Nadine Feldman, Author

celebrating strong female characters and whatever else strikes my fancy

books

Writing and Legacy

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When Jenny Feldman died, I had no idea how quickly I would be swept up into a book project, or how involved it would be. The result, now at the printer’s, has gotten me thinking in a whole new way about family legacies. While I know others have written on the subject, I have the distinct feeling that there’s another book idea brewing. Some have suggested a companion workbook to Patchwork and Ornament that helps people get started on their own family legacies. Hmmm. I can see it, the size of the book, the style of pages, the illustrations…I’m drooling already.

When my stepdaughter Sarah saw me working diligently on her grandmother’s memoir, she said, “I guess when you die I’ll need to do this for you.”

“I hope not,” I said. Not because I haven’t enjoyed working on Patchwork. This project has brought me great joy and satisfaction. I do hope, however, that as a writer, I get everything on paper that I want to say, that I publish as many of my ideas as possible, that when I leave this earth I will have expressed all that I need to. At this point I’m not sure who my legacy is for…I don’t have grandchildren yet, so I don’t know at this point who cares. I do know this, however: Jenny Feldman didn’t think that people cared about her writings, and many people do. So it’s not my place to decide who may or may want to receive any legacy I have to give. It’s only my place to offer it, with a full heart and the best of my writing ability.

Tracking Down a Villain

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Some time ago I hired someone to take a look at my novel. I’ve worked diligently on it, but it still doesn’t work, and I needed another pair of eyes to help dissect the problems. Yesterday I read through her comments, and frankly, there weren’t too many surprises. The ending is too gentle, in part because it hasn’t been rewritten enough yet. A few of the relationships need a little extra from me to make sense to the reader.

Then there’s the villain.

“What does he want? What made him this way?” she asks. She’s right. I’ve known this. He’s a monster, he craves power, and he terrorizes people…but why? What made him such an ugly, miserable creature?

Sadly, I don’t know. After all this time and all this work, I do not know.

Whenever I write, new information becomes revealed to me over time, and I expect that my villain has hidden out for a reason. I also hope he shows up to tell me what’s going on really soon! The other night I had a dream about him…a good sign. He was younger looking than in my story, although in my dream he had redeemed himself. That’s not going to happen in the novel, but maybe it’s the beginning of some insights.

I write this today in hopes that this action will jog loose some details and open his lips so he is more willing to tell me what hurt him so much. Or maybe he’s a psychopath who never had a conscience…but that tends to be boring in literature, so I vote for the former. Adrian, come out, come out, and talk to me. I promise I will do better at listening this time.

The Edge of the Desert

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With Patchwork and Ornament at the printer, I am revisiting old, dusty projects that have waited patiently for my attention. I have felt the strain of being in a creative desert for some time now, parched and seeing the occasional mirage that comes up empty. Shifting gears is never easy, but while P&O will require some marketing attention, I now have some free time to write again.

Fortunately, I’ve had these droughts enough times that I know what to do with them. First, I pulled The Artist’s Way off the shelf. I have done this frequently over the years, and I find that I often just need to reread the text (as opposed to doing the exercises) to jump-start my writing again.

This time, though, I need a little more help. I’m enlisting Writing the Natural Way by Gabriele Rico, Ph.D. This book is one of many recommended by one of my writing teachers, Karleen Koen, who has authored several wonderful historical fiction novels (and who also teaches a great class, “Something Novel”). In Rico’s book, the emphasis is on “clustering,” or taking a word and free-associating other words with it, then writing something based on those results. For the past few days, I’ve been dipping my toes in the water of Rico’s exercises, and now I would say that both feet are offiicially wet again. When this happens, it’s not long before I am submerged in writing once again.

As a result, I’ve returned to Exodus (I am going to work on another title soon, I promise), and I’m feeling good about working on it. I’ve received my novel evaluation from an editor that I hired, and I’m about to go through it. I have promised myself that October is a month for new creation…I have a novel idea that I want to explore, and I will be in an environment to do just that.

It feels good to be coming back, to wash myself in the waters of creativity. It’s time to get back to the pool and do some splashing!

The Home Stretch – And the Starting Gate

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The 14th is looming…this is the day I’ve selected for uploading the Patchwork and Ornament file to the printer. Until that moment, I will continue to proofread and to make sure the pdf meets their specifications. I’ve learned a lot this week about imbedding color profiles and all kinds of other things I really don’t care to know. I wake in the night thinking about a particular page or essay in the book, thinking of something else I need to change or clarify. This will go on, I’m sure, until the files are uploaded. I’ve been on this path before, and, well, this is how I roll. I will be making changes until the last minute. This is why I have to set timetables for myself, or I would never get anything done.

Nagging in the back of my brain is all the marketing tasks that are already overdue. If you’re going to write, whether or not you use a traditional publisher, you will have the number one responsibility for marketing. Daddy Publisher no longer provides this support. As a member of the Independent Book Publishers Association, I have access to some excellent resources, and I also study the work of Dan Poynter, Peter Bowerman, and John Kremer for guidance. There are endless tips on writing news releases, optimizing websites, maximizing social media, and more.

This is an odd time. On the one hand, I am about to complete a very big project. On the other, it’s really just beginning. I will take a few days to shift gears and regroup once I send the files off…then it’s off again for another run!

Packing the Right Suitcase

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My husband and I love to travel. Because both of us require only a computer keyboard and, in his case, an Internet connection, we have the good fortune to be able to work–and play–in many different locations. This fall we will experiment with a month-long trip to Switzerland and Provence, where we will hike and bike our way throughout the region. Henry will work three days a week, and I will shop in the markets, using my rudimentary French to buy fresh food for cooking…I’ll add here that cooking is, for me, a relaxing activity, especially when I am not loaded up with other tasks.

When I’m rejuvenating in the presence of nature, new ideas spring forth without effort. Almost as soon as I leave Houston, that “still small voice” begins to chatter away like an excited child, and I can barely keep up. Since I’ve been spending my energy almost entirely in book production lately, I welcome the opportunity to experiment with new material, and perhaps spruce up some drafts that I have lying around.

Today, in preparation for the big trip, we are taking a smaller one to Estes Park, Colorado. We have practiced using our new trekking poles and want some real-world practice, away from Houston’s flat, concrete sidewalks. We have thoughtfully equipped our backpacks to account for weather changes and longer hikes. Of course, this means that packing the suitcase is a different experience. Despite my best intentions to pack lightly, all the equipment takes up a lot of room. It meant choosing a different suitcase. It meant taking fewer changes of clothing, with the intention of re-wearing certain items. It took extra time and care to account for these deviations from my typical packing routine.

Each writing project feels a little like that. Patchwork and Ornament has given me the experience of a book containing visual imagery as well as text. When a Grandchild Dies required me to develop interviewing skills. Exodus demands a deeper observation of the inner self. Blood and Loam, my first novel, provides numerous writing lessons, especially “how not to write a novel.”

As I finish packing my suitcase, I find that in the end, it is packed, complete. Ultimately, if I take my time, everything I need will fit comfortably inside. I may feel a bit clumsy at times. I may worry about whether or not I “did it right.” Sometimes I’ll wonder if I can get the darn thing closed, if I can get everything to fit.

Once my suitcase is filled, I can then travel. Each book’s journey provides an opportunity to meet new people, to learn to skills, and to improve confidence. When I wrote When a Grandchild Dies, I had no idea what a unique and special journey I was about to undertake…and I am looking forward to all the future travels.