It’s exciting to have a finished project, and it’s hard to get noticed.
Alone, those are just the facts. But throw in someone who has just finished their first project, and witness the gory, inadvertent self-mutilation resulting from the LOOK AT ME! explosion.
When I learned that an author I’ll call Ms. Y had a son in the Army, I asked her if she might be interested in reading Pretty Much True… . (At the time, it hadn’t yet been placed with a publisher and was just sitting around in my computer doing nothing.) She responded with “Yes,” but she also asked if I was looking for an endorsement. Continue reading
When I was interviewed a few years ago by an NPR personality, I was “coached” on one of my answers. S/he asked me a question, I answered, and then s/he moved the microphone to the side.
“What I was trying to get you to say was [phrase]. I’m going to ask you again.”
A friend told me I was being too “journalistic” when answering interview questions about
Pretty Much True… .
You wrote a fictional story in which the characters and actions were different but the feelings and the fear were the same. Get PERSONAL.
I never wanted to do that before, because I wanted to emphasize that the overall feeling of the experience, not my experience but the experience, was what was important. But she made me see that one experience, the story, wouldn’t exist without the other, the reality. Continue reading
The Facebook page “Sentence Me” recently shared the following quote from the 2001 article “Sentenced to Death” by Salon book critic Laura Miller:
“Just as nuclear physicists strive to impress other nuclear physicists and dog breeders value the admiration of fellow dog breeders over that of the uninitiated masses, so people who write serious fiction seek the high opinion of other literary novelists, of creative writing teachers and of reviewers and critics. They want very badly to be ‘literary,’ and for many of them this means avoiding techniques associated with commercial and genre fiction — specifically too much emphasis on plot.” Continue reading
I just wrote something very close to the following (it’s been very lightly edited for blog-worthiness) in a personal email and thought it was worth sharing here.
I didn’t write PMT only because I wanted to tell a story – I wrote it because the experience of Ian being in Iraq was so overwhelmingly … overwhelming (!) and so many other people were experiencing the same thing that I knew it was one of the sides / impacts / experiences of war that more people should be aware of. I knew it was something that would be easy for those who had never lived it to disregard unless they knew more about it. Continue reading
I spent this morning prepping for the upcoming reading at The Half King by selecting sections of dialogue between protagonist Mia (cab driver) and her fare Donny Donaldson to send to the person who will read a few scenes with me.
Author readings typically involve the writer reading selected passages from his or her work, which I’ll be doing, but I’m also very excited to change things up a little bit by Continue reading
By Kristen J. Tsetsi
Journal Inquirer
Published: Monday, September 10, 2012 4:06 PM EDT
Ryan Gondarowski, 14, of East Windsor,will have several pieces of his artwork on display throughout September at the Warehouse Point Library in East Windsor. He works in watercolor, acrylic, pen and ink, and colored pencil. (Leslloyd F. Alleyne / Journal Inquirer)
EAST WINDSOR, Conn. — At just 14 years old, Ryan Gondarowski is preparing for his first solo art show. Hanging at eye level in the Warehouse Point Library community room, several of the 21 pieces in his collection — in watercolor, acrylic, pen and ink, and colored pencil — adorn the walls, Ryan’s landscapes, still life, and sketches revealing a talent rare in someone so young. Continue reading
Pretty Much True… is now available. It can be ordered from your local bookstore, or you can find it online at most online bookstores, including Amazon (where it’s also available on Kindle).
I couldn’t be more excited, and more honored, to be published by Missouri Breaks Press. Pretty Much True… has had a few years of Continue reading
Inspired by CTworkingmoms.com, which I was reading for an article I’m writing.
In 38 years, I’ve learned:
1. Cuts often don’t hurt until you see the blood. (This is not me trying to be clever or profound. It’s true.)
2. Having no major life plans but hundreds of small, achievable goals has led to Continue reading
