tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post1069448196160060726..comments2023-09-25T02:24:22.087-07:00Comments on Anne R. Allen's Blog: How to Turn "Real Life" into Bestselling Fiction...and a Word about MemoirsAnne R. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-77540388943887666662014-11-07T10:32:50.738-08:002014-11-07T10:32:50.738-08:00Barbara—So pleased to hear that the timing is just...Barbara—So pleased to hear that the timing is just right for you. I hope learning from my mistakes will make your work much, much easier! :-)<br /><br />I hope you will enjoy Decades!Ruth Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15246050315747917109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-8688578924627739542014-11-07T06:56:05.769-08:002014-11-07T06:56:05.769-08:00This couldn't have come at a better time. I...This couldn't have come at a better time. I've been told a true story that will make a fantastic fiction novel. I've never did anything along the line, so this helps so much.<br /><br />And thanks for the book. I'm looking forward to reading it. Barbara M. Hodgeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04124228450378946964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-31483506828550200942014-11-06T04:53:24.523-08:002014-11-06T04:53:24.523-08:00Connie—So glad my post helped! Setting yourself fr...Connie—So glad my post helped! Setting yourself free from the snares of "real life" is crucial in the process of creating fiction but it's not always easy to remember that you're writing a novel, not a memoir, and that fiction doesn't demand "what really happened." Not at all.<br /><br />We feel tethered to the true life story in so many ways—because of guilt, because we want to respect the real people and their experiences, because we have a sense that in some obscure way we're stealing even tho we're not and even tho, as in your case, your aunt wanted you to use her memories. A complicated brew!<br /><br />Thanks for downloading Decades. I hope you enjoy it.Ruth Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15246050315747917109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-61757688413165942802014-11-05T21:51:37.308-08:002014-11-05T21:51:37.308-08:00Ruth, thank you so much for writing this post. As ...Ruth, thank you so much for writing this post. As another reader stated, it is difficult to find articles that discuss the process of piecing together a novel from a " real life" story. Before my beloved aunt died she handed me a manuscript, her memoir. She'd written down everything she could recall from life during the 30's and 40's in rural Germany. It's fascinating, filled with many details about the lives of my ancestors. There is drama and love and suspense and horror! She was quite a character and her words to me, upon handing me the manuscript were " I command you to do something with it."<br /><br />For two years now I've been struggling - much of the struggle comes from guilt at wanting to change things, add characters - make the story come alive. After reading this post I feel as though a huge weight has been lifted and I'm " free". <br /><br />Thank you. You've just gained another faithful reader. I've also just downloaded your book " Decades" to my Nook. I'm looking forward to reading it. <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-77609081722216035602014-11-03T05:15:35.673-08:002014-11-03T05:15:35.673-08:00Claude—Thank you for your extraordinarily flatteri...Claude—Thank you for your extraordinarily flattering words. Decades was one of those "overnight" successes that took over ten years of work in obscurity. Thank you, too, for your PR efforts on my behalf! :-)<br /><br />Your memoir sounds fascinating. You must have had all kinds of amazing encounters and experiences that will interest lots of people. As you put it so well, the "weapons" of fiction apply to a memoir which is, after all, a story, another kind of story. I'm looking forward to reading it!Ruth Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15246050315747917109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-10309741784753886982014-11-03T04:59:56.866-08:002014-11-03T04:59:56.866-08:00Tina—Taking a mundane topic and making it into com...Tina—Taking a mundane topic and making it into compelling reading is such a constructive way to view everyday life. It *is* a challenge and can really help you grow as a writer.<br /><br />Hope you enjoy Decades!Ruth Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15246050315747917109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-91632661195126394062014-11-03T04:57:06.050-08:002014-11-03T04:57:06.050-08:00Julie—Wow! Teens with weapons? Oy. No wonder you c...Julie—Wow! Teens with weapons? Oy. No wonder you came up with lots of what-ifs.<br /><br />Goes to prove that *nothing* is wasted on a writer! Bottom line: we never know where our next great idea is coming from. :-)Ruth Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15246050315747917109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-39813239141281702792014-11-03T01:19:08.102-08:002014-11-03T01:19:08.102-08:00Ruth, this is one of the best posts you've eve...Ruth, this is one of the best posts you've ever written and of course it relates to your novel Decades that I consider a 20th century masterpiece: it is the Big Novel by which, I am totally convinced, you will go down in History. It is a must read for anyone interested in contemporary literature - it does so many things besides chronicling beautifully 3 generations and what is remarkable, is that it transcends genre. Sure, it is a love triangle, but you handle all the details of genre (here romance) so well, that you manage to lift the whole novel to an entirely new level. As you can tell, I'm a great fan of yours and I tell everyone I meet to read Decades!<br /><br />It is interesting that in this connection, you should mention memoirs writing, because that happens to be what I'm into now (more or less) - I plan to publish a book about the United Nations where I worked 25 years and publish it under my real name, Claude Forthomme, because it makes sense, that's how I'm known in that environment ( I finished as Director but I was a field soldier for 20 years, traveling to developing countries to evaluate aid projects). <br /><br />So it will be both an analysis of what's wrong with the UN and where it is going, the challenges it must face in our rapidly globalizing world that is bringing in big new actors beyond national governments (e.g. the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation). But it will also be a memoir, I shall recount some of the more amazing experiences I've been through (already some of it published as articles on Impakter magazine, to a surprising success - large number of shares! - much to my surprise as I thought this would be rather a "niche" sort of thing...) And you're so right, the way one writes a memoir, using the "weapons" of fiction writers, makes all the difference!Claude Forthommehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03871790739257823515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-29725853157721514822014-11-02T20:55:55.326-08:002014-11-02T20:55:55.326-08:00Thanks for your advice and free copy of your book,...Thanks for your advice and free copy of your book, Decades #1. I am working on dramatizing an event I attended. I love the challenge of taking a mundane topic and making it exciting, relevant, and funny. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-37594330431811091832014-11-02T18:49:40.214-08:002014-11-02T18:49:40.214-08:00What fun to learn how your book came to be, Ruth. ...What fun to learn how your book came to be, Ruth. I love watching the news or reading the headlines online and using them in fiction. For instance, my latest release was born after I watched a high speed freeway chase on a Los Angeles freeway. Two teens were caught with loads of weapons in their truck. Oh, the what ifs that came from that!Julie Musilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02150454913885915017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-28067897204211308592014-11-02T14:17:58.245-08:002014-11-02T14:17:58.245-08:00Barry--pleased you found the post useful. You'...Barry--pleased you found the post useful. You're right--the passage of time was essential. The only way I was able to have enough perspective. You also make an excellent point about using bits and pieces. In a way we are making quilts. Ruth Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15246050315747917109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-82069650214750516442014-11-02T13:57:01.367-08:002014-11-02T13:57:01.367-08:00Ruth--
Thank you for this useful description of th...Ruth--<br />Thank you for this useful description of the process or evolution Decades went through. I think the lengthy delay between actual events and your use of them must have been crucial to your success. My version of "it really happened" has always stood between me and using actual events and people. Whenever I've tried to do it, a school marm-like moral imperative intrudes, demanding that I be faithful to "what actually happened." But of course what actually happened is a history, not a story.<br />But that's okay. I'm perfectly happy using bits and pieces from memory--a little of this, a little of that--and brewing it up in fictions. As people are all too fond of saying: whatever works.<br />Thanks again for a very engaging post. Barry Knisterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03191575373788669991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-16187743078278112312014-11-02T13:28:45.826-08:002014-11-02T13:28:45.826-08:00Paul—I'm flattered by the comparison to RJ. Sh...Paul—I'm flattered by the comparison to RJ. She was an excellent writer, an astute cultural observer. She was also a particularly nice person and a close friend—at times she and I had the same publisher and same editor. Trust me, we shared lots of war stories. ;-)<br /><br />Hope you enjoy Decades!Ruth Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15246050315747917109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-51046751371800550292014-11-02T12:34:07.272-08:002014-11-02T12:34:07.272-08:00Byy, Ruth, this is a honey of a post. What great i...Byy, Ruth, this is a honey of a post. What great insight into your writing process. And I'm getting Decades. The synopsis of Decades reminds me a bit of the books I read in the sixties and seventies by Rona Jaffe. Loved her work. Hope that's seen as a compliment as I surely meant it that way. Great advice on memoirs too. I've never written one but have done flash memoir pieces or vignettes and played around a lot with reality by using what I learned in flash fiction to write engaging scenes. At least I hope I did. All the best your way. PaulAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-4687243198707021882014-11-02T11:36:00.398-08:002014-11-02T11:36:00.398-08:00Alex—You've said it so well: real life should ...Alex—You've said it so well: real life should inspire. Should definitely not be a literal guideline. And you're right: generally speaking, real life is either boring….or way over the top! Thanks!<br /><br />CS—Thanks for the kind words and for keeping the focus on *story* which, after all, is what readers crave.<br /><br />characterfulwriter—Just as I was able to write the story only long after it really happened, I couldn't really see the process with any perspective until years later. Interesting how long it takes (at least for me) to process!Ruth Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15246050315747917109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-47490872348351434922014-11-02T10:47:01.079-08:002014-11-02T10:47:01.079-08:00We don't get enough of this 'writing proce...We don't get enough of this 'writing process' kind of article. It was good to see how the final work emerged.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-1140886602925869232014-11-02T10:32:48.892-08:002014-11-02T10:32:48.892-08:00Thanks for another fine post. I couldn't agree...Thanks for another fine post. I couldn't agree more with your suggestion to avoid “it really happened” trap. So many writers get bogged in the facts (or what their memories retrieve as fact) & forget that the power of fiction is *story* & all that entails. Keep up the good work.CS Perryesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03086127005229652995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-15443610633354346412014-11-02T10:26:17.074-08:002014-11-02T10:26:17.074-08:00In a nutshell, let real life inspire, but still wr...In a nutshell, let real life inspire, but still write as if it's fiction. <br />Real life can indeed be rather boring. Or the other extreme, unrealistic. Especially when you see a horrific deed in the news and you can't believe someone would really do that - you really won't believe it in a book.Alex J. Cavanaughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09770065693345181702noreply@blogger.com