Tag Archives: first draft

Thoughts on Finishing (and Muddling)

Posted on March 31, 2011 by

What Jennifer Chen said about the immediacy of baking in her Seven Questions interview on Monday really resonated with me. I’ve always thought of knitting as a perfect companion to writing, much the way she talks about baking. With yarn and … Continue reading →

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Going Viral: A Lesson in Continuity

Posted on March 3, 2011 by

A nasty virus struck our family in mid-January. It wasn’t content to make us miserable for a few days, oh no. This villain had bigger plans. It stuck around and developed into more sinister problems–sinus infections, bronchitis and a double … Continue reading →

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The Wrong Protagonist

Posted on February 21, 2011 by

I started my new novel this past August, and instead of moving from the 1970s to the present, as I had intended, the story did a backflip of its own accord (I swear!) and plunged itself into the mid-19th century. … Continue reading →

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WIPs (Works-in-Progress)

Posted on February 16, 2011 by

I want my new novel to be like my latest shawl. The pattern, Pogona, by Stephen West, features long, clean lines and elegant triangles surrounded by fields of purl bumps. I love the easy flow of the pattern. Knitting something … Continue reading →

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Scene Versus Narrative

Posted on December 8, 2010 by

I’m still thinking about last night’s writing group (the anonymous one I hinted about in a previous post). Each writer had amazing pages to share, ones that made us laugh, shake our heads or sit there with our mouths dropped … Continue reading →

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A Mess, a Lovely Mess

Posted on November 21, 2010 by

In the short lull between finishing my small-town newspaper novel, “Body Copy,” and beginning the first draft of my new one, I discovered this essay by one of my favorite writers, Stephanie Kallos. It’s about the process of writing novel number … Continue reading →

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The Joy of Powell’s

Posted on November 16, 2010 by

I’m a book browser, a title checker, a back-cover blurb skimmer. I’m also a sucker for staff recommendations–but only the handwritten ones with (occasionally) too many exclamation points that punctuate the shelves at independent bookstores. That being said, I’m in … Continue reading →

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