The Writer June 2014

THE NIGHT I MET UP with novelist Glen Duncan, snow was pounding down in New York City. An eerie patina bathed the streets, and the chill was driving people indoors. The evening seemed less crowded than usual: a quick seat in the bar, instant table at the restaurant, fast service. I noticed these details because of Duncan’s book By Blood We Live. The book is about vampires and werewolves and lunatics (literally), and all of that had made its way into my forward imagination. Which means I was thinking about the book whenever I wasn’t reading the book. I found myself wondering: What if? That heightened sensibility comes with reading certain books. Certainly, Stephen King and Tom Robbins (featured in this issue). But also Toni Morrison. Jess Walter. Jane Austen.…

Many writers hate to leave their desks. They are secure there and comfy in loose clothes, and technology is their enabler. Why leave the laptop when the Internet makes research so easy and interviews come via email? But does this facilitate the best writing? Not always. When the isolated writing approach is not working, it’s time to pack up that laptop, walk out the door, and do the research, interviews and writing on location. “Location” is where skills advance on several levels. During a face-to-face interview, we discover the inevitable story behind the story. We notice the Purple Heart certificate on a baker’s wall, adding character dimensions beyond the baking abilities we’re discussing for a wedding magazine. Working on location, especially for those in-the-field stories, yields better descriptions, too. For…

On Sherman Alexie’s official website, directly under an estimable blurb from The New York Times Book Review is another that reads, “Sherman looked more Indian when his hair was long,” a dubious insight that is attributed to “a woman on Facebook.” This comic juxtaposition is one of many examples of Alexie’s humor in the face of pain, or perhaps in reaction to it, and has become emblematic of his work. Alexie, who is Native American, has written six novels, seven short story collections and 12 books of poetry. He is the recipient of the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, the PEN/Hemingway Award, the PEN/Faulkner Award and the PEN/Malamud Award. His National Book Awardwinning semi-autobiographical novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, like many of his other…

If you’re interested in early publication, some Internet searching will likely turn up the title you need. In the interest of going straight to the source, I like to start with an author’s official webpage. There’s usually a list of publications. If the publication dates aren’t included, do a quick search at a website that sells books. The publication date should be listed in the product details. If you’re interested in looking at work that hasn’t been published or collected into a book, the search becomes trickier (and perhaps more of an adventure). You might investigate whether the writers’ archived materials are housed in a library. For example, the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin houses the archive of author David Foster Wallace. The archive includes…

Johanna Harness @johannaharness 5:45AM here in #Idaho. #amwriting time is short this morning, but I’m taking what I can get. Sic Santos @owwsiccc So many plots in my mind. Too little time to write~ Melissa Vazquez @TheSecondRealm No closing time for the creative minds. #amwriting #latenightthoughts Julius Smith @theJuMovement Nighttime is the write time. Haven’t written in a while. Jacqueline Yeager @JackieYeager I did it! Woke up at 5:00am and wrote until 6:30am when the kids got up. 1100 words before the sun came up. #amwriting Laura Howard !-BVSB)PXBSE Last night I lost track of time, the writing was just flowing!!! Love that :D A. B. Keuser @ABKeuser At work an hour early = extra writing time. Now I just need my tea to kick in so I can have…

We asked our Facebook followers: You’re having a drink tonight with your favorite contemporary writer. Who is it, and what is your first question? Readers offered clever, probing responses. We tracked down several authors mentioned and asked for answers. Plus a drink order. ALASTAIR REYNOLDS What is the source of your imagination? “The short answer is that I’m thinking constantly about science fiction, about my ideas, about other people’s ideas, about how to make something new or different. Out of this constant process, story notions tend to generate themselves automatically. I also read scientific magazines all the time and allow their concepts to sink down into my subconscious where they can mingle with other ideas and preoccupations.” Beverage of choice: “A single malt whisky, say a Lagavullin or a Laphroaig,…