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Ayelet Waldman
April 23, 2006
Ayelet Waldman, author of the Mommy Track mystery series, including Nursery Crimes, and the novels, Daughter's Keeper and Love and Other Impossible Pursuits, and an essayist, wrote her first book when her kids were napping.
The house was "such a shit hole, though there was a veneer of cleanliness," she recalled.
Ayelet (okay, this is how you pronounce it -- eye-i-let), was a lawyer who wanted to be a writer. By her own admission, she had a foot in the door - her husband is Pulitzer Prize winning, humongously talented writer Michael Chabon, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay.
But for someone with connection cred like her, getting a book contract wasn't easy. Sure, she got an agent right away, but finding an editor who wanted to buy her proposal -- which she thought might take a week - took longer.
Given her talents as a writer, along with a self-deprecating style and sarcastic wit as a speaker, she was launched. However, being a mother of four - she was already a goddess.
Here are her words of wisdom for other mama writers:
Strong voices make great characters
When writing fiction, ask yourself: Have you captured the voice of your character?
You have to create interesting characters, even in non-fiction.
The most important part of writing is figuring out, what is the voice? Who is this person? Know if the person is self-centered. Is she bitchy? Is she petty? Is she vulnerable?
Can you make her likeable? This is something all writers hear: In contemporary fiction you need a main character that is likeable in some way.
Readers need to identify with your characters.
On creating characters based on people you know
For Daughter's Keeper, my mother said it was a sympathetic portrait. My father said it was the best thing I've ever done.
Some people don't recognize themselves in the characters. Some people will say, "You nailed me!" And you think, 'Where are you in this?'
Just grit your teeth and write. You'll be happy when it gets published. And once it gets published you (and they) won't care.
On asking permission to write about people you know
I don't write non-fiction about my children without their permission. I didn't ask my mother, though. There has definitely been stuff where my daughter has said don't write about it.
My other advice: I would never say anything about my husband in print. I feel protective of him.
Show versus tell
Instead of writing: She's the kind of person who likes to feel control., show the ways that she is controlling.
Think of a scene where she is dealing with another character. Place her in a specific situation. Describe the scene. Describe what happens, what she says.
Readers will believe it more. For example, place your controlling character in a doctor's office. Don't say she feels powerless. Make her feel powerless with the doctor by using dialog that describes her feelings.
How to create great dialog
To create believable dialog, listen to the way people talk.
Make sure your characters don't all talk in the same voice.
Give them a couple of verbal ticks.
Every experience, every conversation, can feed into your book.
I like characters that have strong emotions.
Consider carefully how you will construct your book. It must be thoughtful.
If the writing, if the character, is too safe, you're not writing close enough, not writing truthfully.
On reading other writers while writing a book
I was once on a panel discussion with The Devil Wears Prada chic (Lauren Weisberger). Far be it from me to say she's an idiot, but she said she never read while writing that book because she didn't want someone else's voice to affect her.
I read someone else's voice (when I write) who is better than me. Who wouldn't want to? It's one of the best tools, one of the best ways, to learn to write.
(Writing) style is something that comes organically.
But who am I to say? The Devil Wears Prada was a bestseller. It was much bigger than my books.
On being a female writer
There's something universally female about feeling that we're not entitled to be writers. Just lie! Just say, "I'm a writer!"
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