Comments on: Writing Recovery

By: Tales from the Reading Room » Writers on Writing

Tales from the Reading Room » Writers on Writing — Fri, 07 Jul 2006 15:30:08 +0000

[...] Yesterday’s comments reminded me how many litbloggers are writers beyond the blogosphere too. For all of you obliged to come in from a sunny garden or to cut short an enjoyable conversation in order to sit before an iridescent computer screen (and I’m thinking here particularly of bloglily, writing her fantastic thriller, and Kate, who has published another short story recently), here are a few words from the New Zealand poet and writer, Lauris Edmond in a speech she delivered on the award of an Honorary Doctorate: [...]

By: BlogLily » What’s in a Name?

BlogLily » What’s in a Name? — Fri, 07 Jul 2006 14:45:28 +0000

[...] Quite a lot, apparently. For a very long time, I couldn’t think of a name for the novel I’m working on. One of my sons was quite bothered by this. When the subject would turn to my writing, he’d ask me if I’d thought of a title yet. The novel wasn’t real until I came up with something. After a while, I did think of one: The Secret War. It’s what people called the Cold War, the time period in which my book is set. The hero is a guy who works at the National Security Agency. The secret war is his business. Most of my book is set in Germany, in 1969. My hero is sent to Germany — a place he’s been to before and had hoped never to see again. The book is a mystery and mysteries are always about secrets — in this case, the secrets are about what people did during the second world war. [...]

By: Courtney

Courtney — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 17:09:20 +0000

this sounds fascinating! Mysteries are one of my favorite genres to read, but I haven’t attempted one for my first stab at a novel. Annie Dillard, who I am apparently quoting constantly today (litlove’s site) said that you should write only what you LOVE to read. Since you love to read mysteries, I think this novel is going to be a very fine thing indeed. And since you are also somewhat writing what you know, you are following another reader’s edict. I can’t wait to read it!
Courtney

By: litlove

litlove — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 14:47:36 +0000

This is such a fascinating topic, bloglily, and it’s beautifully set up to allow you to explore all kinds of wonderful dimensions – survivor guilt, shameful history, personal investment. And a murder of course! I hope you had a great time with it yesterday. How cool would it be to go and get my copy from the shop…?

By: charlotteotter

charlotteotter — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 12:56:58 +0000

I want to read it! We live in Germany, and when I first moved here ten years ago, I used to look at the old people and think ‘who were you and what did you do?’. Now I’m over that, partly because my friends are all the new generation of Germans who regard WW2 as history, not necessarily related to themselves. Most of the children who were born in Germany during the war are grandparents now, so it is becoming more and more distant.
I was sitting at a restaurant with my husband the other night, and looking across the road I could see the site where the synagogue once stood in our town. It made me think of the secrets and the tragedies that are buried even here in sleepy little Ladenburg, and what it take to uncover them.
Good luck with your writing,
Charlotte

By: Kerryn

Kerryn — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 11:16:54 +0000

This sounds so like something I would take home from a bookstore. Can’t wait to see it my local bookstore

By: bloglily

bloglily — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 05:17:20 +0000

Hi Edwin — Once you get the hang of it, its kind of fun. Key to it all is writing up for no one’s eyes but your own the story behind the scenes. And then, once you know what’s really happened, you kind of let things leak out, bit by bit. I’ve noted your pre-order, am incredibly flattered anyone would say something like that and will be sure to get it to you at the earliest possible date.
Fencer, thank you for the good wishes — it’s inspiring and helpful to have them from someone who’s already accomplished a huge amount of writing and has a lot more ahead. (I haven’t forgotten about those novels you’ve got stacking up.,…) Qazse — Is there such a thing as you go, dude?! If not, there should be, because you do.

Cheers! BL

By: qazse

qazse — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 01:51:58 +0000

you go girl…

By: fencer

fencer — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 20:53:03 +0000

Thanks for letting us know what it’s about… Good luck with your return to it!

By: Edwinek

Edwinek — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 20:47:33 +0000

A mystery must be one of the hardest books to set up: sprinkling clues all over without betraying who did it. I’d like to pre-order.

By: bloglily

bloglily — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 17:26:16 +0000

nova — It IS really fun to work in that genre. I like working with already established rules and find that there’s plenty of room to stretch out, even when there are certain conventions you have to observe (someone must die, for example). Also, this kind of mystery is the sort of thing I like to read in that guilty pleasure kind of way. One thing I’m working through is that writing about the holocaust, even from a distance, is tricky. But it’s worth thinking about.

Hi Sue — Yes, it’s that kind of thing that interests me — the secrets just under the surface, the ones you knew were there when you were a child, except they were wordless, narrative-less, and worrying for that reason. I think that must be why I’ve chosen to write about it!

By: Sue Crocker

Sue Crocker — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 17:20:25 +0000

Did you know that Linda, Mom’s putzfrau (housekeeper) used to a member of the Hitler youth? I’m sure she’d have stories to tell.

When we were in Bindlach, there were the bomb outs, part of the post we weren’t supposed to play in. Of course we played in them. Once the former commander of the German post visited us at the school and we asked him about the tunnels running under the bomb outs. He denied they were there.

It was also so weird to attend high school in Nurnberg and have our football games take place in Soldier’s Field.

By: nova

nova — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 17:03:29 +0000

Your novel sounds fascinating: multi-layered and unlike anything I’ve read before. I, too, love to explore secrets, both when I read and when I write. A mystery must be terrific fun to work on! Have a wonderful (and by that I mean prolific) day.