A Writer's Moment: 'Those Hundreds of Days'

A Writer's Moment: 'Those Hundreds of Days': “Completing any writing project, particularly a novel, is a daunting prospect. Many people become frozen by the prospect...

'Those Hundreds of Days'

“Completing any writing project, particularly a novel, is a daunting prospect. Many people become frozen by the prospect. Others keep waiting for the right time. Some wait for the spark of inspiration. Even experienced writers find it is easier to do anything other than actually write. – Bob Mayer 

  

Mayer, born in New York on Oct. 21, 1959,  is prolific author who has had 70-plus novels in multiple genres, selling more than 4 million books, including Area 51, Atlantis, and The Green Berets, all #1 series.   And, when I say “multiple genres,” that includes Romance where he holds the distinction of being the only male author on the Romance Writers of America Honor Roll.

A former Green Beret and graduate of West Point,              

Mayer’s writing encompasses both his military experience and his fascination for history, legends and mythology.  And, collaborating with Romance writer Jennifer Cruise, he did a series of military-themed romance novels starting with - Don’t Look Down and the New York Times number one bestseller Agnes and the Hitman.

While getting the work done hasn’t seemed to be a problem for Mayer, he notes that for most writers it can and is a long process.  “A one-hundred-thousand-word novel might take a year or several years, and then you just come to 'The End' one day,” he wrote.  “But it takes hundreds of days to get to 'The End.' As a writer, you have to be ready to put in those hundreds of days.”

Share Writer’s A Moment with friends

Writersmoment

A Writer's Moment: ‘A Right We Should All Fight For’

A Writer's Moment: ‘A Right We Should All Fight For’: “Free and fair access to books - to reading - is a right and one we should all fight for.” – Kate Mosse A n English novelist, non-ficti...

‘A Right We Should All Fight For’

“Free and fair access to books - to reading - is a right and one we should all fight for.” – Kate Mosse

An English novelist, non-fiction and short story writer and broadcaster, Mosse (born on Oct. 20, 1961) is best known for her novel Labyrinth, which has been translated into more than 37 languages.   Mosse first got involved in the writing world as a publishing assistant, then editor and journalist before switching over to managing a regional theater.  It was while serving in that role that she began writing creatively and came out with Labyrinth.

Although best known for her adventure and ghost fiction, usually inspired by real history, Mosse's non-fiction, particularly Becoming A Mother and The House: Behind the Scenes at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, also have been best sellers and television specials.

 

Kate Mosse

“Usually I decide on what it is I'm writing next by the books I'm reading,” she said.  A champion for the free library system, she has done many fund-raisers and written on their behalf.
 

“The message is clear: libraries matter,” she said.  “Their solid presence at the heart of our towns sends the proud signal that everyone - whoever they are, whatever their educational background, whatever their age or their needs - is welcome.”

 

 

Share Writer’s A Moment with friends

Writersmoment.blogspot.com/

A Writer's Moment: 'Having Your Own Distinct Sound'

A Writer's Moment: 'Having Your Own Distinct Sound': I just believe that young people need to be able to learn how to write in their own voice. Just like a musician, you pr...

'Having Your Own Distinct Sound'

I just believe that young people need to be able to learn how to write in their own voice. Just like a musician, you pride yourself on having your own distinct sound.” – Terry McMillan

 

Born on this date in 1951, McMillan grew up in Michigan and earned a degree in English from UC-Berkeley before starting her writing career in her late 30s.  After modest success, she had a major breakthrough with her best-seller Waiting to Exhale, credited with contributing to a shift in Black popular cultural consciousness and the visibility of a female Black middle-class identity in popular culture.  

And while she drew on her own experiences for part of that book, it was the 1998 semi-autobiographical novel How Stella Got Her Groove Back that firmly cemented her writing as a force to be reckoned with.

 

Her work is characterized by relatable female protagonists, and she says all of them reflect a part of herself, something she thinks all writers have incorporated into their work.  “Few writers are willing to admit (that) writing is autobiographical, but it mostly is.”

 

Share Writer’s A Moment with friends

Writersmoment.blogspot.com/

A Writer's Moment: 'Real Poetry Is Not Easy'

A Writer's Moment: 'Real Poetry Is Not Easy': “Poetry is not easy. Or should I say, real poetry is not easy.” – Robert Pinsky Pinsky, a Boston University prof tu...