Straight talk from the sisters about blood, sweat and ink
I’ve always believed that a story is created for the story’s sake, and not to fit a mold or template. I subscribed to the notion that if characters lived, they were intrinsic to the novel’s unfolding, and their agendas might differ from that of the author. There’s magic in that conflict between writer and work; …
Continue reading “Mixing Genres: Are We Committing Career Suicide?”
Recently, I’ve reflected on the vast geographical distances between me and my friends and family, due somewhat to the fact that my son is getting married this summer. Our invited guests stretch across the country and even outside. As the eldest member of Writeonsisters, I lived in a time when my neighborhood was all I …
Continue reading “K is for Kindred Spirits: My Writer Pals”
With Passover and Easter coming up, this seems like a good time to share some Jewish secrets. I love food because it heals everyone–people, dogs, iguanas, plants. A piece of dark chocolate nibbled while sipping a dessert wine; spaghetti slurped and splattering sauce; roasted sweet potatoes served with crisp, tender chicken; food can transform a …
Continue reading “Jewish Secrets From A Yiddishe Mama”
Don’t panic. This (infuriating) title is just an adaptation of lyrics from a song I can’t get out of my head. In case you’re puzzled, Rex Harrison posed a similar question in My Fair Lady, ridiculous as it seems, because given the choice between him and Audrey Hepburn, would any of us really choose to …
Continue reading “Gender Questions: Why Can’t A Woman Write More Like A Man?”
When I was little, I was often criticized for being too sensitive. I didn’t just cry in sad movies, I sobbed, and sometimes carried harrowing images of war, cruelty or injustice around with me for days. I rescued ants and relocated snails from places where they might be squished to hidden areas where they could …
Continue reading “Empathy”
Everything has a beginning. Life; romance; college; a scene in a movie; the letter ‘A’, starting us off on an alphabetical blogging bonanza. As a beginner writer a gazillion years ago navigating Writing 101, one of the first rules I learned from a group of heavyweight author-teachers was WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW. Yes but…what about …
Continue reading “Anthropology And Culture In Service To The Novel”
The good days for a writer usually revolve around a day when the words flow, the images form, and the plot thickens. It’s our own personal heaven and we tuck ourselves into bed that night with a sense of immense satisfaction. But also as writers, we subject ourselves to constant criticism, as do all artists. …
Continue reading “A Ray of Sunshine: When a Writer Has a Good Day (#abna)”
On Friday I did some creative writing. I often do, but this day was different because I plowed into my story and didn’t stop. That’s unusual for me. There are lots of distractions about: my cat (who looks like a cow) demands to go out and be let in and be fed and play in …
Continue reading “Hey There Writers, Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark”
Rejection sucks. There’s no better word to describe the feeling of just having swallowed a vacuum cleaner hose when: it’s taken you a year to pluck up the courage to phone The Man and ask him to escort you to a gala fundraiser, and he says no, he’d rather go out with Attila the Hun; …
Continue reading “Rejection: Honoring Your Creativity When No One Else Does”
The African bush is never still. Amidst the rustle of leaves and whisper of grass, the grunts and roars and deep cries of predator and prey, herds of elephants roam the landscape within carefully demarcated geographical areas. They congregate at waterholes and snack on a vast menu of delicacies: seeds, roots, fruit, flowers, leaves, branches, …
Continue reading “Friday Inspiration: The Elephant Whisperer”