the everyman memoirs
The official blog of author Tali Nay.
Guest Post!
My friend Crystal Brinkerhoff, a fellow writer who hails from the same corner of Oregon that I do, is today's featured post. It's my first guest post and I hope to do more in the future. Enjoy!!
Advice...on dirty laundry
Because my books are piddly and my well-knownness even piddlier, it's not often that I am asked for advice on writerly things.
The Read-Through
I did my first full read-through of the manuscript over the weekend. Of course I've been reading/editing for a couple months now, but this was the first reading that happened all in one sitting. And also the first reading since I've had the chapters arranged in their new order.
Writing Letters
It's a lost art, really. I remember one of my favorite things to receive as a child was stationary, all kinds, the more options I had to choose from the better.
Torturing Confessions out of Poetry
I typed the word "stopping" into google search this morning, and the first thing that came up was "stopping by woods on a snowy evening." Which, incidentally, was exactly what I was looking for. What a tribute to Robert Frost that is. Impressive.
The Best Kind of History
I heard some remarks over the weekend from a woman who specializes in family history. When it comes to the benefits we receive from doing and learning about family history, it's not like I really need convincing, but still, days are full and time is precious and there's nothing I'm actively doing right now to learn about the lives of those who came before me.
A Few Words About Genre Fiction
It's a funny thing, genre fiction. I always stayed away due to an assumption that it would be crappily written, and certainly beneath me and my English major tastes.
Honesty: Still the Best Policy.
I got together recently with some friends, and the husband, who had just finished reading Schooled, asked me how I handled being so honest in the book.
Did I write THAT?
It's an interesting process, editing. And one I enjoy immensely. When first out of college I had it in my head that I might want to actually be an editor.
One Year Later
A friend sent me this link, and it got me thinking about what my advice would be. Of course, I'm a baby writer, but this weekend will mark 1 year since my book came out, and in that time I've learned quite a bit.
Birthday Week
Remember when I said this? I still believe that writing is like picking teams, at least the way I do it, but I've been surprised as I've been writing up the last topics on my list for book #2 at just how much I've had to say about them.
Picking Teams
I'm down to the last few thousand words for my next book, and that's an interesting place to be. Not that I'm going to stop writing once I hit a certain word count, but I do have a target I'd like to hit, or maybe it's more an estimation of where I think I'll be once I have this all written out.
The Upside of Sick
I've never been a very athletic person (my only attempt to be a member of an official team is chronicled in Schooled), but I'm a big proponent of exercise. On my own.
Remembering The Misfit
I was thinking yesterday about a quote I heard years ago about how good writing should make you feel like your head has been cut off.
Does anyone in Hollywood wear sleeves?
I'm happy for Anne, surprised about Jennifer (and that trip on the stairs!), thought Jessica Chastain looked stunning, laughed at Seth's jokes (although, annoyingly, he did too), and went to bed way too late.
Where I Was When I Fell in Love with Writing
I was on the toilet, if you must know. It was the early nineties, I was probably ten or eleven years old, and the magazine keeping me company at that moment was a Redbook with Meg Ryan on the cover.
Archives
- life
- reading
- Editing
- Dreams
- Summer
- Fooled
- Covid-19
- auntie
- Central Park
- New York City
- author
- Jeweled
- San Diego
- Love
- Christmas
- Family
- memoirs
- gemology
- vacation
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Disneyland
- moving
- Jewelry
- cat lady
- Author Fair
- Work
- Diamonds
- book signing
- Home
- Spring
- memories
- cats
- Risks
- Singleton
- Gratitude
- Fall
- NBA
- lockdown
- Winter
- kindle
- Hope
- running
- Goodreads
- baking
- publishing
- writing
- books
- Cleveland
- Manuscript
- Schooled
- Cat
- California
- travel
- Oregon
- Goals
- New Years resolutions
- writers
- book sales
- Birthday
- Tiffany and Co.
- Valentines Day
- beach
- Change
- progress
- Yuppie
- book reviews
- Lebron James
- Single
- Decisions
- New Years Eve
- holidays
- libraries
- Disney
- basketball
- Newbie
- book launch
- quarantine
- Billy Collins
- Typesetting
- March Madness