I already posted once this week, so I’ll probably keep this one short, but I wanted to make sure I do my new little Wednesday thang so I don’t lose my groove.
I mentioned in my last post that while reviewing the proofs of my soon-to-be published middle-grade novel, I had an impulse to write a sequel. You know that old tune sung by Marlene Deitrich, “Falling in Love Again?” That’s how I felt about my characters on this weekend’s run-through. Continue reading
On the way to pick up one of my kids at school on Friday afternoon, one of the other moms pulled me aside.
“We’re really enjoying your new serial in Binah,” she said.
I got a little extra bounce in my step. “Thanks!”
“But getting just one chapter a week is driving us crazy! It’s so hard to wait for the next one!’ she added.
“Sorry!” I replied.
There really isn’t anything I can do to help her, but I feel her pain. Usually, I’m the reader throwing my arms up in frustration at the end of a serial episode screaming, “I have to know what happens next! Argh!”
What’s really funny, is that now as a writer, Continue reading
For those of you who haven’t yet read Ruchama King Feuerman’s latest novel (maybe because you were frustrated about its original ebook-only release), In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist is now available in paperback.
Haven’t yet added it to your To-Read list, on Goodreads or otherwise? You can learn more about the book through my interview with her or by reading this great review of the book by Risa Miller (a talented Jewish novelist herself).
I think it’s fascinating that the book’s ebook success with readers and critics propelled it to more traditional publication. It will be even more interesting to see how the book sells now that it is more accessible to readers.
I’m still reading STORY and have so much to say on its utility that you’ll just have to bear with me for a few more posts on it.
Writer! Mind the gap!
McKee has a theory that the material a story is made of is not words, not paper and pen (or computer) but something he calls the GAP. The Gap develops when a main character acts and discovers that his/her expectations regarding the response s/he’s going to get conflict with the reaction s/he really gets. This discrepancy forces the character to adjust and change.
I’m completely behind both writing and housework this week due to a bout of strep throat (thankfully, on the mend now due to penicillin). This was the second time I’ve been laid up for several days since Sukkos, so it was pretty much a drag, and I really need to try to wrap up at least one story this week. However, I just feel the need to share this with my readers.
Can three teens really save their airship from pirates? Not sure I buy it.
While lying in bed trying very hard not to swallow (it just hurt too much), I read a slew of middle grade and YA novels. Now, I know that tween and teen novels tend to share certain characteristics, and that many of these meet the psychological needs of tweens and teens. But as a once-but-no-longer teen, a particular trait rubbed me the wrong way. Continue reading
I’ve got a treat here today: an interview (conducted via email) with award-winning author, Ruchama King Feuerman. Her latest book, In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist, just came out in September as an ebook. Recently, she signed a contract to expand the release to paperback. I became acquainted with Ruchama through Tablet Magazine online, where both of us have published essays. She was gracious enough to send me a copy of her new book and even more gracious to answer a few questions the novel left me with.
R.K. – In your first book, Seven Blessings, the central figure is a very strong female character. In this new book, you primarily follow two male, unmarried characters. What was that like for you as a married woman?
In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist, now out from NYRB LIT
R.K.F. – I prefer writing from the male point of view. This way I don’t worry about slippage, about parts of my personality leaking into my characters, it’s just cleaner — what’s me is me, and what’s them is them. I feel much freer to invent and have fun when I write as a man. I do tend to prefer singles maybe because they are inherently dramatic. Continue reading
Rebecca Klempner 