Welcome Back

As promised, the writers' group is back with a sharp look and fresh content. We'll begin each week introducing you to an author, agent, editor, publicist, or other industry insider who will answer your questions about writing, editing, publishing, marketing--in short, anything and everything having to do with the truth about the writer's life. Some weeks, in the absence of a guest expert, we'll share industry news or other need-to-know information that will help you to make it in this business.

Each Tuesday and Wednesday, we'll tackle your questions ourselves and/or consult someone in the business who can round out our perspectives, sometimes throwing it out to you, our readers.

This week we have the pleasure of welcoming Ronlyn Domingue, the author of The Mercy of Thin Air (Atria Books), which sold to 11 other countries.

Library Journal said Mercy is, "Filled with vivid descriptions of . . . marvelous human sensations that people take for granted and that spirits can only wistfully recall, this is a novel that gets under ones skin." (Starred Review)

Ronlyn's writing has appeared in New England Review, Clackamas Literary Review, New Delta Review, and The Independent (UK). Currently, sheʼs at work on her second novel. To learn more about her writing, visit her website at www.ronlyndomingue.com.

Check back this Thursday for Ronlyn's answer to the question:

What is the secret to writing a novel?

~~~~

Tomorrow, we'll tackle the question:
What essentials go into a query letter? I still can't get past the elevator pitch. How do I boil down my 300 page novel to just one line and then turn that into a query that will get requests from literary agents.

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Do you have a question you're dying to have answered? Send it to us at writersgroupquestions@gmail.com and please let us know if you'd like to go on record or remain anonymous. We're eager to get an honest dialogue going about the truth about the writer's life. We invite you to join in the conversation.

Making a Literary Life Friday: Party!

Everyone likes a good party and we at the Writers' Group are no different. Well, actually we are. We're writers, we're not into swinging bashes and binge drinking -- with apologies to Dorothy Parker and William Faulkner. Our idea of a good time is a little more sedate: parrying over the relevance of the semicolon; flexible intelligence when it comes to the pros and cons of first and third points-of-view; and, oh heady times, the best first lines in literature.

And what better venue to discuss these matters than at literary events. Tell us about your favorite experience at a conference and, by all means, tell us the worst. Which authors give the best readings and who is a total snore. Tell us what events you'll be attending in the coming weeks and which ones you wish you could attend. And if you feel like it, let everyone know how you feel about that irascible semicolon.

Lisa Marnell
I will NEVER forget the day I interviewed Gregory Maguire at the 2007 Muse and the Marketplace. The Gregory Maguire of Wicked fame. He is easily the most intelligent and articulate person I have crossed paths with. At the end of our interview - he's so kind and generous - Gregory asked me about my projects and encouraged me. Ironically, we share the same literary agent (if I can finally get my final manuscripts completed), and he said this kind and experienced agent has been nothing but wonderful.

At times, memories of that hour I spent with Gregory Maguire comforts me. Sigh!

Amy MacKinnon
Hands down the best conference I ever attended was Grub Street's 2006 Muse and the Marketplace when after critiquing twenty pages of my WIP Asya Muchnick, Little, Brown editor of The Lovely Bones and The Dogs of Babel, asked that I submit to her when I finished writing it. I will always adore her for that. The worst? There was this event where the room was stifling, the drinks ran out far too soon, and a best selling author I'd met on numerous occassions claimed never to have met me at all -- in front of a rather large group of authors I admired. Worse, when we each mentioned a favorite book or author, and I mentioned Stephen King, she said, "I only read him in the New Yorker." Hmmm...

More recently, I was welcomed with open arms by the Duxbury Free Library and Westwinds Bookshop last Sunday. The library director Carol Jankowski said they had reservations for 60 and strange but true, my high school English teacher Roberta Erickson, whom I thanked in the acknowledgments of Tethered, was there as a bookseller for Westwinds! It was a lovely reunion. Thanks to all who attended; I was impressed and honored with your questions.

Lastly the event I'm most looking forward to attending with Hannah by my side is Grub Street's annual fundraiser Taste of Grub. It's sure to be huge and I really, really want to see you there! Will you come?

Hannah Roveto
One of the best was listening to Lisa Scottoline present at Grub Street's Muse and the Marketplace this year. Holy cow. The talk was something like "Everything Lisa Scottoline Knows About Getting Published" and indeed, she covered getting started to elements of a novel to getting published in an hour and a half, including offering up her agent to us. A different, um, memorable one was a conference where a tall male writer decided to stand out from the crowd wearing bike shorts. No matter his talent, the crowd was divided into two groups: those who dared look down and those who memorized his face.

I wish I could be at the upcoming PEN New England's Horrors of the Publishing World event, but will dedicate what I call my Literary Life funds for this season to Grub's Taste. Cannot wait!

Lynne Griffin
My favorite conference was also the 2007 Muse and the Marketplace conference. My manuscript pages were reviewed by Elinor Lipman's and Michael Lowenthal's editor at Houghton Mifflin, and she requested my full. I sailed off to the luncheon, plunked myself down in an empty seat, only after situated did I realize that I was sitting at keynote speaker Charles Baxter's table! His talk about taking this business one step at a time is one I will never forget.

My horrific workshop experience came just last year when I went to a noted author's talk. When someone in the audience mentioned that my novel was going to be published, she asked me to describe it. I gave my best two sentence pitch, and her response? "Oh, dear. I only write happy books." To which I was left to use a line from Carolyn See's Making a Literary Life. "No kidding."

Making a Literary Life: Boo!

It's getting close to Halloween, that time of year when small children and frightening teenagers knock on your door and bid you Trick or Treat! It's time for us to get into costume. We wanted to share with you, our readers, what literary character we would love to dress up as.


Lisa Marnell
I actually did dress up as Jane Eyre. Yes, for Halloween. I had watched a British version of this classic on television and the next day my brother suggested we go out for one final Halloween; we were far too old, but who can say no to free candy? I wrapped my long brown hair in Princess Leah-like cinnamon buns at the sides of my head. I found a dowdy brown skirt and a white blouse. I didn't frighten anyone that night - or did I?


Amy MacKinnon
Do myths count? If so, I would like to inhabit the world of Medusa. At least then I would have an excuse for all of the voices swirling about me. And I do like snakes. And I like the idea of turning those who bother me while I'm writing to stone with just a look -- just for a little while. Yesssssss, Medusssa.


Hannah Roveto
When I was about ten, I made a paper mache over-the-head Snoopy mask; does that count? Not terribly literary, but then most of the fun characters that come to mind for me are from young adult novels. How about Narnia's White Witch?


Lynne Griffin
When I think of dressing up, I think more about the theatre than Halloween. If I had the acting talent and operatic voice needed to anchor the show, I'd love to dress in the gowns Christine wears in Phantom of the Opera. Sadly, my job each year is to answer the door to ghouls and goblins.

Do Your Homework

Posted by Lynne Griffin

If you have kids, then you know that homework can be a headache for everyone. Few have children who skip up the driveway after school, eager to pull up a chair to begin research for a term paper. And I don't know any parent who likes policing the activity. What does this have to do with living a writer's life? You too must do your homework. And other writers don't want to supervise you doing it.

In the last few months, I've been approached by a number of writers who, like most, wish to be published. Some have clearly done their homework, studying agents' lists and learning everything they can about the industry. I'm all too happy to share my lessons learned so far, having published a nonfiction parenting book and with my soon-to-be-released novel in production. It's the writer who hasn't done a lick of research, one who expects me to do the homework for him or her, that believe it or not, brings out the teacher in me.

I've taught elementary age children and now I teach graduate level students, and regardless of age, both groups have something in common. Some students are self-directed learners; they're well aware of what they know, what they don't know, and they have a strong sense of how to get the information they need. And some students need study guides.

"Can you give me the name of an agent who represents memoirs?" "I'm sending you some of my short stories, and I'd like you to tell me how I can organize them into a themed collection."

Stop your printer! These examples of real requests I've received just in the last two weeks are not examples of networking, nor are they reasonable expectations to have of a fellow writer. Would you ask a friend who works for a bank to balance your checkbook?

You've got to do your own homework. And with the Internet, lots of published books about writing, and blogs like ours and others available, your study guide is right in front of you. Take a look at our list of links. We've collated the best and brightest industry sites, author pages, and books on craft. Make friends with Google, folks. Search key words, mixing them up like a salad until you find what appeals to your palate. Take classes. Go to conferences. Join a writers' group. You'll find what your looking for if you're persistent enough. And speaking of persistence. Doing your homework is perfect practice for learning to cope with the ins and outs, the ups and downs of traveling the road to publication. Not to mention staying on the road after you're published.

So here's this week's homework assignment: Whether you've read it or not, read Carolyn See's Making a Literary Life. Take notes if that's your style. Trust me, there's a test and you're the only one who can take it.

Making a Literary Life: So?

Well, what you done this week to further your literary life? Did you write a charming note? Read a like a writer? Did you have an a-ha moment that you followed through to a nirvanic conclusion? Check, check, and check. C'mon, let's celebrate the good, commiserate with the challenging, and kvetch over the annoying together.

Lisa Marnell
Truthfully, I meant to do a lot to polish my WIP. Sadly, everything else took over my life (boo hoo). Frankly, I'm in a place with writing where I'm focused on the writing.

Amy MacKinnon
I went to my first book club last night and, I have to say, it's the absolute best part of the writing life -- apart from the actual writing that is! Thanks to Mal Noonan and Suzie O'Gara for hosting, I'll post pictures next week and tell you what three books I recommended (hint: one of the author's intials is GKB).

I also received my French cover of Tethered (here). Wow, is it gorgeous!!! Thanks to my editor at Fleuve Noir, Deborah Druba, a huge advocate for this book. Tomorrow, I get to do a reading of Tethered at one of the new Borders concept stores. Maybe I'll see you in Wareham, Massachusetts.

Hannah Roveto
I bought a new notebook, standard school variety. Doesn't sound like much, but it is everything. With MS Number One on its way to agents, I pulled up the rough starts and thoughts of Novel Number Two accumulating over the past months and had a minor "aha." I could start writing; I know how it starts. Still, I want to play with the characters a little more first, get to know them, explore some more subjects and research. Thus my new trusty notebook, with pages assigned to each character that has appeared, room for scenes to be captured as they appear. This is differen than how MS Number One started, and I think the notebook will be my partner to making Number Two stronger, richer and (oh, pray), a little more efficient!

Lynne Griffin
As I fine-tuned my work-in-progress, two important details came to me. These ordinary moments when characters finally choose to reveal bits of vital information make writing fiction the best job in the world.

And I wrote a charming note to Ronlyn Domingue, author of The Mercy of Thin Air, thanking her for this.

Griffin's sensitive debut reveals how loss can tear people apart yet be the same force that binds them again with strength and love. I was touched by its honesty and intrigued by its emotional complexity. Many readers will find comfort and healing through this heartfelt, genuine story.

If you haven't read MERCY, please do. It is a beautiful novel that will stay with you long after you finish the last line. And check out Ronlyn's For Writers page on her website. She is generous with information about living a literary life. Thank you Ronlyn.

Making a Literary Life Friday: Best Sentence of the Week

The sentence can be your own, that one that was too perfect and you stopped and stared at it before moving on. The sentence might be from one of the many books littering your home. It made you laugh, cry, shake your head in appreciation. It was:

Lisa Marnell
Lisa is away today and will weigh in next time.

Amy MacKinnon
"The distant irregular trills of Angelica's uncertain fingers stumbling across the piano keys downstairs, the floury aroma of the first loaves rising from the kitchen: from within this thick foliage of domestic safety his coiled rage found her unprepared." Angelica, Arthur Phillips

I met Arthur at Writers Read for Twain (you've got to see this photo!) this week and he was the consummate gentleman. Tasha Alexander raved about his books, so naturally I bought one. He is as brilliant as he is kind. But I'll tell you all about it on Tuesday!

Hannah Roveto
"He was heading into memory number two, I might as well tell you that straight up, because how I'm supposed to get him in and out of all these memories in a smooth way so nobody notices all the coming and going I don't know." Jennifer Egan, The Keep.

I love that as the moment the reader is promised intertwined narratives.

Lynne Griffin
"My childhood grudges, my righteous indignation, and my master's degree didn't count for squat. My Phi Beta Kappa key unlocked nothing. I was my failings and my actions period."

Okay, that's more than a sentence from Wally Lamb's soon-to-be released novel, The Hour I First Believed. He is a master, breaking rules effortlessly, while managing with grace to tell a powerful story. Wow! I'm reading it like a writer and learning so much.

Making a Literary Life: Improving Craft

We all have strengths and weaknesses when it comes to craft. Some of us write polished prose in that first draft, but the pacing is a little ho-hum. Others nail characters so well, it's as if they are flesh, blood, and snarling comebacks, but, wait, ground me, where's the setting? This week, at our writers' group meeting, we turned to the subject of writing workshops and reflected on what needs attention with our own writing.

Lisa Marnell
I've been reading Pretties by Scott Westerfeld. He's a master of voice, plain and simple. Pretties, you see, are teens who have had parts of their brains altered (as well as their faces) so they see only happiness in the world. They're the valley-people of this decade, if you will. Their speech reflects their thinking. "Oh, that snow outside is so cold-making!" He's nailed them.

I need to work on revealing internal thought in clever, unobtrusive, non-hitting-the-reader-over-the-head ways.

Amy Mackinnon

Gosh, I don't know -- everything! I want to improve everything. This interview with Ann Patchett is what I keep turning to for guidance as I work on my next book, especially that part about narrative structure. It's all so humbling.

Hannah Roveto
Like Amy, I want to learn more about everything. I've learned a lot from the first MS, of course, and as I look to the second, much of what I want to reach for is in details -- touches of characterization, delicate hints as to threads that build intrigue without bashing the reader over the head or are missed entirely, a reining in of the world I create, a refinement of phrasing. We were talking this week about Karl Iagnemma's class on editing at the Muse and the Marketplace, how he spoke of revision as sandpaper, starting with a rough pass on form and plot, then moving to chapters, paragraphs, sentences, words. I want to have more of that knowledge so that the first draft is more of what it will be than what it could be.

Lynne Griffin
Lynne's at the New England Independent Booksellers Association trade show today. I'll bet next week, she'll be happy to weigh in on the aspects of craft she still wants to learn more about.

Making a Literary Life: Memorable Characters

Memorable characters leap off the page and stay with a reader long after a book is closed and returned to the shelf. Reading like writers, we study our favorite characters in fiction, frequently making recommendations to each other. Whether the ones you've come to love are from novels you've read years ago or just last week, we'd love to know your favorites.

Lisa Marnell
I loved Maddelena in A Kiss From Maddelena by Christopher Castellani. Was she the victim of circumstances, meeting the wrong man at the wrong time, or did she simply make a foolish choice that changed her life?

Amy MacKinnon
Inman from Cold Mountain rattles my bones. It's as if Camille Preaker of Sharp Objects lies huddled in one of my upstairs bedrooms. Deenie is a dear, dear friend, someone I spent a lot of time with when we were children. Meursault from Camus' The Stranger still haunts me. Pauline Chen's 83rd organ procurement from Final Exam will leave you gasping for air (did you see Dr. Chen's new column debut in the New York Times?). And then the cast of characters I reunite with every so often because they are so dear to me: Stu Redman, Nick, Frannie, Trashcan Man, Larry Underwood, the Walking Dude aka Randal Flagg, and darling Tom. Don't you know this book?

Hannah Roveto
I love Pat Wood's Perry L.-for Lucky- Crandall in Lottery. Love him, love him, and his Gram and Keith. I know them, had lunch with them: microwaved burritos and a soda. Joe Kavalier and Sammy Clay, of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay are complex, unwinding as each page turns. Quoyle in E. Annie Proulx's The Shipping News is so solid I couldn't see the movie, for fear those images would remove the ones I hold so clearly. Christopher Boone, the autistic boy in Curious Incident by Mark Haddon... Celie in Alice Walker's Color Purple... oh, how the list goes on!

Lynne Griffin
Oh, there are so many! The unnamed, second Mrs. DeWinter in Rebecca, by Daphne Du Maurier is a wonderful example of a multi-layered, complicated character whose inner motivations make her physical attributes almost unnecessary. Leo Gursky in Nicole Krauss's, The History of Love is so fully drawn, I feel like he's a relative or friend. And Jennie in Portrait of Jennie, by Robert Nathan exemplifies how to craft characters across the stages in human development.

*CHECK THIS OUT*

Look for Marilyn Stasio's review of Tethered in this weekend's New York Times Review of Books!

Making a Literary Life: Happy Birthday, Google!

This month is Google's tenth anniversary and, being avid Google Gals, we're thrilled to wish the folks in Mountain View, CA a very happy birthday. Not only do they provide us with this *free* venue, blogspot, but access to a king's ransom worth of information: maps, images, videos. And do you know Google's motto? Do no evil.

In that vein, we'd like to know what your motto is to keep you going through the dark days and what goodness you've put out into the world this week. Now let's eat cake.

Lisa Marnell
I picked mine up from the days I rode horses, from the British riding instructor who lived across the street in Quebec: Gallop on the Middle!

Amy MacKinnon
I have three idioms when I'm digging deep: Just do it (I had it before that shoe company, btw); keep moving forward; and persevere.

Hannah Roveto
Elvis Costello gets me going. When you need a lift, start to hum "Everyday I Write the Book!"

Lynne Griffin
I try to live and breathe one word. Believe.

Making a Literary Life: End of Summer Reflections

The final long days of August seem to carry with them a melancholy. We slow down, reflect. Warm days that ran together are suddenly turning into memories. With September around the corner, we're another year older, but are we another year wiser? We at the writers' group consider what we've learned.

Lisa Marnell
I learned there is no right answer in plotting, in setting, in character development. It's all a choice. You make a choice, you run with it. Second guessing isn't your job; that's the duty of a writers' group or trusted reader. I've gone down too many roads and backtracked, wasting time and emotional energy.

Amy MacKinnon

Though I've heard Lynne repeat it a thousand times and agreed with her a thousand one, I've truly learned that life is a marathon, not a race.  Even more important, that this journey isn't worth taking without friends by your side cheering you on and allowing you to cheer for them.

Thank you to the folks at Grub Street and the many writers -- published and not yet -- who came to the Porter Square Books Reading Tuesday night.  It was good to be among my people.

Hannah Roveto
I've learned to trust myself more, as well. I dislike stories where the author lingers like God; you see the strings being pulled behind the characters and plot rather than it appearing to happen organically. I probably had shied away more than I should from being a Goddess, and stakes in particular had suffered. I believe I have found the balance, at last, where I make lives turmoil and yet am not seen by the reader twist by twist.

Lynne Griffin
After a trip to New York to meet with my publicity and marketing teams, I learned how important it is to have champions for your work. Thank you Elisabeth Weed, Hilary Teeman, and the rest of my advocates at St. Martin's Press. I am deeply grateful.

As I fine-tune my work-in-progress, and do a bit of manuscript consultation for Grub Street, I'm learning that revision is a beautiful thing. It's where the real word painting begins.

________

This week, Amy gave a reading with Brunonia Barry, author of The Lace Reader, co-sponsored by Grub Street and Porter Square Books. My daughter and I were there to share in the excitement. Amy was, as you'd expect, a real star! We are so proud of her and her accomplishments. And it was wonderful to catch up with our talented friends, Lara Wilson, Chris Castellani, and Michael Lowenthal.

A Writer's Retreat

Posted by Lynne Griffin

I admit I work a lot. Yet to me writing is where work and play come together, it's the definition of being in flow. I don't mind working long hours, I often write six days a week. I have no anxiety around spending an entire day on one paragraph or tossing out a whole chapter in favor of going in a new direction with my work-in-progress. I love the challenge of writing the novel, but I still love a good vacation.

Last week, my family and I took our annual trip to Maine. The house we rent lakeside, in the Sebago region just outside Portland, is magical enough to draw my husband and me away from our career and home responsibilities. More astounding is its ability to coax two teenagers away from friends and technology. It's a just us, no TV, no laptop trip, and it has been for fourteen years.

And while you can take the writer out of her office and away from her computer, you can't take the writing away from the writer. Here's a glimpse inside what I call my writer's retreat.

I've always baked a pie using wild Maine blueberries. This year in honor of Patry Francis, author of The Liar's Diary and her tradition of making a pie for the muse, I made my version of the literary blues pie.

Before

After

Some of us couldn't wait for the after photo to be taken before diving into the pie.











In Portland, ME, in the wonderful independent book shop, Books, Etc... I couldn't resist searching out Tethered. My daughter thought a photo was called for.




Lost in a family game or puzzle, or while sipping a glass of wine from a local vineyard on the dock at sunset, I worked out a structural change in my novel. It was so easy to see things clearly sitting there.



And of course, I read. Thanks to a recommendation from Michael Lowenthal, I've now added another novel to my top ten. Revolutionary Road, by Richard Yates is perfection!

I loved The Shack by William P. Young, The Rest of her Life, by Laura Moriarty, and The Unthinkable, by Amanda Ripley, too.

So I'm back now and ready to begin working again in the traditional sense. I still have my memories of the time I spent with the people I hold most dear and I look forward to next year when perhaps I'll walk into Books, Etc... in Portland and find a copy of Life Without Summer on those shelves.

Making a Literary Life: Cool

As the dog days of summer turn cool (at least in these parts), we'd like to reflect on what's cool about the writing life. We've kvetched about the heartache when the words won't come, the angst of getting an agent (or not), selling a manuscript (or not), but let's talk the good stuff. What's your favorite aspect of this journey?

Lisa Marnell
Lisa is away, but will catch up next week.

Amy MacKinnon
Last night, I sat in my family room surrounded by boxes and boxes of Tethered. Why, you ask. Well, rock star Random House sales rep Sherry Vritz asked if I'd be willing to sign copies for bookstores that requested them. So they were shipped to me first, I spent several hours gratefully signing them all, and will then ship to them to fabulous IndieBound book shops. Many thanks to The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City, The Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, AZ, and Murder By the Book in Houston, TX. Very cool.

Hannah Roveto
What's cool for me is that writing was a life I used to live completely in my head. Not only the writing part, but the life part. I'd doodle, I'd lurch, and I would always let "real" life push it aside. Writing is a life I live now, and yes, there are still the job and the kids and the house and... yet... every day, I write, and now there are goals, milestones, and accomplishments.

Lynne Griffin
Lynne is still away, but we'd like to hear her thoughts on this topic when she's back.

Making a Literary Life:Friday: Three Little Words

This week overflowed with emotions like Christmas-morning excitement, heart-bursting pride. How amazing the literary life can be! Quick: what are the three words that best describe it for you, whether it be the process of writing, the high wire trek of the business of writing, or moments like this week?

Lisa Marnell
Dreamy. Frightening. All-encompassing.

Amy MacKinnon
Defining. Heart-breaking. Everything.

Hannah Roveto
Spiritual. Consuming. Energizing.

Lynne Griffin
Gratifying. Invigorating. Intense.

************
Words to Mouth
Notes From the Handbasket

Launch Day

By Amy MacKinnon

Thrilled.

Sanguine.

Ill.

Bewildered.

Bemused.

Hopeful.

Anxious.

Lost.

Found.

Touched.

Expectant.

Self-conscious.

Confident.

Exposed.

Terrified.

Calm.

Assertive.

Competitive.

Determined.

Grateful.

So very, very grateful to each of you, most especially, Lynne Griffin, Lisa Marnell, and Hannah Roveto, my rocks. Thank you, all.

Hope to see some of you at Buttonwood Books in Cohasset at 7:00 pm tonight for the launch!

Making a Literary Life Friday: Kindness

Believe in Karma? There just might be something to it. It's a wonderful thing to cast goodness into the world -- whether karma exists or not. We know just how wonderful our readers are, we hear from you all the time and trust you're doing your share to make this world a more gracious place -- but we'd love to hear what kindness someone has bestowed on your literary life.

Lisa Marnell
Almost two years ago, author Elin Hilderbrand (currently number four on the NYT bestselling paperbacks list with her novel, Barefoot, and also listed on the NYT hardcover books with A Summer Affair), offered to help me in my agent search for my first YA. Elin lives on Nantucket; her husband and my husband are best friends. Elin was busy with three kids, busy writing, having construction done on her house, but she graciously gave me her time. More than that, she gave me unbelievable positive encouragement. It meant the world to me!

Amy MacKinnon
Where to start? How about a lovely kindness from one Michael Kindness. He's a sales rep for Random House and yesterday, of his own free will, he toured me around area bookstores, introducing me to the staff. Now I'm a stay-at-home mom who seldom leaves the house, who gets lost driving to the next block, so to finally see these stores I've only heard of was magical. Porter Square Books, Brookline Booksmith, Newtonville Books among them. A lovely dream come true. At the end of it, he told me he would be discussing Tethered later today on his podcast today over at Books on the Nightstand. Thanks, Michael!

Then, a book I've longed to read appeared in my mailbox! Debutante Danielle Younge-Ullman sent me her amazing debut, Falling Under. It was clear from the first sentence that this is a powerful book. I can't wait to finish it. Thanks, Danielle!

Finally, a friend emailed to say an ad for Tethered is up at USA Today. Surreal. Thanks, Shawn!

Hannah Roveto
The greatest kindnesses on this literary journey thus far are from Amy, Lisa and Lynne. While I have been blessed with support from my parents, family and friends, they are the ones who assured me I could write a novel when journalism instead of fiction came out of my fingers, and then it seemed, the next time I sat down, I could indeed. And as we all know, the more we do it, the better it gets.

Lynne Griffin
The kindness and generosity extended to me by my husband and children tops my list. They ceaselessly give me time to write, believing my stories need to find their readers. Random acts of kindness have come to me in the form of feedback from my wonderful writers' group, in editorial guidance from my fantastic agent and editor, and most recently in the form of comments from authors and booksellers. Thank you, Jeanne Ray, Martha Moody, Pat Wood, Margot Livesay, Beth Simpson of Cornerstone Books, and Jess Foley of Barnes and Noble, Hingham. The fact that you took the time to read Life Without Summer and then comment so thoughtfully is deeply appreciated.

Making A Literary Life: Writing Exercises

In keeping with Lisa's post about it taking 10,000 hours to become proficient at writing fiction, we should all probably be exercising more. Do you regularly get into the rhythm of writing or do you skip your routine as fast as you can say the word treadmill?

Some of us use writing exercises to jumpstart our writing and some of us don't. But each of us at the Writers' Group writes regularly. What do you do to keep yourself in flow? If you've come across any good resources for writing exercises, please share.

Lisa
I read good writing before I prop my fingers on the keyboard. A paragraph. Maybe a page. I choose a writer whose prose makes me shake my head in wonder; how are some people so clever? At the Muse & the Marketplace this past spring, I was surprised to hear Lois Lowry say she always starts a writing session by reading poetry. I am convinced it jump starts that language part of my brain.

Amy MacKinnon
When I think of flow, I think of yoga. Not only does it help my body, it's crucial to my writing. A series of sun salutations to quiet the mind and then the ideas flow too.

Hannah
There are so many stages to writing, I don't use specific exercises as there is always something new in front of me. For example, with my revisions, I put all comments onto one copy, and now am nearly done writing out changes to make, a bit in keeping with Hallie Ephron's High-Low approach. Today or tomorrow, the actual edits start, and oh, yes, there's a story coming into my head captured thus far both on notecards and on the computer -- angles on character, plot, backstory, lines that make me laugh and with luck, will do the same for others! A little George Harrison music as I prepare to sit to write doesn't hurt.

Lynne
One of my favorite writing exercises came from one of my Grub Street instructors, Stace Budzko. I still use his setting exercise from time to time. I really enjoy dipping in and out of Brett Anthony Johnston's Naming the World: And other exercises for the creative writer. In it you'll find ideas from Joyce Carol Oates, Richard Bausch, and Ann Packer to name a few. And my daughter is quite fond of Judy Reeves's (no relation), A Writer's Book of Days; it's a lovely book which includes writing prompts for every day.

New York

Posted by Lynne Griffin

Manage your expectations. Be grateful for whatever support you’re offered. These mantras played through my mind as I shopped for the perfect jacket and the right accessories the day before I left for New York to meet my marketing and publicity teams. I was excited but I was nervous too. Was Life Without Summer really a lead title? And what does that actually mean?

My trip was full of highlights and surprises. The first one came before I left, when my husband called me from work to say he’d like to come with. He said he knew the meetings would go well, and he planned to take me out on the town; we could enjoy a night together in the city.

Once in NY, he checked us into our lovely hotel, and my first stop was to meet my fantastic agent and her newborn son. More beautiful than any of his pictures, her baby is a little prince. Next stop, the neighborhood bistro next to her apartment where we eat marvelous food and talked about my work-in-progress. I am blessed to have an agent who offers kind yet honest, spot on editorial guidance as well as support in navigating the marketplace.

Our lunch flew by and suddenly it was time to grab a cab and head to St. Martin’s Press, located in the Flatiron Building. Elisabeth and I had been told we’d be meeting with the publisher, Sally Richardson. I was excited to meet her, still I told myself anything can happen. She’s busy, she’s the publisher; something could come up, don’t get your hopes up. The next thing I knew, my editor, my agent, and I were sitting in her historic office. She talked about how much she loved my novel and how excited everyone in house was about publishing it. I owed my speechlessness to her stellar view of the city, where the east and west sides meet, where if you look as far as the eye can see, there's Central Park.

In our next meeting with Vice President and Associate Publisher, Lisa Senz and her enthusiastic assistant, Sarah Goldstein, we viewed and discussed cover art. Evidence of my team's hard work was everywhere in that office. The collective refrain was how important it was to get everything from the cover to the marketing efforts just right. I’ve been grateful at every step in the process thus far and I've tried as best I can to convey my appreciation, but in that moment I was in awe of how much my input is valued.

The house support for my novel is humbling. Editor-in-chief, George Witte joined our meeting, as did publicists, Dori Weintraub and Colleen Schwartz, each sharing his or her enthusiasm and strong commitment for the novel as well as the unique role each plays in bringing Life Without Summer to readers. Before leaving, I met the foreign rights director responsible for my sales to France, Holland and Germany. Parting gifts of the books, Sarah’s Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay and Bitter Sweets, by Roopa Farooki, rounded out the afternoon. I can't wait to read them.

Hours after arriving at St. Martin's Press, I walked out of the building, my high heels barely touching the pavement. My novel is going to be published in April 2009. As I write this post, it’s a full week later and I still wake up each morning in need of a good pinch. My writer’s dream is coming true.

Cinderella at the Ball

By Amy MacKinnon

When my cab pulled up to the hotel, I hoped -- just a bit, I already felt abundantly blessed -- to have a view of Lake Michigan. I took it as a sign when I was upgraded to a corner suite with window after window filled with water views. Then I knew my dinner with Chicago-area booksellers would go well.

Random House sales rep, John Hastie, picked me up and drove me to the boutique restaurant in downtown. I thought it a good indication that he recognized me from my author photo -- not too photo-shopped. Now John is the kind of person one feels immediately comfortable with, someone who laughs easily and obviously loves books. I imagine booksellers are not simply clients to him, but friends. When we walked into the private dining room, I was greeted by the other Random House sales rep, Bridget Piekarz. Now, I had been hearing about Bridget for months. The folks on my marketing team were thrilled when they learned Bridget was excited by my book and asked if she could take me around to meet booksellers in the Midwest. I had the sense Bridget was a force and I was right.

Bridget introduced me to several booksellers who had already arrived, when one directed me to the table. Bridget had wrapped my galleys in beautiful paper, placed a sticker with the new cover in the upper right-hand corner, wrapped it in decorative twine and then tucked into the bow flowers from her own garden. Flowers from my book. It was only because there were hours to go that I didn't weep.

And the booksellers! There was Mary from Anderson's Book Shops (she reached out to me even before I boarded the plane to Chicago!); Suzy from The Book Cellar (clever, it's located in a basement); Scott from 57th Street & Seminary Coop; Wanda, regional manager for Borders (overseeing about 120 stores and a darling dog at home); Sue from Lake Forest Books; Flo of Barnes & Noble, Linda from Centuries & Sleuths, and Ianni of Unabridged Books. Imagine for a moment sitting around a table overflowing with excellent food and wine, and better yet, conversation! These were people who loved books, who loved stories about how books are made, and especially the people behind them. Isn't that stunning? Now I'm not ususally a social person, a little awkward around the "beautiful people" of suburbia I suppose, but I was immediately at ease with these folks. They are my beautiful people. I felt as though I fit in.

When talk turned to Tethered, they listened attentively as I told the genesis of the story. There was a collective gasp when I told them of the envelope, and they loved the new cover.

The night was over too soon, I didn't want the conversation to end and I certainly didn't want to lose touch with these new friends. It was dream-like, better than a ball.

But it wasn't over. The next night I would share dinner with booksellers in Grand Rapids. I'll save that story for next week.

Making a Literary Life Friday: Woo-HOO!

Good news! Yup, today at the Writers' Group, we want to hear your good news. Another writer's glory elevates us all, doesn't it? So share!

Did you write a gorgeous paragraph this week? Overcome a hump in your manuscript that's had you blocked for days? Did you hear back from that dream agent and s/he wants a partial or full, or from that editor at your favorite literary journal who wants to publish your short story? Maybe it was a rejection, but, hey, you got ink. Ink!

Whatever good news you have, we want to celebrate with you. So share!

Lisa Marnell
Elin Hilderbrand long time acquaintance, married to my hubby's best friend, is on the New York Times Bestseller List. For two books, no less (hardcover and paperback)! Well-deserved. Hurray, Elin!

Amy MacKinnon
Woo-HOO to WG best bud and blurber of Tethered, Kristy Kiernan! Her second novel, Matters of Faith, is an IndieBound pick for September!!! MWAH, Kristy! Another FOWG, Gail Konop Baker, received her cover for Cancer Is a Bitch and it is stunning! Take a look at it here and MWAH to you too, Gail. And for all of you who still don't believe perserverance pays off, then you don't know the backstory of Jenna Blum's debut novel, Those Who Save Us, hitting the NYT's bestseller list. It's been there since February and it's still there-- four years after it was published! Suggest it to your book club and then invite Jenna to speak. She'll tell you the extraordinary story of it all.

For myself, I've finally figured out how to structure my WIP. It reminds me that writing really is the best part of this whole journey.

Hannah Roveto
I received critique this week from three fabulous writers, and am thrilled with what they said. Were they unanimous in their comments -- say, choice of an industry for one part of the story, or perhaps the length of Chapter One? No, they weren't. Despite that, their comments when blended with what I was planning to do on one last edit before sending got me excited. The end of this stage is near -- I've already put together their edits into one copy -- and it will be off to agents by my self-imposed deadline! Once I've absorbed it all a bit more, I'll share the critique and how I addressed it.

Lynne Griffin
Lynne is still in NYC. What could be better than that?

New York

Lynne is in New York city. Her plans include having lunch with her fantastic agent, after meeting her adorable new son, that is. Then she'll spend the afternoon meeting with her wonderful team at St. Martin's Press to discuss marketing and promotion for Life Without Summer. She'll have news and pictures to post next week.

Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true.

~~ Leon Joseph Cardinal Suenens