The Write Way: The Plot Thickens, Or Does It?
Anyone who signs on to Internet bulletin boards or newsgroups of novelists will, inevitably, run across “arguments” about the benefits of outlining or not outlining before writing. Actually the “not outlining” group is usually the most vocal. They are convinced that outlining a novel, indeed knowing what’s going to happen before you begin writing the…
Read MoreCouldn’t I Have Said That Better? Editing, Galleys and Errors
There are people out there (and you know who you are) who live to catch errors on the printed page. As obsessed as I am with making sure there are none, I still hear from this sacred sisterhood from time to time. “Don’t I know that people “pore” over the printed page, not pour?” Well, yes,…
Read MoreWeight Watchers, Verizon and Comcast: Am I Cranky Because I’m Food Deprived?
So there we were this morning, trying to make a phone call. Then, there was our beloved telephone company. Turns out our line was dead. Turns out they can repair it. In nine days. Last year our telephone went dead–bees in the box on the pole–and eight days passed before said telephone company toddled out to fumigate the…
Read MoreFilm Vs. Novel–Whose Story Is It Anyway?
In my ten days in New Zealand watching Sweet Georgia Gal, one of my first novels, being turned into a movie for German television, I answered a lot of questions. I asked a lot, too, since that’s a hazard of my profession, plus I drew a lot of comparisons between New Zealand, Germany and the United…
Read MoreAnd The Winners Are . . .
Congratulations to Kitty of Plaquemine, Louisiana, who won an autographed copy of The Four Seasons by Mary Alice Monroe in a random drawing from commenters on my January 23rd blog about Mary Alice’s booksigning at the Sanibel Island Bookshop. Congratulations to two winners in the book-to-movie contest on my February 11th Wild Blue Yonder blog. I promised one…
Read MoreJust Do What You Want To Do
There are two kinds of people in the world. Actually there are almost seven billion kinds of people in the world, but for our purposes today, I’ll simplify. There are two kinds of people. The kind who fall neatly into slots other people choose for them, and the kind who make their own slots. I…
Read MoreHobbits and Elves and Wizards, Oh My
Years ago when my husband read Lord of the Rings to our children, I figured that was “their” time together. After all, hobbits and elves and wizards? Not my thing. Then, the movies arrived. Although I wasn’t dragged to the first one, neither did I go with much enthusiasm. And then, the magic. At one…
Read MoreWonders Down Under–Filmmaking in New Zealand
A movie set is a village, complete with solutions to all life’s pressing problems. Places to eat, rest, clothe yourself, and, of course, a place where that most primal of needs, the telling of stories, comes to life in a very special way. We arrived in New Zealand in the morning, rested and showered then…
Read MoreJust In From New Zealand
Yes, I made it! This is me, after 24 hours in an airplane, watching the fourth book I ever wrote being made into a film for German television. Stay tuned for updates from down under this week.
Read MoreThe Wild Blue Yonder–New Zealand, Blizzards, Movies, and My Novels
We take so many things for granted. You know that already, I’m sure, but recently I’ve had the lesson significantly reinforced. For instance, hopping a plane and arriving on time. Or at least on the right day. Or at worst, the right week. Those of you who visit my Facebook page know that after two…
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