Review: This Is Where I Leave You
Posted: October 20, 2009 Filed under: Writers Write | Tags: books Leave a comment »
This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Jonathan Tropper writes the most gut wrenching, emotionally raw stories possible, but he does it in a way that makes me laugh out loud. The laughter makes the tale endurable. He had me on this one by the end of the first paragraph. I couldn’t put it down.
Crispy Update
Posted: October 18, 2009 Filed under: Joined at the Heart, Writers Write | Tags: family, writers, writing Leave a comment »
On Writing:
- Since October 8, I’ve written twenty scenes from my antagonist’s point of view. The rough drafts are in long hand, but that’s the fastest I’ve ever written anything.
- Now, I have to decipher my handwriting to type those pages. I hope I can crack the code.
- When the new stuff is typed, I’ll restructure the story, adding and deleting page-by-page.
- I’m entering the Golden Heart again, but this time in a the Novel with Strong Romantic Elements category.
- I have a lot of work to do.
On Everything Else:
- Bacon goes back to work after a week off.
- Cherry and Coco both won first place for their grade levels at their school’s bicycle rodeo.
- Halloween approaches and we don’t have costumes yet. Bad mom. Bad mom.
- It’s springtime in October in San Antonio. Butterflies are everywhere.
White Boards
Posted: October 16, 2009 Filed under: Writers Write | Tags: Donald Maass Workshop, writers, writing Leave a comment »
What’s not to love?
I missed the white board revolution when I was a teacher. A few years after I quit, schools were updated from chalk to dry-erase. So, when I found these cheap ones at Target, I covered a wall. There’s nothing like having my notes upfront center. I have to pass by them all day. Having a constant reminder helps to keep the story in my head.
This particular group of columns is a Donald Maass scene development activity. Choose one from column A, one from B, and one from C. Put them together in a new scene. Kind of like a chinese restaurant menu.
