Posted by Shoshana Brown Jan 27 2012, 12:00 am in growth, Shoshana Brown, writing craft
If you’re a parent, you’re probably familiar with growth charts.  You know–those graphs that show how your child’s height or weight or head circumference compares to the averages based on her age. After staring at way too many of these graphs, something occurred to me. My development as a writer wasn’t too different from the way my baby’s head was growing.
I started in the rapid-growth phase. With every chapter I wrote, my skill set noticeably improved. Simple changes, like writing my synopsis before I started the manuscript, so that I’d have a road map to follow, had the power to jump start my productivity and manuscript quality. The wonderful thing about this phase was that the rejections didn’t sting too much. By the time an editor told me they didn’t want manuscript A, manuscript B was finished, and it was so much better, I couldn’t believe I’d ever thought A was publication quality.
Then, one day, I finished a manuscript that wasn’t much better than the one before it.
Posted by Shoshana Brown Sep 28 2011, 12:01 am in Beginnings, Shoshana Brown, writing fears
I’ve just finished one last pass of revisions on my latest manuscript, and you know what that means. Yep–time to start a new one.
But beginnings scare me. Whether it’s beginning a new job (What if my boss hates me?), beginning a garden (How am I supposed to remember to water those things every day?), or beginning a yoga class (What if I’m not flexible enough?), I run right, smack into that fear of the unknown. Even beginning a new manuscript scares me. What if this one isn’t as good as the last one? What if this idea, which seemed brilliant when it came to me last week in a dream, turns to crap as soon as I start putting words on paper? I don’t know if it’s those fears or just a natural part of my process, but I never start my manuscripts in the right place. I scrap and rewrite that opening scene dozens of times, not to mention the first page, the first paragraph, and the first line.
Posted by Shoshana Brown Apr 20 2011, 12:01 am in Shoshana Brown, taking risks
As a reader, I love characters with backbone. Nothing annoys me more than a heroine who is nice to EVERYONE–even the people who repeatedly blow her off, insult her, or try to hurt her–like the writer is afraid that if the heroine dares to stand up for herself, the reader will think she’s mean. Standing up for yourself isn’t spiteful–it’s a basic survival instinct.
Posted by Shoshana Brown Dec 14 2010, 12:01 am in perseverance, Shoshana Brown, writer's life
I distinctly remember the first time I told a coworker that, in addition to making Important Scientific Discoveries, I was also writing a novel.
“Oh,” he said. “I used to write. Then I got a horrible case of writer’s block. I’d sit in front of the computer for hours, just staring at the screen. I finally had to quit writing and go into therapy.”
That’s crazy, I thought. (Luckily, I didn’t say this out loud.) I’ll never be that obsessive.
Posted by Shoshana Brown Mar 10 2010, 12:00 am in classic books, Shoshana Brown, timelessness
A few months ago, my husband and I were browsing through a bookstore and he found a copy of The Catcher in the Rye. Despite his poor track record for finishing books (he averages maybe one per year) he bought it. He read the first two chapters, then put the book down and forgot all about it. Being the thrifty person that I am, I couldn’t stand for the book to go unread after having plunked down $7.99 for it. So, despite the fact that I’d read it back in high school and not thought much of it, I picked it up. And, from the first line, I was hooked. What an amazing voice. How had I missed this back in high school?
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