What made you want to become a writer? When did you realize that this was the career for you?
When I was a young girl reading The Count of Monte Christo or Great Expectations, I marveled that anyone could produce such miraculous books. I thought if only I could write a novel, how happy I would be. Later I fell in love with languages, and in college, had a double major in French and Spanish with a minor in German for which I spent copious amounts of time studying literature and words. And yet, in my 20’s and early 30’s, I seemed to digress when I wrote and acted in independent art films. Now I see that my circuitous path allowed me to piece together the elements that help me as a fiction writer. Finally, after dealing with some health issues and being forced to contemplate the meaning of life, I embraced my heart’s desire. One summer day, soon after I regained my strength, I walked down my driveway to get the mail and suddenly was struck with unshakeable resolve: I want to write a novel! I haven’t stopped writing since.
What is your writing process? How do you prepare yourself to write?
The timeworn cliché of a slovenly, drunken writer is 180 degrees opposite from my approach. To me, being a writer requires an almost athletic discipline: clean body, sharp mind, and an open heart. I start each morning at 8 a.m. and usually finish around 2 p.m. My writing computer is offline so I’m not tempted to Google around, and I only answer the phone for my kids or time-sensitive matters. Before I begin, I meditate to clear my mind of outside distractions and kick start my creativity. Ideally, I set a goal of how many pages I hope to write or edit. Later in the day, I try to exercise because sitting for so long is hard on the body. And yet, those five or six hours of writing go by in a happy blink!
How is writing a novel different from writing a screenplay?
They are completely different animals. In a novel, character is mostly revealed through the use of inner voice or the author’s omniscient description. It may take us many pages to get a clear image of our protagonist. However, a screenplay might only give the reader a simple line or two of character description such as: JOE KEMBLE, 35, wears his hard luck past like the old scruffy jacket on his back. Of course, in both a novel and a screenplay, more will be revealed about the protagonist through dialogue and his or her actions. At around 110 pages, screenplays are much shorter than the average novel and so the juxtaposition of scenes must tell volumes. For example, when we read that Joe wakes up alone at the crack of... (cont.)
