An Open Letter to Reese Witherspoon

Dear Ms. Witherspoon,

A few months ago, you were featured on one of those entertainment media TV shows such as The Insider, or Entertainment Tonight. It was the 20th anniversary of your career. Congratulations, by the way.

At one point, you were explaining to the interviewer how you got into the film production business. You said that you were having trouble finding a role that fit you at that particular point in your life in and your career. You said that you read the book, Wild by Cheryl Strayed and that you felt such a connection to the role that you bought the movie rights and you produced it. And now you have a production company and you make films.

Then, you turned directly into the camera and you said to the viewing audience, "So send me your books." Those were your exact words. I'm not making this up.

So I sent you my book. And imagine my surprise when I received it back, unopened, marked "Refused" on the front.

I took a lot of time to craft a query letter that had all the information I felt you needed to make a decision about whether to read the book or not, and I left out the fluff. I spoke about the 5-star reviews I have on Amazon and the testimonials that people have written. I tried to keep it tight and to the point so as not to waste your time. You are, after all, a very busy woman.

Now I know that movie production houses don't accept unsolicited books. I've search them on the Internet and they all say the same thing: that I need to be represented by a literary agent. However, you asked for my book. You told me to send it, so I thought, at the very least, you would open the package, read the letter, and review my book. At least if you did that and you turned it down, I would feel like I had had a fair shot.

Ms. Witherspoon, you are one of my favorite actresses. I loved you in Legally Blondes 1 and 2, I loved you in Sweet Home Alabama and Walk the Line. And I really loved you in Wild. But I feel, in this case, since you point blank asked for books, that you're not being fair.

I respectfully request that you at least look at my book, In Fashion's Web. I do think it would make a good Hallmark or Lifetime-style movie. Of course, everyone probably says that.

But under the circumstances, since you invited me to send my book, I would appreciate it if you would at least give it a chance.

Thank you for listening.
Lynn

Even with Fiction, it's Good to Teach Readers Something They Don't Already Know

I'm currently reading Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks. I'm about a third of the way through the book, and there's a scene in which a man, Garrett, and a woman, Theresa, are having a conversation. In that conversation, Garrett starts telling a story about the Phoenicians and how, in 600 B.C., they sailed around the entire continent of Africa guided primarily by the North Star. He says they were the first people to do so, but no one believed them, and that they were finally proven right about 2,000 years later.

Theresa and Garrett are in a sailboat when they have this conversation, and Garrett is pointing out the stars, so it is a smooth transition when he starts giving Theresa the history lesson.

The thing is, after I finished reading those few paragraphs, I really enjoyed the fact that I had learned something. And I realized that even as fiction writers, we must teach our readers something they don't already know.

In my book, In Fashion's Web, for example, I have a character who is training as an Olympic ice skater, and during her events and her practices, I describe many skating moves. I also describe the streets of Paris and Milan in some places because some of the scenes take place there.

I think that readers get satisfaction out of these factual tidbits, so it's important to have some areas in your book in which you feel you can impart some wisdom or knowledge. It can be a town, city or neighborhood -- perhaps the place where you grew up. Perhaps your characters are dancing a certain or your soldiers are conducting war-time maneuvers.

Of course, like the Nicholas Sparks example, inserting reality into fiction has to be smoothly done and it has to fit well within your story line.

You can also learn something, and then write about it. For instance, I didn't know anything about the streets of Paris or Milan. I had to research them.

So give this idea some thought as you're writing. What is that you know, that you're good at, that maybe you can breathe into the life of one of your characters?

Happy writing!

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

"Girl on the Train" Author Knows How to Keep the Reader in Suspence

There will be NO spoiler alerts in this blog post, so if you haven't read the book or seen the movie, go ahead, read on!

If you're looking for help in figuring out how to build suspense in your book, I suggest you pick up "The Girl on a Train" by Paula Hawkins.

Perhaps the ominous TV trailer ads were what sets up the suspense. And I can't be sure that I would have felt exactly the same way had I simply read a book description and started reading.

But regardless, this book offers an excellent lesson in how to keep readers in suspense.

What I like best about it is that my anxiety that something was going to happen started with page 1 and kept going -- and building -- throughout the entire book.

But I had no idea what that 'something' was. I mean, I had an assumption, because the movie trailor set me up for that. But I didn't know who, I didn't know how, I didn't know when, and I didn't know why. And the book doesn't reveal any of that until the last quarter of the book, so I was really on the edge of my seat the whole way through.

"Not" revealing everything, I think, is one of the hardest things to do when I'm writing, because, as an author, I have to "think from the end." So I always know, mostly know anyway, how one of my books is going to finish before I commit even one typed character to computer.

For example, with my second book, a story of self-discovery about a woman who hits rock bottom and rebuilds herself to a future of happiness, I wrote the entire book in my head over a period of several months before I even knew it was going to be a book.

Did Paula Hawkins have Girl on a Train completely figured out before she started writing? Did she know who, what when, where, how and why before she committed one character to digital paper? I don't know the answer, but I do know that not every author works that way. Some prefer to "start" and just let the "flow" take them. That happens for me with conversation threads, but not with the direction of the book.

How does it work for you?

In any case, I highly recommend that fiction writers read The Girl on the Train. It's an excellent primer for fostering ideas on how to build suspense in your own book.

Happy writing (and reading) !

If you like suspense, please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

Did you know that Singer Jimmy Buffet is also a Six-Time Novelist?

I must confess, I am a parrot-head. A parrot-head is, very simply, a Jimmy Buffett fan. I have been a fan of Jimmy Buffett's music since the 1970s, when he had a small but cultish following.

Anyway, Jimmy is a bit of an extremist. Or maybe he's just not afraid to try things and he knows how to live life to the fullest. He's a pilot, a deep-sea fisherman and a sailor/boater. And he's been all over the world. In this respect, he reminds me of Ernest Hemingway. He has even frequented Key West, a place where Hemingway lived.

But there's one other thing he has in common with Hemingway: He's a novelist. He has written six novels, and according to the bio on the inside back jacket of one of his books, every one of them has sky-rocketed to the New York Times best-seller list. I guess that's what happens when you are famous.

Anyway, I've read three of his books:
Tales from Margaritaville
Where Is Joe Merchant?
And most recently, A Salty Piece of Land

The last one, which was published in 2004, actually came with a CD of a song of the same name as the book, which of course, he wrote just for the book readers. It was very good.

His books are quite enjoyable -- especially this last one, A Salty Piece of Land. I've been struggling with a decision about whether to move south or not, and this book certainly got me excited about the idea of living in the tropics.

One thing about Jimmy's books is they are very representative of who he is. He writes about what he knows. He knows boats, planes, fishing and tropics, and that's what this book is about. What do you write about? Do you pour all your experiences and interests into your writing and character development?

Salty is also about friendships, accomplishing dreams and people who leave an imprint on your heart. And he does a good job of creating characters who do all three in the book.

If you're looking for a simple, feel good book that you can sit in your back yard and read while drinking a beer and catching some rays, try picking up one of Jimmy Buffett's books.

And while you're reading, pay attention to his character development. His characters aren't complicated, but they grow on you as you read, and there's something to be learned from that.

Enjoy!

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.