Fan Mail Wednesday #132: A Plain Person
Tuesday, January 24th, 2012 Posted in Fan Mail, the writing process | No Comments »I've heard a lot of positive comments about the "Fan Mail Wednesday" feature, now going on its fourth year. But of late, I haven't been sharing too many. I've been answering mail, doing my duty, just not posting it on ...
Uncorrected Proofs, Living with ARCs: One Author’s Perspective
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 Posted in Before You Go, the writing process | 1 Comment »I've never been comfortable when people describe themselves as "perfectionists." Especially coming from writers. It implies that, somewhere down the line, they actually do get it "perfect." We don't, not ever. But many of us -- though not all -- try ...
James Preller Interviews . . . Lewis Buzbee, Author of “Bridge of Time”
Tuesday, January 10th, 2012 Posted in Interviews & Appreciations, the writing process | 1 Comment »Lewis, I was just so impressed with your new book, BRIDGE OF TIME (Macmillan, May 2012). Congratulations. When I was reading the Advance Reader's Copy, I wished I could talk to you about it, ask questions, dig a little deeper. ...
The Hidden Lives of Middle Schoolers
Thursday, December 15th, 2011 Posted in Along Came Spider, Interviews & Appreciations, the writing process | No Comments »I've been enjoying Linda Perlstein's wonderful book, Not Much Just Chillin': The Hidden Lives of Middle Schoolers, which you might recall from a previous post, here. I'm not really interested in conjuring up a new review for it, since most ...
“Bad Decisions Make Good Stories.”
Monday, December 5th, 2011 Posted in Bystander, bullying, the writing process | No Comments »I came across this wall photo on the web. I wasn't too crazy about it, frankly, didn't strike me as hysterical, but number 10 got my attention: Bad decisions make good stories. (Click on the image if you wish to make it ...
I’d Follow Joan Didion’s Mind Whatever It Roams
Monday, November 21st, 2011 Posted in Interviews & Appreciations, Readings, the writing process | 2 Comments »I just read Joan Didion's new book, Blue Nights. She's just an amazing writer, so precise. I'd follow her mind anywhere. And this book is particularly remarkable, not only for the content, but for the style -- the texture of the ...
Write What You DON’T Know . . . Yet
Friday, November 18th, 2011 Posted in the writing process | No Comments »First, this is funny: We've all heard it. And most of us have probably said it. Write what you know. Value that singular fingerprint you carry, the gathered sediment of our long hours, the crazy accumulation of days, the fossilized imprint ...
James Preller Interviews . . . Carmen Deedy, author of “THE CHESHIRE CHEESE CAT”
Tuesday, November 1st, 2011 Posted in Before You Go, Interviews & Appreciations, Readings, the writing process | 4 Comments »As an author, mine was not the story of the wide-eyed boy who loved weekly trips to the library, the happy ritual of laden arms lugging home precious treasures. No, we didn't do that stuff in my family. For starters, ...
Fan Mail Wednesday #127 (Writing Advice)
Friday, October 28th, 2011 Posted in Bystander, Fan Mail, School Visits, the writing process | 4 Comments »Certainly by this point, faithful readers of jamespreller.com have realized that for me, "Wednesday" is a mystical proposition rather than, say, an actual day. Fan Mail Wednesday happens when I get around to it, basically, and these days it's been ...
Poetry Friday: “In a Red Baseball Cap” by James Preller
Thursday, October 13th, 2011 Posted in Six Innings, the writing process | No Comments »Just dug this unpublished poem out of the file cabinet, must have written it about 25-30 years ago, so might as well finally see the light of day. I always liked this one, that connection between the boy and Willie ...