If you
follow these posts–which you can on Twitter by using #MyWritingProcess–you’ll
see the wide variety of practices that creativity engenders. We all do it
differently, there’s no one right way to write. Which can be comforting
where you encounter dogmatic rules or teachers who insist that their method is
best.
So,
here are my answers to the four questions:
1. What Are You Working On?
I seem
to be juggling a few things at the moment.
I am finishing up an article for the winter issue of Scoliosis Quarterly
Magazine and I have just been asked to write two more pieces for their Spring
Issue next year. Nothing like planning
ahead, but it’s all good. One of the
Spring articles requires that I interview two physicians—one in Italy and one
in Spain! Can anyone spell
S-K-Y-P-E? Hopefully, English won’t be a
problem!
2. How Does Your Work Differ from Others of
Its Genre?
I don’t
think much about genre, but for the most part I write historical pieces. All three of my published books (and one CD)
are non-fiction. I love the challenge of
researching and getting it right. I do
not, however, like to write dry textbook-type material. My goal is always to educate AND
entertain. I love finding obscure facts
and sharing those facts with readers.
The key is research and persistence to keep looking for the truth. There are so many fallacies out there
(especially in cyberspace) and it’s often difficult to muddle through. But without accuracy, your work and your
integrity as a writer are questionable.
I never want to be in that position.
It can get tedious and there are days I wish I could just make stuff
up—but I am not so good at that so I do my best to stick to the facts!
Of
course, sometimes, the facts can be surprising.
For example, while researching Jeanne MacPherson whom I wrote about as
one of the 36 Academy Founders in ‘Bringing Up Oscar’, I found several
references about her mother noting she was a fine lady from France. After days of searching, however, the truth,
was finally revealed—MacPherson’s mother was really a Michigan gal, born to a
man who ran a local newspaper. Franch
had nothing to do with it.
And,
sometimes, facts can be found in the oddest of places. For one article I was writing, I needed to
verify that a man who died in the 1800s really had two daughters. I researched for days until I came across a
small article in an old British newspaper.
It seems his mother had died and an ad appeared in the paper looking for
her two granddaughters as they were her only living relatives and she had left
her estate to them. Who knew that a newspaper
ad printed more than 150 years ago would tell the true tale?
3. Why Do You Write What You Do?
Mostly,
I write about things or people that interest me. Other times, I might be assigned a topic by a
trusted editor. I am always open to
learning new things and that is what usually happens when I take on assignments
for Scoliosis Quarterly. Writing about
genetic testing, cutting-edge surgeries and the history of back-bracing all
taught me something that I didn’t know before.
Hopefully, my readers learned something, too.
Sometimes,
I get assignments that become personal—like when the editor of Michigan History
Magazine asked me to write an article on entertainer/philanthropist Danny
Thomas, founder of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennesse. I was honored since my grandparents knew Thomas
in his early days when he was still Amos Jacob and working in Detroit
radio. They were always proud of his
accomplishments and growing up I remember the entire household gathering around
the television whenever he appeared. Best
of all, I got the cover story for that issue and emails from St. Jude’s
thanking me for doing such a fine job.
Of course, Danny Thomas was the one who did all the work.
4. How Does Your Writing Process Work?
Before
I begin writing anything, I like to gather my research materials. I use online articles as a start and then I
comb old newspapers and magazines that have been digitalized. From there, I find books that contain information
about my topic. I often use my library’s
‘inter-loan’ service and borrow books from as far away as California or
Florida. It takes a little time, but
it’s almost always worth the wait. Once
I read through everything, I write a draft.
I am obsessive about making that draft as close to perfect as
possible. This is silly because a draft
is a draft and not meant to be flawless, but for some reason I can’t help
myself. On my second go round, I correct
any errors, fill in any blanks and round out the article with additional
information like quotes or anecdotes.
Next, I remove all of the unnecessary words and phrases because I tend
to get wordy. Then after a break, that
may be as short as overnight or as long as a week (depending on other
projects), I do a final polish by reading aloud before submitting the work to
the editor/publisher. There is something
about hearing the rhythm of the words that helps smooth things out.
For
books and lengthier pieces, I always enlist friends to read them over for
clarity. I also have someone read aloud
to me so I can hear exactly what I’ve written.
It really makes a difference when correcting word flow.
Now I Tag Three Other Bloggers:
The problem here is that I
only have two bloggers—not three. So if
anyone is interested in participating , let me know and I will include you here.
Mary Glickman, author of Home in the
Morning, One More River, a National Jewish Book Award Finalist , and
Marching to Zion. Glickman lives on Johns Island, South Carolina with her
husband and cat." That's enough, isn't it? And I'll be blogging my answers
at www.maryglickman.com
From an early age, Martin Turnbull was enchanted with the
old movies from — and the history of — Hollywood’s golden era, from the dawn of
the talkies in the late 1920s to the dusk of the studio system in the late
1950s. He has spent many happy hours watching Garland, Gable, Crawford, Garbo,
Grant, Miller, Kelly, Astaire, and Rogers go through their paces. So it’s no
great surprise that he is now writing a series of historical novels set in and
around the real-life Garden of Allah hotel, which stood on Sunset Boulevard
from 1927 to 1959: the exact same years of Hollywood greatest years. You can read his blog at: http://martinturnbull.wordpress.com/
