Welcome 2017
The new year is already ten days old, but I still wish people a Happy New Year when I encounter them. Starting the new year with positive wishes seems only right.
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Creating Compelling Characters, Part 2
Recently I discovered a young Swedish writer named Fredrik Backman, who also possesses the gift of creating compelling characters. In his debut novel, A Man Called Ove, Backman introduces us to a curmudgeon named Ove, whose compulsive personality distances from his neighbors. The neighbors all come with problems and idiosyncrasies that initially offend Ove, but eventually endear them to him. (more…)
Creating Compelling Characters, Part 1
As an avid reader, I’ve discovered that successful authors create compelling characters and insert them into a series of works. As the characters become familiar, I discover them in a number of different situations, some more believable than others, but all engaging.
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Telling the Whole Story
When I began writing professionally nearly 30 years ago, I felt fortunate to work with experienced journalists. All believed that the first three rules of journalism were “accuracy, accuracy, accuracy.”
My editors also taught me some tricks of the trade: to vary my sentences and the way I described my subjects and invite the reader into the story. They insisted that I contact all sources and present the full story and added that the best writing came from rewriting.
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Individual Stories Become a Part of All History
On Tuesday, September 27, 2016, the Friendship Connection #1 invited me to talk about how individual histories become part of all history at the Poinsettia Pavilion in Ventura, California. On a sweltering fall day, I shared my past experiences collecting oral histories for the Museum of Ventura County and presented excerpts from these interesting interviews. I also spoke about what an honor and privilege it was to help other people tell their stories in book form.
My own memoir, What Lies Within, grew out of these experiences. After all, if I could write others’ tales, why couldn’t I write my own? I did. But it took nearly ten years from when I began writing my book, a memoir of my early years, until it debuted in 2013. I squeezed it in between client projects and work for my professional organization, the Association of Personal Historians, Inc.
One project I began as a subcontractor in 2003 became my second longest writing achievement. A combination memoir/biography written by Horace Dade Ashton and Marc Ashton grew into a challenging series of tales that I helped tell. Based on recordings that the late Horace Ashton left behind and Marc Ashton’s story of his kidnapping in 2001, the book became The Spirit of Villarosa: A Father’s Extraordinary Adventures; A Son’s Challenge. This book was released on June 28, 2016, and I feel fortunate to have been part of this amazing true-life tale’s writing team.
I read excerpts from both books and answered questions about them and my life. Afterwards members purchased copies of the books, which I gladly signed.
Writing can be a lonely profession, so I really enjoy the opportunities I get to share my work by venturing out and speaking. It felt wonderful to be welcomed by such a warm, receptive audience.
Why I Read, and What I’ve Learned from Other Writers (Part 2)
To be a good writer, one must read. As soon as I learned to read, I became a voracious reader, devouring library books and the Weekly Reader books that arrived each month. Books were a big part of my childhood world, as I mentioned in my memoir, What Lies Within. The reading habits I established early have remained with me all my life. (more…)