The big prep

For the last couple of weeks, I've been prepping my presentation called "Writing a novel: A personal journey." I'll deliver it for the first time this Tuesday January 19th at the Abington Community Library at 6:30, so stop in if you can!

In creating the presentation, I've had a chance to revisit, as the title says, my personal journey while writing Risking Exposure. My learning curve was very steep. When I began, I knew little about pre-war Germany, polio, propaganda, or how to write a novel. I didn't own a film-based camera, didn't know what clothes were worn in that era, or how an average home was furnished. I spoke little German, didn't understand the structural organization of Hitler Youth, and had never heard of the procession which takes center stage at the end of the book. I've come a long way, and I'm delighted to share what I've learned.

 But I can't see where I'm going by looking behind me. I've been jotting notes and dictating ideas for my next story, even while I'm organizing this presentation.

  
So here I am, looking forward to this presentation and the two that follow, March 9th at the Wyoming County Cultural Center at the Dietrich Theater, and May 21st for the Susquehanna Library Association. I hope to meet some folks and encourage them to be brave enough to undergo their own exploratory journey of research and writing. And I'm also looking forward to the time when I can research and write something new.