By Jennifer Goble
This past weekend I went to heaven without dying. I attended the Tucson Festival of Books.
I heard panels, conversations, and workshops from authors I have never heard of, and those I have admired for years. They were so generous to share their experiences, show their vulnerabilities, and parent our author endeavors.
When it ended, I was exhausted and exhilarated.
With a magic wand, I could share very word, emotion, and vision. Unfortunately, I can only give highlights. Enjoy.
- J.A. Jance: I start with someone dead and spend the rest of the book trying to figure out how s/he died and who did it.
- Anne Hillerman: Truly know the people and cultures of your stories.
- Margaret Coel: Find characters who are the same as you. Feel their heartbeat.
- Jeffery Deaver: Writing is a job. I write eight to ten hours a day. I rewrite everything fifty times.
- T Jefferson Parker: Writers are paid to be actors - to become someone else.
- Kevin Hazzard: We must find humor in dark moments.
- Sara Hepola: It is a myth to believe all people in addiction treatment have bad parents.
- Thomas Perry: As a writer you can write what you wish you would have said.
- Reed Coleman: If the writer is not interested, the reader will not be interested.
- Libby Fischer Hellmann: We must write about the protagonist's private life as well as their careers.
- Paula McLain: You need to be overwhelmed to write a novel. Historical fiction is like a living wax museum.
- Faye Kellerman: Honing your craft is very solitary.
- Jonathan Kellerman: We write about what bothers us.
- Alan Zweibel: What makes a joke is something surprising and something you know.
- Luis Alberto Urrea: American reader’s favorite word is home. Joy and loss are great unifiers.
- Andrew Milward: There are things short stories can do novels cannot do.
- Bryn Chancellor: A novel is a house, a short story is a room, and a short-short is looking through a peep-hole. (source unknown)
- Agent Clair Gerus: Don’t praise your writing. Don't hurt children or animals.
- Agent Ron Hogan: Boom - get to the story in the logline.
- Agent Jeff Kleinmen: Create new, original settings. Grab us emotionally, immediatley.
- Social Media: Devote as much time on social media as you spend writing.
What do you learn from the masters?
Until the next time: Live while you live!
Columnist: South Platte Sentinel
2 comments:
Mostly, I have developed a deep respect for these masters. The influence they have on up and coming writers is immeasurable.
It is so true. They give expert examples of how, and we have to figure out the who, what, where, when and why.
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