) the outcome of a novel I write. I set my characters in motion and they tell me.

Jeannie wrote: "Joyce wrote: "Joyce wrote: "Dallas wrote: "I was . lucky enough to get The Good Daughters as an ARC copy when I attended the Fantastic Fiction conference in Rochester Hills this spring. I really enj..."

hello betsy

i'm happy to hear you'll be tracking down my books. plenty to choose from! by all means let me know what you read and how you liked it.

J
Betsy wrote: "Joyce, I just read about your two daughters in More magazine. You are an incredible woman and an amazing writer. I plan to read more of your books this fall."

dear susy

good hearing from you. i remember bogey's so well. (actually, the owner , mark, took care of my boston terrier for six months once, years ago, when i went off to guatemala to write my novel, The Usual Rules. that book is set in davis, in fact.

i'll hope we cross paths at a reading again one of these days

joyce

Joyce wrote: "Dallas wrote: "I was lucky enough to get The Good Daughters as an ARC copy when I attended the Fantastic Fiction conference in Rochester Hills this spring. I really enjoyed it but Labor Day blew m..."

Joyce wrote: "Dallas wrote: "I was lucky enough to get The Good Daughters as an ARC copy when I attended the Fantastic Fiction conference in Rochester Hills this spring. I really enjoyed it but Labor Day blew m..."

Jeannie wrote: "I just ordered "The Good Daughters" yesterday from Amazon.com--I can't wait to read it.

Jeannie"


This is meant for Dallas. I am still a little confused about how to post my responses to your posts here. I just addressed DALLAS (very cool name, must remember for a character some day) as JEANNIE (also a good name for a character). Still figuring this one out....

Dallas wrote: "I was lucky enough to get The Good Daughters as an ARC copy when I attended the Fantastic Fiction conference in Rochester Hills this spring. I really enjoyed it but Labor Day blew me away. I work..."

Jeannie wrote: "I just ordered "The Good Daughters" yesterday from Amazon.com--I can't wait to read it.

Hello, Jeannie. Librarians are my favorite people. (I recently adopted two little girls from Ethiopia--ages 7 and 11. We practically LIVE at the library.

Jeannie"

Dallas wrote: "I was lucky enough to get The Good Daughters as an ARC copy when I attended the Fantastic Fiction conference in Rochester Hills this spring. I really enjoyed it but Labor Day blew me away. I work..."

Cindy wrote: "Hello, Joyce. The Usual Rules is one of my favorite books of all time. I am currently mid-way into The Good Daughters. I look forward to meeting you next month at the Carmel Clay Public Library ..."


i love it that you're reading Usual Rules , cindy. be sure to say hello when we meet in Carmel.