Ask the Author: Diana Forbes
Answered Questions (10)
Diana Forbes
Dear Barbara M, Thank you so very much for coming to the book club event. It was a privilege for me to meet you and the other dynamic members of the Club, and I really loved having the opportunity to share with you the research that went into Mistress Suffragette! I am finishing the sequel now. Of course, after finishing it comes the polishing, so I don't have a set date for its publication, but I am aiming for 2019. Thanks again for your insights and for having me there. Best, Diana Forbes
Diana Forbes
Beauty queen's hair lights on fire while juggling torches during the talent portion of the Miss America contest.
Turns out one of her rivals rigged the torches, and that contestant goes on to win the pageant, i.e. the Mean Girl triumphs.
Turns out one of her rivals rigged the torches, and that contestant goes on to win the pageant, i.e. the Mean Girl triumphs.
Diana Forbes
I would travel to the 19th century world of Old New York, one of the places I capture in my debut novel, Mistress Suffragette. I feel that if I could travel back in time I would try to improve conditions for some of the workers toiling away in the sweatshops. I would also take long walks to soak in the atmosphere of a city at the cusp of great change. The Industrial Revolution was a time of great progress, but there was also displacement and in some cases, fear.
Diana Forbes
Jane Eyre
Ethan Frome
War and Peace
Ethan Frome
War and Peace
Diana Forbes
I gravitate to historical houses and also to historical re-enactments. I also have letters and photographs handed down to me from my nineteenth century ancestors. Sometimes when I am reading a letter that an ancestor wrote, I can almost hear the nineteenth century music playing in the background. Somewhere amidst all of my time-period research, a story began to form.
Diana Forbes
Sometimes I deal with it by rewriting certain passages. Rewriting gets me in the flow of writing, and when I see how much a revision has improved the original, it inspires me to write new material also.
Diana Forbes
You have complete control over the story. If you don't like where a part of it is going, you have the right to change it. You are your own boss, in that respect.
Diana Forbes
Take a lot of writing classes and do your best to find a writing mentor. I think this is even more important than finding a writing critique group. Know that however long you think the project will take, most likely it will take twice the time you envision. Good luck with it!
Diana Forbes
I am currently working on the sequel to Mistress Suffragette.
Diana Forbes
I am a "sit down in the chair" type of writer. I have a schedule. I write every day in the morning. And I just stick to it. Inspiration does not just knock on the door. You need to be sitting at your desk, and the more often you do it, the more inspiration comes.
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Nov 16, 2018 12:50PM
Nov 16, 2018 01:24PM