Marcy Campbell's Blog (18)

A Ghostly Story Comes Back to Haunt Me

Parenting brings challenges to the writing life, but it also brings great insight.

 

http://marcycampbell.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-ghostly-story-comes-back-to-haunt-me.html…

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Added by Marcy Campbell on March 12, 2013 at 10:03am — No Comments

Friends and Fodder

Well, it's happened. I've finally been caught writing about people I know in a

non-fictional way, and now I'm hiding in my closet in case anyone's mad at me. I

was sitting around a few weeks ago, compiling the 2013 recommendations for my

book club when I had an essay idea. Two days later (record time for me), I was

sending the finished piece out. It was quickly accepted at…

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Added by Marcy Campbell on February 26, 2013 at 2:04pm — No Comments

Redesigning my writing, my life, my closet

For the past year, I’ve been rewriting my debut novel, “Come As You Are.” And I do mean re-writing. I had completed many surface revisions in the years prior, had pursued agents thinking that, the next one I contacted would be the one, all the while pushing down the nagging thought that my book might not be good enough. Take a look at my…

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Added by Marcy Campbell on November 19, 2012 at 11:01am — No Comments

Hitting Bottom

I gave up on my debut novel sometime over the summer. I'd written, re-written, queried agents, gotten requests for fulls, but no offers of representation, only scant comments alluding to how nicely it was written (Then, why don't you want it? Arrrghhh!) and brief, sometimes confusing, allusions to what wasn't…
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Added by Marcy Campbell on December 31, 2011 at 9:17am — 1 Comment

Still Crazy

Last night, I was at a party with some people I hadn't seen in awhile, which means I had to answer the oft-repeated question, "How's the book coming?" This question isn't so easy to answer anymore. First of all, which book? The one I thought was "finished"? The one I just started? The one I have notes for, but am saving until the other two are done? Plus, I wrote three essays this…
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Added by Marcy Campbell on October 29, 2011 at 6:51am — No Comments

Happy New Year!

It's August, and my preschooler is suddenly concerned with all things Christmas. She's checking out books about Santa at the library and requesting a nightly viewing of "Frosty the Snowman." This prompted me to bemoan the fact that we struggle every year to send out Christmas cards. My husband's reply:  "We…
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Added by Marcy Campbell on August 24, 2011 at 7:30am — No Comments

The Romantics

So, I'm proud to say that in the past week, I've actually created a new folder on my laptop with the title of my work-in-progress. I then proceeded to type "Chapter One" and wrote an opening paragraph that I am totally in love with, plus a pretty decent first scene introducing my protagonist (and a couple of her colorful co-workers).…
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Added by Marcy Campbell on May 24, 2011 at 7:27am — No Comments

Trusting Your Gut

So, I'm still writing in my closet and convinced that this is definitely the place for me. This summer, when I have more time, I plan to turn this space into something fabulous. Even now, with badly scuffed walls, diaper boxes on the floor, and my husband's shirts hanging over my shoulder, this space is inspiring. Today, I'm peering…
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Added by Marcy Campbell on April 12, 2011 at 7:54am — No Comments

Thinking Inside the Box

I’m writing this morning with my laptop balanced on a nightstand stolen from my daughter’s room. A chair hauled up from the kitchen fits in from of it, with just half an inch to spare. The nightstand is so wide, I have to straddle it. My back is against the wall. My husband’s clothes are brushing my left arm. You see, I’m in a closet in our bedroom. It’s approximately…
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Added by Marcy Campbell on February 24, 2011 at 8:31am — 3 Comments

Quit Putting 'Writer' in Air Quotes!

I surprised myself last weekend. I met someone new who asked what I did, and I said, with no hesitation, "I'm a writer." She said "Wow!" and our conversation continued down other paths. Normally, there would be follow-up questions, such as: "Who do you write for? What do you write? Might I have read any of it? What kind of money do you make?" Maybe it was the immediacy and self-assured tone of my answer, "I'm a writer," that cut off these questions before they began. I kind of doubt it. I think… Continue

Added by Marcy Campbell on January 13, 2011 at 2:01pm — No Comments

My 2011 Book Club and Why We Loved "The Help"

I've recently taken over as secretary of my book club and am in the process of gathering recommendations for our 2011 reading list.  We'll have a meeting soon to vote on our picks, but the list will be small this year, only five books.  We'll supplement with interesting articles from the New Yorker, Atlantic, etc. for another five meeetings.  Two meetings will be purely social, one of which includes our families. The other involves lots of cookies and wine. (Who am I kidding? They all involve… Continue

Added by Marcy Campbell on January 5, 2011 at 8:11am — No Comments

Evolution and Editing

We all had fun watching Christine O’Donnell’s failed bid for the Senate. I particularly enjoyed her comments on evolution stated during one of her appearances on Bill Maher’s show. She wanted to know why we aren’t seeing monkeys evolving today. Maher makes the observation that she really thinks evolution is something we can observe happening right before our eyes. It made me think of one of those flip books I had as a kid. Turn the pages, and something morphs into something else.



In… Continue

Added by Marcy Campbell on November 11, 2010 at 8:59am — No Comments

Just Gotta Be Me

So I’m still thinking about Yellow Springs (see my previous post), specifically about the town’s appreciation of the arts. Many writers, painters, sculptors, belly dancers, you name it, make their home there. That got me thinking about the general public’s perception of how “artists” are supposed to look and act. Do a man-on-the-street interview asking someone to describe artists, and I’ll bet you’ll hear variations of these attributes: dreamy, impractical, prone to dressing in wild clothes (or… Continue

Added by Marcy Campbell on August 3, 2010 at 7:26am — No Comments

Where to Plant Your Freak Flag

What an enjoyable time I’ve had in Yellow Springs, Ohio, the highlight of which was meeting “the agent I’ve been working with,” hopefully soon to be called simply “my agent,” Janet Reid. She is as warm and funny in person as she is on the blogosphere, and it was wonderful to talk with her about publishing in general and about my novel in particular, which will soon be undergoing its last round of edits before being submitted to publishers.



Aside from that very important meeting, I… Continue

Added by Marcy Campbell on July 16, 2010 at 6:34am — No Comments

Ahh, country life?

I've horribly neglected my blog. You see, I've been moving our little family of four to new digs, then promptly vacationing for two weeks only to return to a toppling pyramid of unpacked boxes around every corner. But, at last, here I am in my new office space. Already, this house feels like home. It's a beautiful brick colonial from the 20s with all the built-in nooks and crannies that I love. But it's the neighborhood that's really won us over, a bit Mayberry-esque, this tree-lined, brick… Continue

Added by Marcy Campbell on July 8, 2010 at 7:45am — No Comments

Writer Types

We're all taught at a young age that stereotypes are bad, bad things, but as we get older, we realize that stereotypes often begin with a grain of truth. I know, rationally, that not all shade-loving, three-lobed plants will give me a horrible rash, but I sometimes have trouble recognizing the one that will, so it's easier to just avoid all of them.



So, let's say you want to avoid contact with writers. How do you spot one? Ask people to describe the average "creative writer," and… Continue

Added by Marcy Campbell on April 27, 2010 at 9:22am — No Comments

How to Tell If I'm Working

My second least favorite question: what are you working on these days? (Least favorite is, and always will be, "What's your book about?") The short answer to "What are you working on?" is "A novel." This then leads to the least favorite question, which leads to my anxious face, nervous laugh, and stammering reply that tells them nothing at all about the book. But, back to the second book, the one I'm "working" on now. I feel the need to dissect my habits for those who think "working" actually… Continue

Added by Marcy Campbell on April 9, 2010 at 1:12pm — No Comments

Got Rage?

You know you're not supposed to call up your ex while drunk. You know you're not supposed to send that email telling your boss to f-off. Keep those obscene thoughts in your journal, preferably under lock and key. Don't expose them to the light of day! You don't want people to think you're crazy, or weird, or just plain un-likable (shudder). Now, every Midwestern gal wants to be "liked." I should know; I took AP classes in just that topic in high school.



I've moved around a bit, but… Continue

Added by Marcy Campbell on March 30, 2010 at 7:01am — 1 Comment

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