by Lynne | Mar 23, 2013 | Uncategorized
Some Things Cannot Be Forgotten
Monday, March 25th, is the 102nd anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. The 1911 fire was the deadliest workplace disaster in NYC before 9-11. It was significant not because 146 workers died, but because it instigated significant reform. At the time workplace safety was barely regulated and rarely thought about . . . except, perhaps, by the workers themselves. Other workplace disasters had occurred in the past and would again in the future. Just a few months ago, in fact, I sent out a story on a similar fire at a factory in Bangladesh.
When I decided to write a mystery against the backdrop of the Triangle, I had no idea what I was in for. Research took me in several directions: the forensics of fire, the consequences of “defenestration,” that is, vertical falls from high places, the difficulty in identifying bodies falling from such heights, the safety hazards for garment workers, women’s rights, workers’ rights, changes in the American workplace.
But I also researched the time and place of the disaster. 1911, Greenwich Village, New York City. A time when Ellis Island kept its arms open to immigrants from many countries — immigrants who came for a better life, but often wound up in sweatshops, or worse. A time of Tammany Hall and corruption. A time of women’s suppression. But also a time of new beginnings, hope, and freedom in a new land.
I am a New Yorker and was amazed at the fantastic bits of information I dug up. I learned, for instance, that Washington Square Park is built on what was once a potter’s field, where 100,000 people were buried for a century and a half. I walked the streets of Greenwich Village, saw the buildings my characters would have seen, drank in bars they patronized, and gazed up at the ninth story of the Asch Building (now part of NYU) to visualize the flames bursting through the windows and the workers leaping to their deaths.
The cover of my book is a photo I took of the building in 2010, with smoke and color added for dramatic effect. For those of you who write about history, or simply enjoy reading it, I know you’ll agree that real-life events in the past make a grand backdrop for a fictional story.
Murder, in particular.
by Lynne | Mar 19, 2013 | Uncategorized
Teens Can Be Funny . . . Or Not
I thought I would share this humorous look at how teenagers defined (or re-defined) words in a recent GED Exam. Here are a few of the questions and answers:
Q. What does varicose mean?
A. Nearby
Q. What are steroids?
A. Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs
Q. What is a fibula?
A. A small lie.
Q. What is a seizure?
A. A Roman Emperor (Julius Seizure – I came, I saw, I had a fit)
Q. What does the word “benign” mean?
A. Benign is what you will be after you be eight
Q. What is a turbine?
A. Something an Arab or Shreik (yes, indeed) wears on his head
How about a few scientific definitions?
Q. How is dew formed?
A. The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire
Q. What happens to your body as you age?
A. When you age, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental
Q. How can you delay milk turning sour?
A. Keep it in the cow (Aha!)
Q. What is the most common form of birth control?
A. Yes, you know it – a condominium!
This takes me back to my days of teaching, a lifetime ago. Were kids different back then? Were they more proficient in English and Science? My guess? No. Not much has changed.
Sigh.
by Lynne | Mar 11, 2013 | Uncategorized
For Love or Money
Are you writing for yourself or writing to be published? Many of us will say we write because we love to write; we’ve always written, since we were very young, and we couldn’t stop even if we wanted to. We have a story to tell and we must put it down on paper, whether anyone else ever reads it or not. Many of us love research and the learning that comes from it, through travel, libraries, personal interviews, the Internet.
If we’re honest, we say we write for ourselves, but we’d also like others to read our work. We have something to share, for others to, hopefully, enjoy. That usually means getting published. Getting published means marketing the book. Marketing the book means targeting your audience, which brings us back to the original question: who are you writing for?
Are you writing for young adults, men, children, older women, doctors, new mothers, teachers, who? As you write, do you have an audience in mind, or does the audience develop along the way? Personally, when I write, I don’t think about who will read it until I’m done. Maybe that’s not smart. Maybe it won’t help me sell. But if I think about who might read the book, I find myself stifled. If I aimed for gray-haired ladies or young teens, I might avoid swear words or gritty murder scenes that make my books more authentic. So I don’t shoot for any particular market. I simply write . . . and hope I can find the best audience for it later, in the marketing phase.
Only after my book is done, edited, re-written, edited and re-written, do I focus on target marketing. Who would like this book? An adult audience that enjoys history, forensics, and puzzle-solving. I can also shoot for readers interested in the time and place of the story ie: New York City in the early 1900s. You might target readers who love horses, dogs, do yoga, play golf, tennis, are musicians or mathematicians.
Can you stretch those audiences to include YA readers? Possibly, but probably not unless there are YA characters in the story. I don’t think many teens want to read solely about characters of their parents’ generation. What about other genders, sexual orientation, or ethnic groups? If your characters are gay or lesbian will a straight audience be interested? Likewise, gender and ethnicity. What about political or religious affiliations? All important considerations. For marketing.
For writing, however, write because you love to write, whatever the audience turns out to be. You’d be surprised. If a book is a delight to read, you might get audiences you never dreamed of.
by Lynne | Mar 5, 2013 | Uncategorized
A Trip to the Labyrinth
I was pondering what my blog topic would be this week and chanced upon this article in the LA Times. How wonderful to know places like this still exist. San Diego, my home town, is about two hours south of LA, so guess where I’ll be going soon?
Of course as an indie writer and e-book reader, I don’t buy as many traditional books as I used to. Still, just the look and feel of them trip a feeling of childish delight. And the smell. There’s nothing like the aroma of old, musty fusty books. Yess!
Although this store in LA is a bit unusual, (do you think?) there are wonderful havens for books everywhere. Check out the one in your town and see if it doesn’t make you feel nostalgic.
http://www.latimes.com/features/books/jacketcopy/la-ca-0303-last-bookstore-pictures,0,1153539.photogallery
The cover of my book is a photo I took of the building in 2010, with smoke and color added for dramatic effect. For those of you who write about history, or simply enjoy reading it, I know you’ll agree that real-life events in the past make a grand backdrop for a fictional story.