Writing as Therapy
As I’m nearing the end of my draft, which will be the first one to be read by my team of readers, scads of personal things are coming up for me. Much of it is due to anxiety I’m sure- the fear of having this be a real object that I am offering up for critique is an understandably nerve-wracking experience. The greater issue at stake, though, is confronting some interesting demons that are coming out through my characters. Naturally, all my characters have parts of me: Renee...
Read MoreOpen Wide
Economy of language is a wonderful thing- I admire writers who are able to express in three words what others take paragraphs to say. I overwrite- a big part of my most recent edit is getting rid of superfluous adjectives creating overwrought descriptions, and a lot of redundancies. I know my verbosity is due to insecurity at to how I am perceived. I tend talk a lot to ensure I am understood. The problem with this is that it doesn’t give me or my listeners/readers a whole lot of...
Read MoreHelp Me Get to Manchester!
I just signed up with IndieGoGo – a wonderful webtool to fundraise for small projects. It looks like a trip to Manchester for this conference will cost about $1400 including lodging and airfare – way more than I can afford on my own. If you like what you read and want to help a struggling novelist out, please consider donating. Every bit helps. Go here to...
Read MoreShe-Wolves United in Manchester
I just got news today that I’ve been invited to present a paper at the University of Manchester’s “She-Wolf” conference (subtitled: Female Werewolves, Shapeshifters and Other Horrors in Art, Literature and Culture) in September. In addition, I’ve been asked to sit on a panel about “writing the female monster” to discuss the challenges, requirements and rewards of writing about the monstrous feminine. I am tremendously excited by this opportunity. Not...
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