Does Prolific Equal Growth as a Writer? @JenniferLyon
November 25, 2017 by A Slice of Orange in category From Our Archives tagged as Jennifer Apodaca, Jennifer Lyon, Motivational
We occasionally run posts from our wayback archives. This post from Jennifer Apodaca (Jennifer Lyon) was first published in May of 2006. We think it’s still a timely topic.
Does Prolific Equal Growth as a Writer? @JenniferLyon
This is such an interesting question. It leads to some obvious points; do some prolific authors’ books seem like the same book over and over? It can happen. It’s really hard to make every book different, and some similarities will come through in every book. Those are usually part of the author’s “voice” and her style. An M.O. (Modus Operandi) if you will.
One of the most amazing “stretches” for an author that I’ve seen is Nora Roberts writing as JD Robb. Those books are totally different from her Nora Roberts books. The voice is edgier, the plots are grittier, and the suspense is darker. Amazing. Do I think she could have done that in the beginning of her career? Doubtful, although Nora Roberts truly has a “gift” in writing. She may not appeal to everyone, but the woman can tell a story.
So can Stephen King. And he has done some serious growth in his career. Off hand, I’d cite THE GREEN MILE as an example. Stephen King takes risks, and sometimes the reading public doesn’t like the result. But his books are rarely the same thing over and over. I believe he’s grown in his career and he has worked at growing. He tries new things. He doesn’t let fear or reader and publisher expectations keep him in a mold.
I’m not so sure the same could be said for John Grisham or James Patterson. I love some of John Grisham’s early works, but somewhere along the way I just plain old lost interest. That could just be a coincidence. I thought A TIME TO KILL was truly a compelling book. I stopped reading James Patterson when he stopped writing his own books. Enough said there.
There are many factors that can come into play here, branding, putting out several books a year, publishers demanding similar books, the author’s comfort zone, reader expectations…they affect how we write. I’ve known very good authors who had to fight, and fight hard, to expand and grow in their work.
We don’t have a lot of control over all the factors that come into play, but we can control our comfort zone. To grow, we have to push the barriers on what we “know” we can do. For instance, my mystery series has certain built-in parameters. Although I strove to find ways to challenge my writing and keep my characters fresh, by the fifth book, I knew I was pretty much in my comfort zone. To stretch a little I wrote a novella in third person (my mystery series is in first person). Then I wrote an entire book in third person (THE SEX ON THE BEACH BOOK CLUB) with much looser parameters. Trying new things is the only way I know to really flex and strain the writing muscle to see how much it can handle.
Growth does not happen in a vacuum. It’s impossible. We must feed the writing muscle to grow it. Get out from behind the computer and live a little. We need friends who support our dreams, hold our hand when the writing gets tough and slap us around when we doubt our ability.
While I don’t think volume absolutely equals growth, I do think we have to keep writing to grow. It might be uneven progress, sometimes we’ll have to compromise to meet a deadline (this is a business no matter how much we might like to romanticize it!), and sometimes outside forces will prevent us from stretching as much as we’d like. But I think every book gives us the opportunity to grow in some way. The trick is to be willing to take the risk, invest the time and effort, and believe in ourselves.
What about you? What authors do you think have really grown? And which ones write the same book over and over?
Jennifer Apodaca
http://jenniferapodaca.com/
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Jennifer Lyon is the pseudonym for USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer Apodaca. Jen has published more than twenty books and novellas, including a fun and sexy mystery series and a variety of contemporary romances under the name Jennifer Apodaca. As Jennifer Lyon she created the dark, sizzling, paranormal Wing Slayer Hunter Series, the emotionally sensual adult contemporary Plus Once Chronicles Series, and the passionately beautiful Savaged Illusions Trilogy. Jen has won numerous awards, hit bestseller lists on several sites, and had her books translated into multiple languages.
Jen lives in Southern California with her husband. Together, they raised three amazing sons, welcomed three lovely daughters-in-law and an adorable grandson. Jen loves reading, vacations at the beach or wine tasting, and making friends with any dog she meets. But her passion is writing about characters who must surmount impossible odds and make tough choices to prove themselves worthy of love. In the evening, her husband lures her away from the computer with a glass of wine and the company of the man who is her happily ever after.
Jen loves connecting with fans. Visit her website at www.jenniferlyonbooks.com follow her at https://www.facebook.com/jenniferlyonbooks and sign up for her newsletter here http://jenniferlyonbooks.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=073423e93d289ea062989ac07&id=7af76b3602
Happy Thanksgiving 2017
November 23, 2017 by marianne h donley in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley tagged as Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving 2017
We hope you day if filled with food, family, friends and fun—and not too many dirty dishes.
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November Featured Author: Sally Paradysz
November 13, 2017 by marianne h donley in category Featured Author of the Month tagged as BWG, Featured author, Memoir, Sally Paradysz, Short Stories
In Memory of Sal
October 29, 2017
Emily P. W. Murphy
Two weeks ago, we unexpectedly lost a very dear friend of mine. Today her friends and family are gathering together to remember her life. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there.
It has taken this long for me to get my mind around writing about our loss. Sal was a remarkable, inspiring, enigmatic, gentle, loving soul. She inspired so many, and made every one of her many, many friends feel special, valued, and loved. I am so sorry for the loss felt by her family and friends, but also truly sorry for those of you who will not get to meet her.
Sal had a lot to do with who I am today. I’ll never forget the morning she wrote asking if I would consider professionally editing her memoir. This was before we were great friends. She felt shy even asking me, when in fact she was offering me an incredible opportunity. See, this was before I identified myself as an editor– honestly, before I even felt truly comfortable saying I was a writer. Yet, she trusted me to help shape the way she presented her life story to the world. What an honor. As we worked together, Sal’s faith in me helped me find faith and confidence in myself.
[tweetshare tweet=”In Memory of Sal by @EmilyPWMurphy ” username=”A_SliceofOrange”]
Her memoir, From Scratch, is now a publication that has reached countless readers. Sal’s commitment and hard work produced a book that is so much more than just an interesting story from her life, but also a source of inspiration for others. If you haven’t read it yet, I recommend you do so. I’ve read it more times than I can count (in all of its various incarnations) but you can bet I’ll be rereading it in the near future. Once my heart can handle it.
I miss you, Sal. ♡
Emily
Sally Paradysz wrote from a book-lined cabin in the woods beside the home she built from scratch. She was an ordained minister of the Assembly of the Word, founded in 1975. For two decades, she provided spiritual counseling and ministerial assistance. Sal completed undergraduate and graduate courses in business and journalism. She took courses at NOVA, and served as a hotline, hospital, and police interview volunteer in Bucks County, PA. She was definitely owned by her two Maine Coon cats, Kiva and Kodi.
Sal is missed by all who knew her.
Sally Paradysz, November Featured Author
November 7, 2017 by marianne h donley in category Featured Author of the Month tagged as Featured author, Memoir, Sally Paradysz, Short Stories
In memory of Sally Paradysz
by
Carol L. Wright
Sal was at the first-ever meeting of the Bethlehem Writers Group in 2006. She had written several vignettes that she hoped would be inspirational, and brought them to the group for a critique. I remember it well. We had never met before, and here was a bright-eyed, white-haired woman with short bits of writing on several aspects of life and spirituality. The only problem was . . . they came across as preachy.
All of us who knew Sal know she was never preachy—but that’s how her writing came across. And that’s what we told her.
Instead of being discouraged, she went home and tinkered with them some more. At the next meeting she brought another draft, then another and another at the meetings that followed. She told us later that after each meeting she would go home and Mel would ask, did they like this one better? She just shook her head. Nope.
But, in true Sal fashion, she never gave up. She kept writing until she finally found her voice—by writing about her life. And when she did, she wrote from her heart.
One of the first such stories was about being in her writing cabin and looking out the window to discover that someone had stolen her Vespa. In her story, she went through the stages of grief over losing her beloved scooter, only to find as she walked back to her house . . . that she had parked it somewhere else.
Sal could laugh at herself.
[tweetshare tweet=”In Memory of Sally Paradysz by Carol L. Wright @GracieWriter ” username=”A_SliceofOrange”]
Once she found her voice she wrote about nature. She wrote about recovery. She wrote about strong women, good friends, and spirituality. And then she combined the best of all of them when she wrote about building her house.
It took her years to complete her memoir, From Scratch: Why I Walked Away from My Life and Built This Home. At first, it was hard for her to share her private pain with members of the writers group—let alone imagine sharing it with the world. But every time she gave more of herself to her story, she lent it a truth that, when published, helped others in pain to find their path to healing.
When she finally published the book, all of the writers group family celebrated. And, in the months that followed, she learned that her words were inspirational—and anything but preachy.
She stayed with our writers group for the rest of her life. Over the years, Sal became so much more than a fellow writer. She became a cherished friend.
We are so happy to have been part of her journey, and feel very blessed that she was a part of ours.
Sally Paradysz wrote from a book-lined cabin in the woods beside the home she built from scratch. She was an ordained minister of the Assembly of the Word, founded in 1975. For two decades, she provided spiritual counseling and ministerial assistance. Sal completed undergraduate and graduate courses in business and journalism. She took courses at NOVA, and served as a hotline, hospital, and police interview volunteer in Bucks County, PA. She was definitely owned by her two Maine Coon cats, Kiva and Kodi.
Sal is missed by all who knew her.
November Featured Author: Sally Paradysz #amreading on @A_SliceofOrange
November 1, 2017 by marianne h donley in category Featured Author of the Month tagged as Featured author, Sally Paradysz
November Featured Author: Sally Paradysz
This month’s Featured Author is a bittersweet event for me. Sweet, because I am so pleased to share Sally Paradysz with the world. But bitter, because Sal died, unexpectedly, two weeks ago while on vacation in her beloved Maine.
Sal was a regular contributor in this new incarnation of A Slice of Orange. She was, in fact, one of the first authors I ask to write for us. She blogged about writing and life and nature on the thirteenth of every month. Sal was wise, friendly, and so kind that I can’t recall hearing her say an unkind word about anyone. I will miss her. I know it’s a cliché, but the word is a dimmer place without Sal. I offer my profound condolences to her partner Mel and her children and grandchildren. Sal’s family asked that instead of flowers or donations that people do a random act of kindess for someone in need.
If you haven’t read Sal’s book or one of her short stories, I hope you take the time to do so. Each one offers a gentle lesson on life.
Marianne
Sally Paradysz wrote from a book-lined cabin in the woods beside the home she built from scratch. She was an ordained minister of the Assembly of the Word, founded in 1975. For two decades, she provided spiritual counseling and ministerial assistance. Sal completed undergraduate and graduate courses in business and journalism. She took courses at NOVA, and served as a hotline, hospital, and police interview volunteer in Bucks County, PA. She was definitely owned by her two Maine Coon cats, Kiva and Kodi.
Sal is missed by all who knew her.
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