Sometimes you need to take a break from writing a novel
Choosing Characters’ Names
Thanks to all who contributed to the discussion last time of the fat woman getting a massage. She turned out to be a more minor character than I anticipated owing to a medical crisis with another minor character nicknamed Flip. You can’t always control your characters when writing a novel. But in discussing her name (Camilla, BTW, with no nods…
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The Name’s the Sweet Thing–Sometimes
“How did you choose these names for your characters?” asked an interviewer. Great question–and one writers wrestle with all the time! Choosing a name Two-thirds of the way through writing Bridging Two Hearts, I needed to introduce a minor character. She was getting a massage from my heroine (a massage therapist). Because massage is an intimate experience, many therapists ask…
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Detailing the Place Without Scent
Can the beach not have a scent? I’m just back from three exquisite days in Coronado, California, the setting for my next novel, Bridging Two Hearts. I went with a purpose: to pick up local color, talk to natives and make note of details–particularly scent and sound. While some like to say the devil is in the details, the facts…
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Maps and Fiction
Do maps and fiction writers need each other? I’ve been working on a novel the last month that takes place on Coronado “Island”, a long narrow sand spit just west of San Diego proper. It’s connected to the “mainland” via the infamous Coronado Bridge (third highest suicide bridge in the US) or an isthmus at Imperial Beach to the south….
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Traveler’s Tales: Transylvania and the Nightmare of Reading Dracula
“How about a trip to Transylvania?” I asked my daughter-in-law. The invitation from the groom’s mother may have been intended as a casual bit of FYI: my godson was getting. Did I want to attend the wedding? How often do you get to spend time with old friends you haven’t seen in ages? How often do friends invite you to…
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