Monthly Archives: July 2011

Sock Summit 2011–Oh, the Colors!

Posted on July 31, 2011 by Laura Stanfill

Even non-knitting writers need a dash of color as inspiration once in a while, so I can’t help sharing a few photos from this weekend’s Sock Summit in Portland, Oregon. If you’re a writer and keep reading past all the … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Flipback, Knitting, Writing | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Pregnancy and the Writer’s Brain

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Laura Stanfill

Many authors talk about novel-writing as being pregnant with a story or birthing a world. It’s all grand and metaphoric. And then there are those who are actually pregnant while writing a novel. We turn into a bundle of hormones … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Writing | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

Interview: Kristin Bailey Murphy Offers Insights About Famous American Authors in a Book About Her Great-Aunt’s Career

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Laura Stanfill

I have the great pleasure of introducing Kristin Bailey Murphy as part of the Seven Questions series. Kristin’s life-in-letters book about her great-aunt is so fascinating that I decided to feature her work in two posts. If you haven’t already, pop … Continue reading →

Posted in Research, Seven Questions, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Kristin Bailey Murphy’s Manuscript Reveals the Life and Letters of Annie Laurie Williams, the Dramatic and Motion Picture Agent

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Laura Stanfill

Author Kristin Bailey Murphy is writing a nonfiction book that’ll be of great interest to anyone who admires the work of John Steinbeck, Margaret Mitchell, Lloyd C. Douglas and Harper Lee. Intrigued? So am I. The book is titled AFFECTIONATELY, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Research, Seven Questions, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Google+, Flipbacks and Socks

Posted on July 24, 2011 by Laura Stanfill

The next few weeks are going to be busy. I have a lot of exciting content ready, starting with a new Seven Questions interview tomorrow morning. So here’s a quick three-in-one post to share a few things before too much … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Flipback, Knitting, Writing | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments

Aerial Portland

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Laura Stanfill

Portland, Oregon, inaugurated two space-age looking trams back in 2007. Yesterday, on yet another gray summer morning, my friend and I took our kiddos for their first ride. As I’m complaining about the weather while many states are suffering from … Continue reading →

Posted in Community | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

Reading Fiction While Writing It

Posted on July 20, 2011 by Laura Stanfill

I’m eagerly awaiting my flipback version of David Mitchell’s “Cloud Atlas,” which I ordered directly from Hodder & Stoughton on June 30. So that’s why you haven’t heard about it yet. I check my front stoop a few times a … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Fiction, Flipback, Writing | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments

Author Interview: Faith Elizabeth Hough on Literary Historical Fiction, Avoiding the Info Dump and the Art of the Outline

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Laura Stanfill

It’s such a treat to interview Faith Elizabeth Hough today as part of the Seven Questions series. She writes literary historical fiction for children and young adults. Faith, a Connecticut resident, is the author of THE WITHERING VINE, which earned an honorable … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Research, Seven Questions, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

Writing Challenge #7: Small Changes, Big Rewards

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Laura Stanfill

I usually write fiction double-spaced in Word with paragraph indents. When starting my new novel last fall, though, I opted to write single-spaced with no paragraph indents. Sure, it’s a very formal business-letter look. But each page appeared wildly different … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Revision, Writing, Writing Challenge | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Using the Exclamation Point in Fiction

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Laura Stanfill

Yesterday I read Aimee Lee Ball’s piece about the use of exclamation points in emails. There were some great quotes from contemporary authors in there, including these: “The more exclamation points you use, the more you need to use in order … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Revision, Writing | Tagged , , , | 37 Comments