Posts Tagged ‘While I Danced’
Mining My Own Backstory
This past month, my essay on “The Importance of Backstory” appeared on Hasty Book List. I discuss why I’ve found it so helpful to dig deeply into my characters’ backstories (everything that happened to them prior to the beginning of the novel) before I work on plotting. But what about my own backstory? Interestingly, my…
Read More“Are All Your Stories About People in the Arts?”
We were in the middle of a critique session when a fellow writer turned to me and asked, “Are all your stories about people in the arts?” I nodded and gave her the usual explanation, “Well, that’s the world I know.” But digging deeper, running throughout much of my work is the idea that the…
Read MoreThinking About Imposter Syndrome
The term imposter syndrome was originally coined by the psychologists Suzanna Imes and Pauline Rose in the 1970s. They believed that the syndrome applied mostly to high-achieving women. Further research, however, showed that its periodic sufferers can be just about anyone, especially those thrust into a new role, such as beginning college or getting a…
Read MoreWriting What You Know- Or Want to Know
The other day, I was sitting in a writer’s group getting some feedback on my latest work. A fellow writer turned to me and asked, “Are you always writing about people in the arts?” I realized the answer was “yes.” It wasn’t as though I decided that I was going to make a career out…
Read MoreGhosts from Our Past
Deb Shapiro, the publicist for Page Street, arranged to offer a giveaway on KidsBuzz/Shelf Awareness for my newly released novel, IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN YOU. She decided to have the entries sent directly to me, presumably so that I could begin building an email list of readers who were interested in my work. This…
Read MoreIn Praise of Snail Mail
Originally posted on March 14, 2014 No writer is everyone’s cup of tea, but I’ve been blessed to have my share of fans for my debut young adult novel, While I Danced. In emails, reviews on the web, and phone calls, folks have told me that reading my story moved them emotionally. They cared about…
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