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Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Author Insight: Writing under wraps

Have you ever hidden something you’ve written from a family member? Why?


"Not hidden, no.  But I don't share work-in-process with my family.  There's really no need.  My husband read The Cinderella Society in ARC form, but that was the first time he'd laid eyes on it." - Kay Cassidy, author of The Cinderella Society.

 

"Yes! Mostly because I just didn't have enough faith in the story to show it to ANYONE. I have lots of stuff hidden on my computer that's simply not good enough." - Beth Revis, author of Across the Universe.


"No. My wife and sons understand that I am protective of my writing, and they respect that. I’d rather they don’t see my work until it is in its final book form. I also think that reading my stories puts a lot of pressure on them to like it. They may not and I’m totally cool with that. I just don’t want them to have to worry about hurting my feelings." - Ty Roth, author of So Shelly.


"Yes, because it’s based on the town that they live in, and the town doesn’t come off too nicely." - Cynthia Omololu, author of Dirty Little Secrets.

"I haven’t, unless you count gift lists and journals and things like that. Actually, wait a minute. There were a few poems that I wrote in college that I didn’t show to my mother, mostly because they were about the kinds of things that mothers don’t really want to know about their daughters. At the time, I thought family holidays would be a lot less awkward if she didn’t read them. Now I just think they’re pretty ridiculous." - Carrie Harris, author of Bad Taste in Boys.


"No- usually I'm begging them to read something. And they're always coming up with excuses. Like 'I've got homework.' or 'I'm in Intensive Care.' Sheesh." - Maurissa Guibord, author of Warped.


"Oh, God, absolutely! It's like your family seeing you naked. I can't even be in the room with them if they're reading something they've read. Even now that I have stuff out there, they know they're only allowed to read it if they do not talk to me about it after. They need to pretend they never read it. " - Hannah Moskowitz, author of Invincible Summer. 


"No." - Tracy Barrett, author of King of Ithaka.


"No. I write for publication, and the closest thing I have to a journal is my Cynsations blog, which is available on the Web." - Cynthia Leitich Smith, author of Blessed.



"Not hidden, per se, but my mom has never read any of my writing.  She's the type of mom who has never been able to watch me perform (I've been a singer since I was a kid).  I'd always see her in the audience staring fixedly at her lap.  She'll read Possess when it comes out, but not before.  I think she's afraid she'll jinx it." - Gretchen McNeil, author of Possess.


"No. If my family snooped around in my notebooks and files, I wouldn't like that because some of my old writing and ideas can be quite embarrassing (or perhaps too psychologically revealing, lol) but they wouldn't do that." - Jaclyn Dolamore, author of Between the Sea and Sky.


"No, though when I was writing racier, adult romance, I was not keen to have my dad read it, for obvious reasons!" - Inara Scott, author of Delcroix Academy: The Candidates.


"Sure, now and then. Not for any interesting reason. Just because I felt the work wasn't good enough." - Kim Harrington, author of Clarity. 


"I've never written anything, bookwise, that I felt needed to be hidden! - Sara Bennett Wealer, author of Rival.



"Oh, I'm sure. Well, I certainly don't let my children read my books! Especially not the erotic romances. I've hidden all kinds of journals and notes and stuff from various family members; I don't know anyone who hasn't. And as far as my published work, I don't always tell my dad, for example, because of the sexing in the books. Heh. My books are very personal. I know I can't keep them secret from certain family members (by family I mean childhood family, not my husband or children), but I also know I'm not comfortable with them reading the books, especially when they want to discuss them with me afterward. It feels like they're trying to reach inside me and pull things out, and I don't like it. I know that sounds harsh, but it's honestly true." - Stacia Kane, author of City of Ghosts.

Stop by Thursday to find out if the rest of the authors have ever hidden any of their writing!

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